Medical Update

My Friday appointment went really well. My blood pressure has been consistently stable since being put on medication. I fall in the low normal level. I do have a blood pressure and heart rate monitor since I left the hospital. I have to take my stats several times a day and report them to my doctors. It hasn't been too bad because my doctors are talking to me on the phone a lot opposed to going into their offices. I did meet with my cardiologist Friday. We went over a few things and ran some tests to compare to those in the hospital. Things are looking good.

There are still some unanswered questions BUT they have diagnosed me with an Autonamic Dysfuntion called Postural Tachycardia Syndrome. "The autonomic nervous system regulates unconscious body functions, including heart rate, blood pressure, temperature regulation, gastrointestinal secretion, and metobolic and endocrine responses to stress such as the "fight or flight" syndrome. As regulating these functions involves various and multiple organ systems, dysfunctions of the autonomic nervous systems encompass various and multiple disorders. Postural Tachycardia Syndrome is a condition in which an excessively reduced volume of blood returns to the heart after an individual stands up from a lying down position. The primary symptom of OI is lightheadedness or fainting. In POTS, the lightheadedness or fainting is also accompanied by a rapid increase in heartbeat of more than 30 beats per minute, or a heart rate that exceeds 120 beats per minute."

For me it is not just when I stand up. It is when I exert any energy. So basically when I exert energy, the nerve endings in my blood vessels and arteries constrict. All of the blood stays in my lower extremities causing my blood pressure to fall and my heart rate to increase. My medication has been adjusted again. The good thing is that my EEG came back normal and I don't have to worry about seizures in my future. The doctor's theory is that what looked like a seizure was actually a reaction to my low blood pressure. Before fainting or during, your body will shake. Since my blood pressure was 50/31, I had no oxygen within my muscles. I was so close to death with those levels that my body was shaking uncontrollably because of the lack of blood flow and oxygen. So things are finally starting to come together.

I have been feeling well throughout the day but I have been getting very sick at night. Now my heart rate is very low at points. I think it is a combination of the medicine and me overdoing it throughout the day. I still am not allowed to work out but I should be able to in a month. I talk to my cardiologist regularly and have an appointment this week. Also, after a month of being on this medication, I have to wear a heart monitor for 24 hours consecutively during normal activity to see if I have any palpitations and to get a better picture of how things are. I have to drink lots of liquids which is not a problem for me. I have actually been told by my urologist that I overwork my kidneys and I drink too much water. Who ever thought that is a problem? Anyway, now I have to have an excessive amount of salt in my diet (welcome bloating). Anyway, I have to drink water with salt in it! How gross is that? I don't mind salt on food but not really a fan of it in my water.

It's more comforting to have some answers.