A big step forward.

Tomorrow, I have an interview. I'm incredibly nervous. I can't even describe how nervous. My biggest concern is obviously POTS. I don't want to have a POTS attack in the middle of the interview-which has happened before; when I interviewed for a graduate school program.) I also worry about how this prospective employer will take hearing about POTS. I don't feel it's right to keep something that affects my daily life and my physical abilities a secret. It's unfair to them, and it's certainly unfair to me as I'll need adjustments made for me. Possibly a stool if I'm working a cash register, or more frequent breaks if I'm on the floor. Either way, they deserve to know and I don't feel it's right to hide it until after I would get hired (if I would get hired.) I want the job but I'm not going to lie to get it.

So, hopefully they will be willing to give me (and my POTS) a chance.
Fingers crossed.

Awful Day

Today was a horrible POTS day.
I spent almost the entire day in bed.

I got up early to send a package to a friend, and when I was at the post office I couldn't feel my legs or my arm. I started to get dizzy and my heart started pounding. My arrhythmia went crazy. I wasn't panicking, but my chest and head started to hurt.

I went home, and I could barely move. I could barely lift my arms or stand. I couldn't breathe.
I almost passed out in the bathroom.

I thought maybe I had forgotten my meds, but when I double checked I definitely had taken them.

I crawled into bed, and cried myself to sleep. Much later, I was able to eat something and move back downstairs but I couldn't do anything else. Still too tired and almost completely debilitated.

Hopefully, tomorrow will bring a better day.

Fatigue and Being Stubborn

Today started innocently enough; I got up, took the dogs for a walk and managed to go out to a local craft store and the grocery store with my sister.
Halfway through grocery shopping, I just could not do anymore.
I was so tired, and everything ached so badly that all I wanted to do was head home.
I went home, ate my lunch, and sat down to read.

Even now, I'm so tired I can barely move. Lifting my arms is a struggle and my whole body feels tingly like it fell "asleep" and is now on pins and needles.
It's taking all of my will power not to jump into bed and stay there.
(I refuse to give in.)

Amount of sleep: 6 ish hours

Diet:
- Breakfast: nutella on bread, 3 cups water
- Lunch: bologna sandwich, handful potato chips, nectarine, 2.5 cups water
- Dinner: homemade fresh veggie pizza, 3.5 cups water
- Snack 1: 3 cups Dr. Pepper (over the course of the whole day)
- Snack 2:

Exercise/activities:
- two walks (one with each dog)

P.O.T.S. symptoms experienced:
so far: cold extremities, exhaustion, aches, nausea, headache, light headed, trembles, pounding heart, anxiety

Misc:

Fresh Air

Lovely day out- 60s and cool. Perfect for having the windows open and getting fresh air.
I was able to take both dogs for a walk and, after a rest, I went job hunting for a very short while.
***
I've been wearing the compression stockings for a few days and I'm not really noticing any different in how I feel with them. The only things I've noticed are that my hands aren't ice cold (good thing) and I get a horrible migraine (bad thing). I'll be asking my specialist about them at my next appointment.

Amount of sleep: 6 ish hours

Diet:
- Breakfast: nutella on bread, 3 cups water
- Lunch: hamburger on white bread, apple slices, hot mocha
- Dinner: stir fry with chicken, corn, red pepper, orange pepper, yellow pepper, onions and rice, 2.5 cups water
- Snack 1: 2 cups water
- Snack 2:

Exercise/activities:
- 1 mile walk (half mile with each dog)
- errands

P.O.T.S. symptoms experienced:
so far: cold extremities, exhaustion, aches, nausea, upset stomach (lower), headache/migraine, chills, dizziness, light headed, trembles, pounding heart.

Misc:
-

falling off the wagon

I've totally dropped off the whole 'recording my diet and symptoms' thing. A lot has been going on with my health aside from POTS, so my stress has been high and my diet's been (relatively) poor. I know that I have to get back to it, and will. Tomorrow starts a new week, so I'll press on then.

Staycation...

I tried on my compression stockings today. I didn't notice any difference in how I felt symptom-wise, other than having a headache.

I did push them to the limit by going on a trip to see Niagara Falls and the Buffalo History Museum. Overall, it was a 4.5 hour trip and we walked over 2.5 miles!
While it was nice to be out for a little while, the compression stockings didn't really help my symptoms. I guess time will tell if they're any good at all.

