Who has autonomic dysfunction?

[TigerLilea]

I have trouble with something being labeled as a "panic" or "anxiety" attack if it isn't caused by panic or anxiety.

So do I, Valentijn. I feel the same way with women who are going through peri/menopause and suffer with anxiety attacks as their hormones are adjusting and they get labelled as suffering with mental illness. Since when is menopause mental illness?!?

 

[CFS_for_19_years]

For what it's worth, my allergist long ago told me that chronic sinusitis was a sign of allergies and that the sinusitis would get better once I got my allergies under control. I had a lot of inhaled-type allergies (dust, pollen, dust mites, cat dander) so there was plenty to fix. I did allergy shots for several years and was never bothered by sinusitis again. This was after having been through multiple rounds of antibiotics prior to that.

Everybody picks their nose and yes, sometimes it bleeds, especially if you're on any medication that dries you out. Best thing to do is use a saline rinse from a bottle (allergist also recommended this), then try not to pick or blow your nose for 48 hours. My allergist said she kept a bottle in her pocket to use throughout the day.
https://www.amazon.com/Ocean-Saline-Nasal-Spray-Pack/dp/B00EXX4ZJC

 

[anciendaze]

@Kenjie

Your answer above leaves me still uncertain about something important. I understand that you definitely had a confirmed sinus infection back in December, and that you also had various sinus infections in previous years. I'm still concerned that strep and thrush are not found together in most standard sinus or upper respiratory infections. Thrush is normally called candidiasis, and caused by a yeast, candida albicans, (though some fungal infections might be mistaken). Antibiotics generally will not help this. (There is also a dangerous unusual possibility in that HIV infection is often detected after a patient presents with thrush.)

What I'm thinking w.r.t. the sinus infection is that you may have had such an infection which was actually confirmed and treated, but that no one checked that the infection had been cleared. I think you are saying that they attributed the continued discomfort to inflammation without infection, but I don't know that anyone actually checked that treatment resolved the original problem. I've actually seen doctors treating the same sinus infection for several years without realizing they were dealing with a single infection that was never cured. Even worse, they treated it with the same antibiotic repeatedly "because that worked last time", when they actually did not know if it had worked at all, except in making the patient go away temporarily.

The irony in such cases is that efforts to avoid "overuse of antibiotics" are actually breeding resistant strains of bacteria by stopping treatment short of complete success.

 

[TigerLilea]

For what it's worth, my allergist long ago told me that chronic sinusitis was a sign of allergies and that the sinusitis would get better once I got my allergies under control.

I had a doctor a couple of years ago tell me that she thought my sinus problems were because of allergies, which I do have. Only problem is I have no idea what I am allergic to. I've had testing done four times and nothing shows up. I tried doing various elimination diets and again, nothing showed up. My allergies always seem to be at their worst in January/February but I've ruled out just about everything I can think of.

 

[gerard5]

@Valentijn that's what I thought re anxiety. I'm not anxious but displayed anxiety type symptoms due to whatever making me unwell. I could tell the difference as opposed to having anxiety itself.

It appeared to be anxiety itself because I got upset in the doctors office and cried. (Out of frustration and feeling awfully sick..feeling as though I'm not getting the help from doctors that I so need).

Hi Kenjie, I'm wondering what you are doing on your own for diet and GI health? Multivitamins? Probiotics? Any supplements?

 

[Kenjie]

Hi Kenjie, I'm wondering what you are doing on your own for diet and GI health? Multivitamins? Probiotics? Any supplements?

Ive been taking vit b12 and D

 

[Kenjie]

@Kenjie

Your answer above leaves me still uncertain about something important. I understand that you definitely had a confirmed sinus infection back in December, and that you also had various sinus infections in previous years. I'm still concerned that strep and thrush are not found together in most standard sinus or upper respiratory infections. Thrush is normally called candidiasis, and caused by a yeast, candida albicans, (though some fungal infections might be mistaken). Antibiotics generally will not help this. (There is also a dangerous unusual possibility in that HIV infection is often detected after a patient presents with thrush.)

What I'm thinking w.r.t. the sinus infection is that you may have had such an infection which was actually confirmed and treated, but that no one checked that the infection had been cleared. I think you are saying that they attributed the continued discomfort to inflammation without infection, but I don't know that anyone actually checked that treatment resolved the original problem. I've actually seen doctors treating the same sinus infection for several years without realizing they were dealing with a single infection that was never cured. Even worse, they treated it with the same antibiotic repeatedly "because that worked last time", when they actually did not know if it had worked at all, except in making the patient go away temporarily.

The irony in such cases is that efforts to avoid "overuse of antibiotics" are actually breeding resistant strains of bacteria by stopping treatment short of complete success.

I kept asking doctors to check again but they wouldnt. Only now as of monday has swabbed my nose etc. But how else do you check for persistant infection or if it is cleared?

Also, im hiv free. All blood tests for hiv come back clear. I have been continuously tested for the last 8yrs.

 

[Kenjie]

Today my heart is 45 bpm.. and i was feeling ultra dizzy again... it seems when this happens it is accompanied by the pressure in my forehead... which is always there since december but sometimes worse than others...

Im just trying to find a way to battle on through this struggle til i see specialists in a few weeks..

