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Hi, everyone,
I’m in a bad relapse with many new symptoms after 5 good years, and have got lots of good advice here. The relapse started at the end of September, and was triggered by lots of stress that resulted in my leaving my job and moving back from Ottawa to Toronto (I sent my belongings for friends to unpack Nov 27, and am at my parents as a “bridge” till Dec 27.)
I’m going to my first cardio appointment on Jan 7, and would appreciate any advice on whether I’m doing things in the right order.
OI: One new symptom was lightheadedness, and I came across “OI” very early when researching how to deal with a relapse. I checked my blood pressure at the drugstore and a walk-in clinic, and the diastolic number was on the low side. I started drinking lots of water with salt and potassium chloride, raised the head of my bed, and use OTC compression stockings occasionally. That seem to have helped, but I’m still lightheaded when I’m up for any length of time, as well as fatigued.
I’ve been wanting to do a Dr. Bell lie down/stand up blood pressure test since then, and have a friend who will do it for me on Jan 4. I’ll also be seeing my doctor on Dec. 30. If the results show I have OI, I’ll pursue ways of dealing with it more aggressively. I went off the salt water yesterday as per the test instructions.
Cardio: I had heart palpitations in October (not increased heart rate but more intense). They seem to have mostly gone away, maybe because I’m not doing outdoor walking anymore. Also a feeling of my heart being “strained” when I was doing outdoor exercise, and chest pains I went to ER for in November that was diagnosed as GERD, with a good ECG and x-ray result. I’ve got a heart monitor watch and don’t seem to have POTS or a high heart rate.
My doctor detected a heart murmur in Oct and has scheduled me for a cardio appt Jan 7 with a 48-hour Holter test and a transthoracic echo test. I’ve never had any concerns about my heart before (I’m 43) and don’t know anything about cardio tests. BTW, I have no access to a ME specialist.
Questions:
Does it make sense to go off the salt loading and do the OI test before I see the cardiologist, and have those tests done with my “normal” blood pressure, even if it means being more affected by symptoms during Christmas and the move to the new appt?
The OI test instructions make several references to fainting—if I haven’t felt like I was going to faint before, is this likely to happen during the test?
Any advice re what to do/ask when seeing the cardiologist? Or avoid?
Thanks!
I’m in a bad relapse with many new symptoms after 5 good years, and have got lots of good advice here. The relapse started at the end of September, and was triggered by lots of stress that resulted in my leaving my job and moving back from Ottawa to Toronto (I sent my belongings for friends to unpack Nov 27, and am at my parents as a “bridge” till Dec 27.)
I’m going to my first cardio appointment on Jan 7, and would appreciate any advice on whether I’m doing things in the right order.
OI: One new symptom was lightheadedness, and I came across “OI” very early when researching how to deal with a relapse. I checked my blood pressure at the drugstore and a walk-in clinic, and the diastolic number was on the low side. I started drinking lots of water with salt and potassium chloride, raised the head of my bed, and use OTC compression stockings occasionally. That seem to have helped, but I’m still lightheaded when I’m up for any length of time, as well as fatigued.
I’ve been wanting to do a Dr. Bell lie down/stand up blood pressure test since then, and have a friend who will do it for me on Jan 4. I’ll also be seeing my doctor on Dec. 30. If the results show I have OI, I’ll pursue ways of dealing with it more aggressively. I went off the salt water yesterday as per the test instructions.
Cardio: I had heart palpitations in October (not increased heart rate but more intense). They seem to have mostly gone away, maybe because I’m not doing outdoor walking anymore. Also a feeling of my heart being “strained” when I was doing outdoor exercise, and chest pains I went to ER for in November that was diagnosed as GERD, with a good ECG and x-ray result. I’ve got a heart monitor watch and don’t seem to have POTS or a high heart rate.
My doctor detected a heart murmur in Oct and has scheduled me for a cardio appt Jan 7 with a 48-hour Holter test and a transthoracic echo test. I’ve never had any concerns about my heart before (I’m 43) and don’t know anything about cardio tests. BTW, I have no access to a ME specialist.
Questions:
Does it make sense to go off the salt loading and do the OI test before I see the cardiologist, and have those tests done with my “normal” blood pressure, even if it means being more affected by symptoms during Christmas and the move to the new appt?
The OI test instructions make several references to fainting—if I haven’t felt like I was going to faint before, is this likely to happen during the test?
Any advice re what to do/ask when seeing the cardiologist? Or avoid?
Thanks!