Monday 14 March 2016

Things have been been going up and down and round and round recently. While things did improve once coming off the Sertraline and starting the Cymbalta for my OCD/Emetophobia, it hasn't improved all that much.
I'm still stupidly tired all the time, with pain most days of variable degrees but what have gotten a lot worse over the last 6 months is the light-headedness/dizzyness when upright, the breathless when moving and heart and chest pains. The doctor I saw at the M.E clinic back in Janurary said that I obviously had some form of Orthastic Tacycardia and wrote to my GP to get him to do some tests to discover what sort.
Last week I had an Active Stand Test at my surgery with one of the nurses. I was having a pretty bad time of it anyway and the test itself wasn't that great. From my reading I knew that during the test I was supposed to lie down flat for 10 minutes before standing very, very still for 10 minutes while my blood pressure and heart rate was taken at 2, 5 and 10 minutes. I don't think the nurse knew this. I only lay down for a few minutes, which wasn't long enough really for my heart to calm down from the walk from the waiting room to the office and then when I stood up, she took my heart rate and blood pressure straight away and then said, 'well it's not changed that much.'
I said to her that it was supposed to be taken repeatedly over the next 10 minutes, to which the nurse responded 'we can do that if you want to.'
If I'm honest I was not very impressed.
However, as I stood for the next few minutes and I started to feel worse and worse- clammy, dizzy and a little sicky- my heart rate went up and up. I had to call an end to the test half way through because I felt like I was going to pass out. I ended up spending the nest five minutes sat with my head between my legs (I know lying down is best- but I just can't lie down on the doctors floor!) until I felt a bit better.

My doctor called me this morning with the results of the test- congratulations it's POTS. Yet another chronic illness to add to my list. Ha! He is referring me to the cardiologists at the local hospital for treatment and management and in the meantime I am to drink water like I'm dying of thirst and he has prescribed me some compression stockings- which I am sure will be unbelievably sexy but hopefully will help with the standing up. I also recently bought a rollator, a walker on wheels with a seat so that when the fatigue allows I might be able to spend more time out of the house and able to shop and queue!

That is the plan anyway!

I am still waiting to hear back from Hellesdon after that assessment I had in January. I've called twice and been told that they would get back to me. Maybe they are thinking I will grow bored and suddenly 'TA-DA' I will be cured and better. But after having severe OCD/Emet for the last 7-8 years now I don't think that's going to happen.