I really hope this continues and isn't an adrenalin rush that is going to make me crash later.
Yesterday I finally did a water change on my 5 gallon fish tank. I've been meaning to for weeks but hadn't had the energy.
I'm so excited about how much more energy I've been having!! It's weird because I still start losing my vision throughout the day and experience tachycardia (even more than usual), but I'm not constantly absolutely exhausted. I haven't been sleeping as much or needing as many naps! I really hope this continues and isn't an adrenalin rush that is going to make me crash later. Yesterday I finally did a water change on my 5 gallon fish tank. I've been meaning to for weeks but hadn't had the energy.
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Click here to go to the article: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012/02/29/what-astronauts-have-taught-doctors-about-fainting/ I've also copied and pasted the article below, but please use the link above to view the video. What Astronauts Have Taught Doctors About FaintingKathy Chandler is a chronic fainter, but NASA research on astronauts could provide clues to keeping her healthy.
“Astronauts are very prone to fainting, dizziness,” Dr. Fred Jaeger of the Cleveland Clinic told ABC News. “If you are in space you are not using all of your muscles, including your heart, because you don’t have gravity to fight. And so their heart size was decreasing.” One such fainting attack struck astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn, who collapsed after returning from her first space mission. The fainting and dizziness symptoms can be shared by patients like Chandler who have a condition called postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome or POTS. POTS affects up to one million people, most of them women. “The hallmark of POTS is the high heart rate,” said Jaeger. “The high heart rate can trigger fainting.” Doctors try to keep patients with POTS healthy by adjusting their diets and helping them change how they sleep, but it is NASA researchers who came up with a tailored exercise program that is now being used not only on astronauts, but on patients with POTS. The exercise program is intended to help the heart grow in some patients and in others to condition the heart muscle and prevent fainting. “It involves exercises that avoid gravity,” Jaeger said. “And for the first time ever we actually have a way to turn around the person’s symptoms and actually cure them.” While prescriptions for POTS patients vary, for Chandler she is currently focusing on eating salty food to keep her blood pressure up, tilting her bed when she sleeps to keep her blood flowing, taking medication to control her heart rate and exercising on a recumbent bike. “I will be using that more often now to build up my heart muscle. I want to be at my best. Chandler hopes soon to be free of fainting, thanks to a little help from “The Right Stuff.” I don't think I gradually show how sick I'm getting when I'm out with people. I keep smiling and talking until I can't hold it back anymore and I just crash. People are surprised how quickly I go from looking okay to looking awful. But it's not instant, it's gradual. I just try to push through it for as long as possible. I'm at my cousin's baby shower right now. It's a huge accomplishment that I could even come! But now I'm laying in their guest room, trying to get a second wind. Being upright makes me feel kinda like I'm getting the flu. That's probably the best comparison. I get dizzy, nauseous, achey, headache, racing heart, out of breath, faint feeling... This heat is also not helping. My resting heart rate has been so high lately! Stupid heat. Or rather stupid body, unable to tolerate weather changes. Update: Got my hubby to come pick me up shortly after writing this post. Now I've passed out on the couch, enjoying the solitude. :)
Falling asleep in the middle of hanging out with friends seems to be becoming a habit for me. Today I told Sarah that I just needed to lay on the couch for a few minutes. Next thing I knew I was waking up from a nap. One time I fell asleep for 45 minutes and when I woke up my friend had left me a note saying that her husband had come to pick her up!! I'm glad I have understanding friends. |
AuthorMy name is Lisa and this is my life with POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) Categories
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