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May daily pressure therapy help with hypovolemia/ POTS / dysautonomias ?

funkyqueen

Senior Member
Messages
123
Location
South of France
Anyone of you, guys, with severe hypovolemia/ POTS/ dysautonomias,with a good feedback using daily a kind of pressure therapy massage chair ? ( at the level of calves )

I read Drs Bell / Streeten writtings, about the utility in some cases, of wearing " anti-shock pants " ( anti-G suit ? )... (i'm sorry, not sure about my translation), i mean this kind of emergency trousers, you know ?
Does some of you tried them ?

Another question : this kind of massage chair may offer the zero gravity position... in my mind, i think if it can help, by giving to the heart some rest, it could not be a good thing, to keep the zero gravity position for too long (maybe it could worsen dysautonomia ??)

Please let me know what are yours thoughts about that, thanks !
 

Rooney

Senior Member
Messages
185
Location
SE USA
I've never heard of a chair helping POTS. That's quite an expense, too. Most recliners will get you to zero gravity if you want that.
The G suite is worn outside your clothes and looks terrible. Try compression stockings first and leg strengthening exercises while lying down.
 

PatJ

Forum Support Assistant
Messages
5,288
Location
Canada
You might find OI Resource helpful. The woman who runs the site relies on a g-suit to function every day.

I've tried two g-suits, one Chinese and on American. Both were purchased from eBay and both had slow leaks (it's illegal to ship a functioning g-suit outside of the US because it's military hardware).

I did notice some benefit but also noticed a major drawback (which might not happen to everyone). My mood would become better while the pressure increased my BP but after I took off the suit my BP dropped and so did my mood. I would be in a very negative mood for many hours the next morning. It was a mood rollercoaster. The high periods associated with higher blood pressure were very nice with better appreciation for life and longer time upright before having to lie down, but the low periods were full of negative 'what's the point of this existence' thoughts. I would also become dizzy after removing the g-suit due to the BP drop.

In the end it wasn't worth it for me due to the mood swings. My mood is far more stable with my constant low blood pressure. I had the same mood swings when I tried compression wraps on my calves.

I rely on 20-30mmHg compression socks to keep me upright for a little longer before hypotension forces me to lie down (I max out at 45-60 minutes). If I use higher compression socks I get a rapid headache and massive brainfog which can last all day.

If you decide to try a g-suit I recommend an American one. It comes with a built-in air valve that holds the air in the suit and provides an easy way to adjust inflation. The Chinese suit doesn't come with one which means you need to find a way to keep the air contained which makes it difficult to inflate and difficult to contain the air. I also preferred how the American suit felt while wearing it.

Misc notes:
* Both g-suits were infused with chemical flame retardant which has an odor. It can't be washed out.
* Proper size and fit is important to ensure even presssure around abdomen, thighs, and calves.
* Initial adjustment can be time consuming (and tiring) but once you have all the adjustments done then it's quick (but possibly tiring) to put on and inflate.
 

PatJ

Forum Support Assistant
Messages
5,288
Location
Canada
Another question : this kind of massage chair may offer the zero gravity position... in my mind, i think if it can help, by giving to the heart some rest, it could not be a good thing, to keep the zero gravity position for too long (maybe it could worsen dysautonomia ??)

I need to lie down for much of the day. I can be upright for 45-60 minutes before OI symptoms become strong enough that I need to lie down for another hour at least (I usually wait close to 90 minutes before rising again). I have orthostatic narrowing of pulse pressure (a kind of low BP where my diastolic and systolic move toward each other the longer I am upright.)

Staying horizontal for much of the day has eliminated my air hunger (lack of blood in the lungs?), irritability (lack of blood in the brain?), calf and leg pain (presumably from blood pooling), and feelng extremely cold at times. I also have more energy, less PEM, and less brainfog.

In my opinion, lying down frequently is a must if you have OI.