The Autonomic Nervous System & Why It Matters
Dysautonomia Awareness Month: October 2015
Somehow, dysautonomia and all the illnesses under its umbrella have continued to be brushed off as a woman’s issue, exaggeration, not a big deal, “just live with it”, “I get dizzy sometimes too, have you tried drinking more water?”, “come on, I bet you’d feel better if you just got up and got out of the house”, or everyone’s favorite, “You don’t look sick, though.” As if every POTsie hasn’t tried slugging back a dozen bottles of gatorade and coconut water per day for weeks on end, as though we somehow prefer lying in bed or using a wheelchair to get around and depending on our friends/families for everything when two years ago we could bike or run as far as we wanted, as if we haven’t all tried to convince ourselves in the beginning of our illnesses that it might just be in our head and gone out to do the thing, only to pass out doing the thing, or before we could do the thing. And what on earth does sick even look like?! No one can answer that question, I’ve found.
I’m putting salt in my coffee as I write this, and I have 32oz of water in a quart sized mason jar lined up behind that which I must drink just so I can take a shower without falling on my face (again). After I get out of the shower, the heat will have made all the blood pool in my stretchy veins in my legs, which will be extremely puffy and swollen and sting like crazy when my feet touch the bath mat. I won’t be able to dry off, most likely, so I’ll wrap up in a towel and cling to the walls on my way to rest in bed for twenty minutes, at which point hopefully I will be dry and slightly recovered. I will still be dizzy, hot-flash-y, have a bright red line across my nose and cheeks, and I will probably feel very nauseous for a few hours, sometimes even the rest of the day, but I will push on, salting yet another cup of coffee, salting my food, chugging water throughout my afternoon and evening, and I will struggle through my physical therapy exercises, I will quite possibly be too weak to pull my own damn covers over my body tonight, and that’s life with a very mild case of POTS. I’m one of the lucky ones, I can count my falls on my fingers instead of by the dozens. I’m lucky because in the morning when the blood pooling is at its worst I can lift my own legs, lean them up against the wall and flex until the blood goes back where it needs to be. I’m lucky that I can take a shower by myself at all, even if it’s kind of miserable. I’m lucky that if I bend over I don’t necessarily land on my head every time. But I know so many wonderful people who are not so lucky. I’m lucky that I’ve had my symptoms my entire life and they haven’t taken the sudden turn for the worst that I’ve seen happen to so many friends. So I do all the things (just less often than I used to) that my autonomic nervous system make so very complicated, and I try my best to only state what my reality is, rather than complaining about it. Life is this way, I cannot change it for myself or my loved ones. All I can do is educate others, soak up as much knowledge as possible, and keep trying my best to reverse my symptoms slowly over time.
October is Dysautonomia Awareness Month.
Please help us spread the word about malfunction of the autonomic nervous system and the many chronic conditions it can cause. There is no cure for dysautonomia, it is an invisible illness, and from day to day the symptoms swing between severe and less severe, so life with any of these illnesses is a roller-coaster, to say the least.
No one bothered to teach me about the autonomic nervous system. In a perfect world, doctors would explain these things to patients who are experiencing classic symptoms of ANS malfunction, as I am, and they would explain just how involved the ANS is in so many processes throughout the body. Normally, when you are in pain or experiencing stress, your autonomic nervous system ramps up your blood pressure, makes you sweat, and elevates your heart rate. When the pain or stressor is gone, your ANS should quiet…
View original post 214 more words
Tags: always dizzy, ANS, ANS failure, anxiety, autonomic failure, autonomic nervous system, blacking out, causes of dysautonomia, chronic pain, dizziness, dizzy, EDS and dysautonomia, EDS and Gastroparesis, EDS HT, ehlers-danlos syndrome, fainting, fatigue, fluctuating heart rate, gastroparesis, gastroparesis and POTS, GI motility, GI motility and autonomic function, GP, graying out, heart rate, heartrate, high blood pressure, high heart rate, hormonal imbalance, hot flash, hot flashes, hotflash, hotflashes, How does POTS effect the body?, How POTS effects the body, low blood pressure, OI, orthostatic intolerance, POTS, POTS and heart rate, POTS and temperature control, POTS and the brain, POTSie, POTSie Warriors, pre syncope, pure autonomic failure, shivering, sweating, syncope, tachycardia, unable to control body temperature, what is POTS?, your brain on POTS
About Jessi Finds Out Fibro
Hi, and thank you for finding your way to my corner of the web! I'm on a journey to empower myself and hopefully others through shared courage and compassion. I write Finding Out Fibro, a chronic illness and chronic pain awareness blog that is not just about fibromyalgia, as well as my main passion and only employment, making jewelry and selling gems and crystals under the Etsy shop name MineralismCrystals. Please check me out at the following URL: mineralismcrystals.etsy.com/ and share if you can! Thank you for your support! My other hobbies include defeating ableism where I find it, upcycling old junk into funky awesomeness, raising my voice to combat stigma against invisible illness and mental illness, baking and collecting vintage kitchen ware, sharing body-positive messages, playing around in photoshop, abstract painting (especially in neons and metallics!), advocating for those living with chronic illnesses and mental health challenges, seeking safety and upholding visibility for LGBTQIA+ individuals, especially those of us living with physical and mental disabilities. This is my opportunity to do more than just survive with chronic illness. This is me learning how to live well, even though there is no cure for the war my body is waging on me.One response to “The Autonomic Nervous System & Why It Matters”
Leave a comment Cancel reply
sign up for Ebates for FREE and get cash back on all your online purchases!
Read My Guest Post On Distraction Therapy For AXIS Dance Company's Blog
Help me afford to adapt my life around my illnesses by starting your own Free 30-day trial of Audible or click the link and complete any regular shopping on Amazon once you're there.
I make $5 when you start your free 30-day Audible trial and 4-6% of every purchase made on Amazon within 24 hours of using this link.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
Blog Stats
- 129,979 lovely readers
Looking for Something Specific?
Whats New
- Precious Diagnosis: What’s in a Name?
- Seeing Possibility
- Neurontin and Lyrica are a Death Sentence for New Brain Synapses
- Gift Ideas for People with Chronic Illness and Disabilities
- Distraction Therapy, A Guest Post For AXIS Dance Company’s Awesome Blog, And Exciting New Business Ventures
- Harms/Benefits of Somatic Symptom Disorder
- The Autonomic Nervous System & Why It Matters
- A Spoonie Poem for All With Chronic Illness
- Staying Present During A Flare Up
- Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Medical Emergency Information Cards
http://www.buzzfeed.com/annaborges/panic-attacks-at-the-disco#.pko5dQ40KK
I saw this in a newsletter I was reading for RSD and thought of you. I know you suffer from panic attacks and I am sure you know most of this but maybe some of this can help. Sending you extra spoons.. Julie
LikeLiked by 1 person