Here's a picture of the Horseshoe Falls

Amount of sleep: 5 ish hours

Diet:
- Breakfast: nutella on bread, 3 cups water
- Lunch: n/a...felt too sick
- Dinner: homemade white pizza, 3.5 cups water
- Snack 1: half a candy bar, 2 cups water
- Snack 2:

Exercise/activities:
- over 2.5 miles of walking around Niagara Falls

P.O.T.S. symptoms experienced:
so far: cold extremities, exhaustion, arrhythmia, pounding heart, aches, nausea, headache/migraine, chills, dizziness

Misc:
-

(Slightly) Less Compression

I went and returned my last pair of compression stockings, and they offered to give me the pressure just below the one I had. They're going to call the doctor and see if that's acceptable. For now they exchanged them for me anyways because the other ones were 100% unwearable. (These ones are still insanely tight but I can at least get them on.)

If it is acceptable, then I'll have the order a tan pair because they only had black and those stand out terribly when you're wearing shorts. Talk about inviting gawkers!

Amount of sleep: barely any

Diet:
- Breakfast: nutella on bread, 3 cups water
- Lunch: large baked potato, sour cream, butter, shredded cheese, 'bacon' bits. 1 cup dr. pepper
- Dinner: chicken, pasta, onions and peppers, 2.5 cups water, 1 cup lime fizz
- Snack 1: half a candy bar
- Snack 2:

Exercise/activities:
- walking the nature trail
- errands

P.O.T.S. symptoms experienced:
so far: cold extremities, exhaustion, arrhythmia, pounding heart, aches, nausea, headache/migraine, visual disturbances, shakes/trembles,

Misc:
-

Sunday

Amount of sleep: barely any

Diet:
- Breakfast: nutella on bread, 3 cups water
- Dinner: homemade, fresh veggie pizza 4 cups water
- Snack 1: handful M&Ms, 3 cups water
- Snack 2: pretzels, 1 cup dr. pepper

Exercise/activities:
-

P.O.T.S. symptoms experienced:
so far: cold extremities, exhaustion, lightheadedness, arrhythmia, pounding heart, aches, nausea, headache/migraine, visual disturbances, shakes/trembles, heat intolerance, chest pain, difficulty breathing

Misc:
- week 2 vitamin D supplement.

tired

Absolutely exhausted today because I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning so I could catch the meteor shower. While I know it's going to aggravate my symptoms, it was well worth it. Besides, there are big storms moving in and that's already wreaking a bit of havoc with my POTS, so it's no extra harm done!

Amount of sleep: about 5 hours. Stayed up late to watch the meteor shower

Diet:
- Breakfast: large bowl rice krispies with lactaid, 2.5 cups water
- Lunch: potato pancakes with sour cream, cheddar cheese and 'bacon', 2.5 cups water
- Dinner: pasta salad, 4 cups water
- Snack 1: handful M&Ms
- Snack 2:

Exercise/activities:
- bathing both dogs

P.O.T.S. symptoms experienced:
so far: cold extremities, exhaustion, lightheadedness, arrhythmia, pounding heart, aches, nausea, headache/migraine

Misc:

Stressed.

“Out of clutter, find simplicity.”

- Albert Einstein -

Amount of sleep: about 4 hours. horrible nightmares.

Diet:
- Breakfast: 3 pieces cinnamon swirl bread, 2.5 cups water
- Lunch: homemade pasta salad, 1 cup dr. pepper
- Dinner: steak with baked potato, 1 cup dr. pepper, 2 cups water
- Snack 1: handful M&Ms, 4 cups water
- Snack 2:

Exercise/activities:
- up early and walked around the nature trail
- laundry and cleaning

P.O.T.S. symptoms experienced:
so far: cold extremities, exhaustion, lightheadedness, arrhythmia, pounding heart, anxiety

Misc:
purpleish hand

Interesting Info.

I was doing some research this week on a topic I was curious about: POTS+ birth control pills.

I went off of the pill well over a year ago because it was making the symptoms of my as-yet-undiagnosed condition much worse. My chest hurt, my flutters were worse, etc. Recently, I've been debating going back on it for the regulatory benefits (I find that the addition of Midodrine to my system has really thrown off my cycle- something I have to ask my doctor about) as well as the obvious protection benefits.

So, out of curiosity, I took to the internet to see what the internet has to say about POTS and birth control pills.