 

[Kenjie]

Rifixamin is commonly prescribed by GI's too when it's suspected these symptoms are being caused by SIBO (bacterial overgrowth) as anyone with disturbed motility can be prone to false negatives with the Hydrogen Breath Test or Lactose/Mannitol test so yes, it could help with your gut symptoms.

Some studies show rifixamin is no better or worse for SIBO than standard antibiotics though and it's quite expensive in comparison. I often see it mentioned that better results come from combining rifixamin with metronidazole.

Can viruses/infections/bacteria last months long if left untreated or not treated correctly?

 

[TigerLilea]

Can viruses/infections/bacteria last months long if left untreated or not treated correctly?

Yes they can.

 

[CFS_for_19_years]

Today my heart is 45 bpm.. and i was feeling ultra dizzy again... it seems when this happens it is accompanied by the pressure in my forehead... which is always there since december but sometimes worse than others...

Im just trying to find a way to battle on through this struggle til i see specialists in a few weeks..

That could be due to hypothyroidism, among other things. That is not a good heart rate to have. Anything less than 60bpm is called bradycardia. I hope you are keeping a symptom diary.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bradycardia/basics/symptoms/con-20028373

 

[Kenjie]

Yes they can.

Id be relieved if this turned out to be a virus or infection or bacteria all along but also annoyed probably to have been left so very symptomatic for this long.

 

[Kenjie]

That could be due to hypothyroidism, among other things. That is not a good heart rate to have. Anything less than 60bpm is called bradycardia. I hope you are keeping a symptom diary.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bradycardia/basics/symptoms/con-20028373

Has been happening quite frequently since using metoprolol. Was as low as 38bpm at one point while taking it.

At the moment today is day 5 without metoprolol.

I would prefer to find the answer then being put on the correct treatment. Hard to know if metoprolol was suitable without the answers.

I dont think it was personally but because i know my my body and ive been having slow bpm as well as fast on friday night while on beta blocker.

Was using it for 3 weeks almost. Youd think by that time it may have been effective.

 

[CFS_for_19_years]

Has been happening quite frequently since using metoprolol. Was as low as 38bpm at one point while taking it.

At the moment today is day 5 without metoprolol.

I would prefer to find the answer then being put on the correct treatment. Hard to know if metoprolol was suitable without the answers.

I dont think it was personally but because i know my my body and ive been having slow bpm as well as fast on friday night while on beta blocker.

Was using it for 3 weeks almost. Youd think by that time it may have been effective.

I forgot you were also taking metoprolol. I also now remember you saying that your doctor wasn't concerned about your low heart rate at one point. I don't understand that, but then I'm not a doctor.

I hope things will get better for you soon.

 

[Kenjie]

I forgot you were also taking metoprolol. I also now remember you saying that your doctor wasn't concerned about your low heart rate at one point. I don't understand that, but then I'm not a doctor.

I hope things will get better for you soon.

He told me that was normal as metoprolol was meant to do that.

 

[anciendaze]

The problem has been misframed as "tachycardia", for which the solution is a drug to lower heart rate. The problem you are experiencing is poor regulation of heart rate, which seems to continue even while you are on that drug, since you continued to report episodes of tachycardia in between unusually low rates.

I'm also wondering if you were taking simple metoprolol or a common compound of that drug with hydrochlorthiazide. If so this could result in several other symptoms you have reported.

 

[gerard5]

Ive been taking vit b12 and D

Hi Kenjie, Thank you for the reply. Just wanted to share this link on Candida; https://draxe.com/candida-symptoms/

 

[Kenjie]

Something interesting happened tonight... i went and did a sinus rinse to see if this would help alleviate any symptoms.. ive been dizzy most of today with a low heart rate.. after i did the rinse i sat on toilet while sitting i was turning my head in all directions and trying to give it a good stretch and what do ya know it gave me dizzy spell... tested it out couple more times and again had dizzy spells...

Could this mean something in my head is causing the dizziness? All this time i though it was low or fast heart rate causing the dizziness..

All this time could it have been something in my head all along that has been causing this as well as the near fainting spells?

I just finding it interesting that turning my head in all directions brought on dizziness...

 

[Kenjie]

Hi Kenjie, Thank you for the reply. Just wanted to share this link on Candida; https://draxe.com/candida-symptoms/

Interesting, this all started when i had vaginal strep and thrush.. two rounds of antibiotics for both of those to clear them up and i still didnt feel right after the first month.

Questions.. how do we test for candida? Is a vaginal swab which i did on monday enough? What if next day or 2 that swab comes back with a touch of something.. then could it mean it was potentially that all along? @Valentijn can you help answer some of these too please..

And if say i was at risk of candida infection or fullblown candida attack how fo you treat it? Would introducing probiotic supplements by choice help?

Im just not sure which way to go from here while i still sit at home with dizzy symptoms..

 

[anciendaze]

...And if say i was at risk of candida infection or fullblown candida attack how fo you treat it? Would introducing probiotic supplements by choice help?..

I don't think probiotics are much help after an infection is established. Here's what Wikipedia says about treatments: "Candidiasis is treated with antifungal medications; these include clotrimazole, nystatin, fluconazole, voriconazole, amphotericin B, and echinocandins."

Notice that these are not antibiotics. Antibiotics for strep infection would be appropriate in a combined candida/strep infection, but would not much affect fungi.

Meanwhile, back at a previous question, I had thought you were talking earlier about a nasal swab to test for a sinus infection which might be draining. Did I misunderstand a reference to a vaginal swab?