My POTS has been fine lately. Other than the time I ran out of my Atenolol for a couple of days, no complaints. I decided to try and see if maybe I didn't need it. Turns out I do. The Atenolol, combined with my compression tights and a diet that contains fruits and veggies as opposed to the bread and cheese I was living on.
I'm in North Carolina at the moment. I moved out of Pittsburgh once and for all on May 24th, driving though Virginia and staying overnight with a friend. I'm moving to Denver in a week to begin my MSW studies at the University of Denver. My mom, best friend, and I are driving out via I-40 through Knoxville, Nashville (stay the night), Memphis, Little Rock, Oklahoma City (stay the night), Amarillo, Albuquerque, Santa Fe (stay the night), Colorado Springs and into Denver, arriving on the 14th. Hopefully I'll nail an apartment soon after. The way the rental market in Denver is looking based on Craig's List ads, they're pretty desperate for tenants.
I'm wondering how my POTS is going to react to the elevation. I'm also going to have to go through the heinous process of finding a doctor who knows what I'm talking about.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Miraculous Turnaround
I'm the healthiest I've ever been in my life. No, seriously.
I got off the Paxil in December. I realized I was running out, said fuckit and put myself off of it. It was hard. It was unpleasant. It put me through a rough dark patch. But I came out of it alive. And stronger. And with more energy. Enough energy that I'm not missing some form of work every week like I was last year. It feels amazing. I honestly think that a lot of my POTS flares were due to the Paxil wearing me out. Oh, the POTS is still there. But Paxil made it so much worse.
This semester so far I have only missed one day of work due to POTS. I missed another day because of a monster cold. That's it. I've been able to come in everyday, which is a major improvement. Due to some political work issues, my job performance hasn't been the best, but the air has been cleared in that realm as well and things will hopefully be looking up in the one month I have left.
Speaking of which, I will be graduating in exactly one month from tomorrow. I've been accepted to three graduate programs. I'm in the process of deciding between the two of them and this is going to be the most difficult decision I've ever had to make in my life.
I also celebrated my two year seizure free anniversary last month. I couldn't be happier in that department.
I still get POTS symptoms. Cyanosis is such an attractive feature, as are molted legs. I don't do well standing in lines and have been known to pop a squat in public places (like a train station or an airport). I still faithfully wear my tights and won't leave the house without them. I still take my Atenolol. I still startle like a PTSD vet. My heart still struggles sometimes.
But overall, my quality of life has improved dramatically. I honestly don't know how I functioned all those years.
I got off the Paxil in December. I realized I was running out, said fuckit and put myself off of it. It was hard. It was unpleasant. It put me through a rough dark patch. But I came out of it alive. And stronger. And with more energy. Enough energy that I'm not missing some form of work every week like I was last year. It feels amazing. I honestly think that a lot of my POTS flares were due to the Paxil wearing me out. Oh, the POTS is still there. But Paxil made it so much worse.
This semester so far I have only missed one day of work due to POTS. I missed another day because of a monster cold. That's it. I've been able to come in everyday, which is a major improvement. Due to some political work issues, my job performance hasn't been the best, but the air has been cleared in that realm as well and things will hopefully be looking up in the one month I have left.
Speaking of which, I will be graduating in exactly one month from tomorrow. I've been accepted to three graduate programs. I'm in the process of deciding between the two of them and this is going to be the most difficult decision I've ever had to make in my life.
I also celebrated my two year seizure free anniversary last month. I couldn't be happier in that department.
I still get POTS symptoms. Cyanosis is such an attractive feature, as are molted legs. I don't do well standing in lines and have been known to pop a squat in public places (like a train station or an airport). I still faithfully wear my tights and won't leave the house without them. I still take my Atenolol. I still startle like a PTSD vet. My heart still struggles sometimes.
But overall, my quality of life has improved dramatically. I honestly don't know how I functioned all those years.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)