Here’s a little update in my medical adventures.
So most of my online followers and friends know I’ve been trying to figure out if I have autoimmune problems like my mom and my sister, so I can learn how to take care of my body and be as healthy as I can be.
Yesterday, I went to the cardiologist and had a tilt-table test. Goodness that was no joke.
I was fine for about 15 minutes, and thinking man, this just is gonna be another test that doesn’t tell me what’s wrong with me. I felt fine, just slightly dizzy, and the nurse said my blood pressure was still normal, but then all of a sudden, it felt like the floor was falling out underneath me and I was like, this is horrible, please free me. 😱
Apparently I had an abnormal vasovagal response. That was one of the worst feelings ever. I got extremely dizzy out of nowhere. I could only see stars, and it got worse and worse until I couldn’t see the room anymore and I thought I was gonna be sick. 🤢 Then I felt panicky and pulled against the straps a little. The nurse said, “It’s ok, just keep going, we’re getting the results that we need.” I felt super claustrophobic all of a sudden. I got so numb and cold. I could barely talk.
And finally, the nurse was like, “Um, ok, I’m gonna lay you back down.” I barely remember her telling me that. Afterwards, she told me I was about to actually pass out when she laid me back down. She said normal people don’t have that response. For them, it’s just a really boring test where you stand at a weird angle for 30 minutes strapped to a table. But that’s why before they start the test, they put an IV in you, just in case you do pass out, so that they can use medicine to bring you back.
I never want to feel that way again. I curled up in the fetal position afterwards because that’s usually what I do when I get dizzy spells. The nurse took my blood pressure and she was like, “That’s interesting, your blood pressure got a lot better after you curled up. “She said my blood pressure went from 113 to 70 something right about 15 minutes into the test, which is why I felt so awful. She said I might feel tired for the rest of the day. I still felt freezing cold all over for several hours.
The doctor told me it’s not actually POTS (Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) like my sister has, because my heart didn’t race while my blood pressure was dropping, but I do have orthostatic hypotension.
But now at least I know why I’ve gotten weird, unexplained dizzy spells since I was a kid. And I’m not crazy and it’s not just my anxiety like some people have told me, it’s a very real physical reaction that my body has.
Now I have to wear a heart monitor for seven days to see if there is anything else I need to know about.
For all my other friends who are on their own medical explorations, don’t give up. Trust your instincts and keep asking questions.
I know navigating health stuff seems so long and exhausting, and the process of testing is difficult and uncomfortable, but finding out answers like I did yesterday is worth it. Now I know more about how to care for the body I was given.
And I hope you will find your answers too. You are worth it. Don’t stop. Tomorrow needs you. 💙
Eleanor Writes Things 