What I found was a bit surprising to me. On a dysautomnia message board - the topic was POTS/birth control- I found out that quite a number of birth control pills contain diuretics. The benefit of this for a 'normal' woman is that it should help with the bloating that comes before/with your period. They can also help to lower your blood pressure.

For a POTS patient, having a diuretic is the exact OPPOSITE of what is needed. Diuretics aid your body in ridding itself of water; a POTS patient needs to retain water and salt to keep their blood pressure and blood volume up.

So, it would seem (though I'll ask just to be sure) that birth control pills/patches are out of the question. I'm not sure about other methods, but I would assume they would be safe as they're not introducing diuretics into the body. This also means that period-related aids that contain diuretics are not recommended; such as Midol or Pamprin. (I don't use them, but it's good to know and share I think.)

Very interesting.

Gorgeous out

Still feeling pretty awful...but the nice part is that it's beautiful outside.
We have the windows open and it's nice to have the fresh air in the house.

Amount of sleep: about 6 hours. Horrible upsetting nightmares.

Diet:
- Breakfast: piece of breakfast strata, 2.5 cups water
- Lunch: bologna, cheese and crackers lunchable with capri sun. 2.5 cups water.
- Dinner: pasta salad, 2 cups dr. pepper
- Snack 1: handful m&ms, 2.5 cups water
- Snack 2:

Exercise/activities:
-

P.O.T.S. symptoms experienced:
so far: headache, cold extremities, exhaustion, lightheadedness, arrhythmia, pounding heart, chest pain, depression

Misc:

Yuck.

I've been up since 7am because my POTS has been so bad. It's been a long time since I've woken up in the middle of the night gasping for air, but that's what happened this morning.
My chest hurts, my heart's pounding and I can't breathe.
I'm not pleased.

Amount of sleep: about 6 hours with weird dreams.

Diet:
- Breakfast: slice of bread with nutella, 2.5 cups water
- Lunch: mini potato pancakes with shredded cheese, sour cream and 'facon', half an apple, 1 cup iced mocha
- Dinner: n/a (was feeling too sick)
- Snack 1: few slices cinnamon bread, 2.5 cups water
- Snack 2: 2.5 cups water

Exercise/activities:
-

P.O.T.S. symptoms experienced:
so far: headache, cold extremities, exhaustion, dizziness, heat intolerance, arrhythmia, pounding heart, chest pain, depression, nausea

Misc:
-

How do these things work?

So. I tried my compression stockings on today.
Correction: I tried to get my compression stockings on today.
I couldn't do it. They are so tight that I couldn't even get my foot into foot part, and I couldn't get the rest of it on past my calf. Then, I couldn't get the damn things off either...so I sat on my bed and yelled out of frustration.
Finally, I ripped the horrible things off and cursed at them.
I'll make another attempt later or tomorrow.

Amount of sleep: about 6 hours

Diet:
- Breakfast: slice of bread with nutella, 1.5 cups water
- Lunch: salami sandwich wrap, 1 cup dr. pepper, 1 cup water
- Dinner: steak with roasted potatoes, 2 cups water
- Snack 1: fruit puree, 1.5 cup tea
- Snack 2:

Exercise/activities:
- not much; very rough POTS day; probably due to the weather

P.O.T.S. symptoms experienced: (May be skewed from the testing obviously)
so far: headache, nausea, weakness, exhaustion, dizziness, heat intolerance, arrhythmia, pounding heart

Misc:
- super humid, pouring rain

Pushing through

Pushed myself hard today.
I went and picked up my compression stockings- which are not what I wanted. It turns out that the strength I need only comes in one form: opaque. They're the Sophia Petrillo stockings I was dreading. I'll be trying them tomorrow.

I also took my sister out to run errands today. By the end, I was exhausted but it was productive.
***
On the negative side, I'm having to ration out my meds right now because I can't afford any more. It's incredibly upsetting.

Amount of sleep: about 6 hours

Diet:
- Breakfast: slice of bread with nutella, 3 cups water
- Lunch: large bowl mac and cheese, 2.5 cups water, 2 cups dr. pepper
- Dinner: McDonalds hamburger and handful fries, 2.5 cups water. (I still can't believe the recommend high calorie foods like this for me...but I still eat them rarely.)
- Snack 1:
- Snack 2:

Exercise/activities:
- testing

P.O.T.S. symptoms experienced: (May be skewed from the testing obviously)
so far: headache, nausea, hand/feet numbness, shakes, weakness, exhaustion, dizziness, heat intolerance

Misc:
- Week #1 of my Vitamin D regimen. So far, so good.

