The picture above describes the relationship between my heart and brain perfectly. I don't know why my body quit working, but it has and now I have to figure out why. My 380.00 Colanor prescription to bring down my heart rate is working. Problem is it wears off right around the time I go to bed and that sucks. Finding out that Stanford has a dysautonomia clinic just about blew my mind and has given me hope.
My quality of life since last October is lousy at best. I get so tired and this is different from regular tiredness. This is a profound exhaustion. Then if I do move, the pain gets me. This is a pain that is all over my body. It is not an exaggeration to say my muscular-skeletal system cripples me. I have osteoarthritis and know what that feels like. This is different. I moan when I get off the couch. Literally. And moaning starts at my 7-8 pain level. I know my pain levels now and I know what a 10 feels like. If I say a 7-8, I mean it. So, a referral to Stanford's autonomic clinic is the best thing that has happened to me in a long time.
This is from their website:
Autonomic Nervous System
The autonomic nervous system controls functions in the body that take place without conscious control. While there are multiple components of the autonomic system, it can primarily be divided into the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system.
A simple way to think about the sympathetic nervous system is that it is what enables flight and fright bodily responses for emergencies and stress. The parasympathetic nervous system allows us to rest and digest.
Both sympathetic and parasympathetic systems have central (within the brain) and peripheral (outside the brain) components and together these two systems essentially control our heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, temperature regulation, sweating, urination, and sexual function. The two systems have different primary neurochemicals which help with signal transmission.
Because of the complexity of the interaction between the components of the autonomic nervous system and the myriad of ways the harmony of the system can be derailed, individuals with autonomic dysfunction may experience symptoms ranging from mild to severe. These symptoms can affect a few or multiple organ functions. Autonomic deregulation or failure may occur alone or be associated with various other neurological and non-neurological diseases.
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I have been on medication for anxiety and panic since I was 32. I have always had a fast heart rate that jumped 50 beats when I was under stress. My blood pressure has always been low when I am at a reasonable weight and high when I am chunky. I haven't been chunky since this time last year. Now, I know I have Crohn's disease by biopsy, but autonomic disorders affect the digestive tract. I am so excited to find out if some of the pain I am experiencing is due to Crohn's or dysautonomia. My cardiologist doesn't think Stanford will be able to make me feel better, but it might answer some questions to other issues I have. Like this pain thing. I cannot tolerate it anymore. I take pain medication because I have to, not because I want to.
My ability to sweat is off as well. Sometimes I will sweat and sometimes I won't. Sometimes when I cry, I do so without tears. Now that is the weirdest sensation in the world. Truly bizarre. When I started on Prednisone last November, I started sweating again. I don't know what that means, but I'm thinking it must mean something. It would be so nice to tolerate heat and cold again. Cold bothers me way more than heat. It's 80 degrees outside and I'm bundled up in sweats and sweatshirts with a body temperature of 96 degrees. Another weird symptom.
I haven't been writing or tackling any social journalist opportunities because of brain fog. Just writing this has taken me several hours so it's time for a nap. Have a wonderful rest of your day!
My quality of life since last October is lousy at best. I get so tired and this is different from regular tiredness. This is a profound exhaustion. Then if I do move, the pain gets me. This is a pain that is all over my body. It is not an exaggeration to say my muscular-skeletal system cripples me. I have osteoarthritis and know what that feels like. This is different. I moan when I get off the couch. Literally. And moaning starts at my 7-8 pain level. I know my pain levels now and I know what a 10 feels like. If I say a 7-8, I mean it. So, a referral to Stanford's autonomic clinic is the best thing that has happened to me in a long time.
This is from their website:
Autonomic Nervous System
The autonomic nervous system controls functions in the body that take place without conscious control. While there are multiple components of the autonomic system, it can primarily be divided into the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system.
A simple way to think about the sympathetic nervous system is that it is what enables flight and fright bodily responses for emergencies and stress. The parasympathetic nervous system allows us to rest and digest.
Both sympathetic and parasympathetic systems have central (within the brain) and peripheral (outside the brain) components and together these two systems essentially control our heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, temperature regulation, sweating, urination, and sexual function. The two systems have different primary neurochemicals which help with signal transmission.
Because of the complexity of the interaction between the components of the autonomic nervous system and the myriad of ways the harmony of the system can be derailed, individuals with autonomic dysfunction may experience symptoms ranging from mild to severe. These symptoms can affect a few or multiple organ functions. Autonomic deregulation or failure may occur alone or be associated with various other neurological and non-neurological diseases.
__
I have been on medication for anxiety and panic since I was 32. I have always had a fast heart rate that jumped 50 beats when I was under stress. My blood pressure has always been low when I am at a reasonable weight and high when I am chunky. I haven't been chunky since this time last year. Now, I know I have Crohn's disease by biopsy, but autonomic disorders affect the digestive tract. I am so excited to find out if some of the pain I am experiencing is due to Crohn's or dysautonomia. My cardiologist doesn't think Stanford will be able to make me feel better, but it might answer some questions to other issues I have. Like this pain thing. I cannot tolerate it anymore. I take pain medication because I have to, not because I want to.
My ability to sweat is off as well. Sometimes I will sweat and sometimes I won't. Sometimes when I cry, I do so without tears. Now that is the weirdest sensation in the world. Truly bizarre. When I started on Prednisone last November, I started sweating again. I don't know what that means, but I'm thinking it must mean something. It would be so nice to tolerate heat and cold again. Cold bothers me way more than heat. It's 80 degrees outside and I'm bundled up in sweats and sweatshirts with a body temperature of 96 degrees. Another weird symptom.
I haven't been writing or tackling any social journalist opportunities because of brain fog. Just writing this has taken me several hours so it's time for a nap. Have a wonderful rest of your day!