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Food and POTS

Carrigon

Senior Member
Messages
808
Location
PA, USA
I had one of the worst attacks of the low blood pressure today that I've had in a very long time. And I can already see what triggered it. The place I live in has this free food program for low income people for half the year. But the problem is, they give all things that people with our illness and with MCS or POTS cannot eat. They give us things that have garlic in them or nitrates or a combo of both. And they give us way too much sugary snack things. Lots of cookies, poptarts, granola bars and other fruit food bars. None of it is healthy for someone sick with our illness. And even if you didn't have this disease, it's like a diabetic's nitemare.

I have been eating some of the stuff and I've been getting sicker and sicker from it. I just can't eat that way. I had eaten a frozen entree they gave us and it had garlic and other stuff in there. And today, the low blood pressure was so severe that I was nauseous, faint, dizzy, and really felt like this time I was going to slip into a coma from it. I had to spend the day in bed, my legs were even shaky if I tried to stand. I'm still not okay after sleeping for several hours.

But I'm really seeing the connection with the food and the symptoms. When I cook for myself and I use plain, bland food and control my own amount of salt or sugar, I'm not even half as sick as this. I still get it, but not to this severity. I have more control over it if I only eat my own way.

So this is when free really isn't free. But I'm going to have a tough time trying to eat healthier on my tiny budget. But I think at this point, anything is better than how they have been giving us this stuff. I have to stick with things I can eat, even if it means alot more nights with plain white rice or plain pasta.

Another thing that really set this off today was a too hot shower. I know I should take colder showers, I didn't this time, it wasn't cool enough. The hot water always triggers a bad POTS attack in me. So, I need to be extra careful. It's horrible to be this sick and then to realize I didn't have to be as sick if I would have been more careful.

But there is a real connection with how disabled I am and the diet. There's no doubt there. If I want to be less sick, I have to eat better. But it is really hard to do on the small budget.
 

glenp

"and this too shall pass"
Messages
776
Location
Vancouver Canada suburbs
cleaning supplies too

I have found this too, I don"t eat garlic anymore. I find that many of these foods and canned tomatoes cause migraine also. I have also found some cleaning chemicals to affect dysautonomia.
I have bought a sack of white rice so always have something to eat

glen
 

kerrilyn

Senior Member
Messages
246
I find when I'm are having better days, I will eat healthy and then when I have a bad day, it's almost impossible to eat healthy. Because it takes more effort to find or make something healthy (even just boiling water) but that's when I need the healthy food the most.

I'm just coming to terms with giving up garlic. I've always liked it so much. I never seem to aware enough of a food that causes me a lot of grief.
 

Sunday

Senior Member
Messages
733
It is really hard giving up the foods you love, and even harder eating well on a low budget. My standby for years was rice and beans, don't know if that works for you. If you can buy in bulk, that might help. Carrigon, have you tried mentioning your health problems - in a factual, brief way - to the people who run your food bank? They might be able to respond, and you might open up the doors for others with similar problems.

About diabetes: an easy, cheap, preventative is to take 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon a day. It makes a nice tea, which is also antinausea and antibacterial. It's also easy and pleasant to put in other foods. Studies show that cinnamon regulates blood sugar. They did a test where they measured blood sugar before and after apple pie. They were expecting the pie to raise blood sugar and were astounded when the results showed lower blood sugar. They had to investigate before finding out that the cinnamon was the "culprit".
 

Carrigon

Senior Member
Messages
808
Location
PA, USA
They don't care what food they give out. They said they give it for free and don't care. I think they must get donations of it and just give whatever they get. There is no real thought or planning involved. Sometimes we get a few good things. There have been weeks where they gave a chicken or a box of hamburger patties. Sometimes it's rice or pasta or even white beans. But for the most part, it's usually the junk. All those cookies and sweet things, or they give chips with all kinds of chili flavorings that no one with acid reflux can eat. Mostly, they give really bad stuff. But I'm grateful when they give the good things.
 

L'engle

moogle
Messages
3,187
Location
Canada
I never thought to connect the headaches I sometimes get with eating garlic, but I confirmed it today. Thanks for pointing this potential allergy out to me. I hope you can find a way to eat healthily. I tend to go with rice and lentils. Take care.