Testing: Day 2

Second, and hopefully last, day of testing.
Thankfully, it was better today than yesterday's was!
So glad it's over with.

Amount of sleep: about 5 hours

Diet:
- Breakfast: two small homemade donuts, 2 cups water
- Lunch: leftover salmon and chips, 2 cups ginger ale
- Snack 1: 6 bite-sized almond biscotti, 2.5 cup water
- Snack 2:

Exercise/activities:
- testing

P.O.T.S. symptoms experienced: (May be skewed from the testing obviously)
so far: headache, nausea, hand/feet numbness, purple hand, shakes, weakness, vision problems, exhaustion

Misc:
-

Testing Day 1

I had testing this morning. It was long, sucky and threw my POTS completely out of whack so now I feel downright awful!

Amount of sleep: about 5 hours

Diet:
- Brunch: banana cocoa muffin, 4 cups water
- Dinner: leftover salmon and chips, 2 cups water
- Snack 1: two small homemade donuts, 1 cup water
- Snack 2: handful m&ms.

Exercise/activities:
- testing

P.O.T.S. symptoms experienced: (May be skewed from the testing obviously)
so far: headache, nausea, hand/feet numbness, purple hand, shakes, weakness, vision problems, dizziness, spots in front of my eyes, exhaustion

Misc:
-

Nervous Wednesday

Getting nervous about some testing I'm having tomorrow so my eating habits are a bit wonky. (Tomorrow they'll be even worse.) Looking forward to being done!
I also threw out my back yesterday so I'm on light duty. Thankfully today it's a bit better, but I'm taking it easy just in case.

Amount of sleep: about 7 hours. Had a rough night of sleeping so when my alarm went off I rolled over and went back to bed.

Diet:
- Breakfast: two banana cocoa muffin, 2.5 cups water
- Lunch: bacon, cheddar and scallion scones, 2 cups water
- Dinner: herby salmon, rice
- Snack 1: 1 cup dr. pepper
- Snack 2:

Exercise/activities:
- none

P.O.T.S. symptoms experienced:
so far: headache, nausea, hand/feet numbness, heat intolerance, shakes, weakness, vision problems, dizziness, spots in front of my eyes :(

Misc:
- raining all day; very muggy

Compressed Tuesday

Got up early this morning and went to a medical supply place that can get my compression stockings! They're going to call me once they place the order. I'm looking forward to seeing how I feel with them and if they help me!

Amount of sleep: 5-6 hours

Diet:
- Breakfast: one banana cocoa muffin, 2.5 cups water
- Lunch: mac and cheese, 1.5 cups dr. pepper
- Dinner: fresh veggie pizza, 3 cups water
- Snack 1: handful M&Ms, 2 cups water
- Snack 2: homemade doughnuts, 2 cups water

Exercise/activities:
- errands

P.O.T.S. symptoms experienced:
so far: headache, hand/feet numbness, heat intolerance, shakes, weakness

Misc:
-

Hello August

So far, not a great POTS day.
I went out and ran errands this morning. First, it was okay. Then about an hour into it, the heat started to get to me and my stomach started to get upset. I was also really lightheaded and my feet started to get a lot of blood pooling in them. They started to get heavy and lose feeling and walking was iffy, so I decided to go home. Driving home was tough and I wonder if it's safe...
Either way, I went home, had lunch (something super salty) and put my legs up which is helping.

I've also called a few places and finally managed to find somewhere that will fit me for my compression stockings. I'm hoping to feel up to making it there tomorrow.

Amount of sleep: about six hours

Diet:
- Breakfast: two banana cocoa muffins, 2.5 cups water
- Lunch: potato pancakes with shredded cheese, sour cream and facon bits. 1.5 cups dr. pepper
- Dinner: veggie stir fry with pasta (yellow and orange peppers, red onion, cauliflower and green beans), 2.5 cups water
- Snack 1: handful M&Ms.
- Snack 2:

Exercise/activities:
- errands

P.O.T.S. symptoms experienced:
so far: headache, hand/feet numbness, arrhythmia, heart pounding, heat intolerance, shakes, weakness

Misc:
- sharp pains in my side