I think I might have that crazy Dysautonomia thing that you keep talking about, so what now?

Just Mildly Medicated's FAQ about Dysautonomia

I will add to it and repost it as questions come up. If nothing else Chronic Illness is a learning process.

**I am not a Doctor, Lawyer, Baker, or even a Candlestick Maker. These are answers from my personal experience with my type of Dysautonomia, talking with my doctors, as well as from reputable sources which are linked back so you may read more from them if you would like.**

Q. What is Dysautonomia?

Dysautonomia International defines Dysautonomia as an umbrella term used to describe various conditions that cause a malfunction of the Autonomic Nervous System. The Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) controls most of the essential functions of the body that we do not consciously think about, such as heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, dilation and constriction of the pupils of the eye and temperature control.

Q. What are the symptoms of Dysautonomia?

A. There are a wide variety of symptoms of Dysautonomia. Dysautonomia is a large umbrella term for dysfunction of the Autonomic Nervous System. The following list is from a post on Just Mildly Medicated that was a tongue and cheek jab at life with the symptoms of Dysautonomia and the side effects of the medications. You can also find a list of symptoms on Dysautonomia Information Network here.

Dizziness, Tachycardia, Bradycardia, Exercise intolerance, Clamminess, Anxiety, Flushing, Postprandial hypotension, Blood pooling in limbs, Intolerance to heat, Feeling cold all over, Low blood pressure upon standing, Cognitive impairment (may include difficulties with concentration, brain fog, memory and/or word recall), Narrowing of upright pulse pressure, Hypovolemia, High blood pressure, Hyperventilation, Numbness or tingling sensations, Reduced pulse pressure upon standing, Low back pain,Aching neck and shoulders , Noise sensitivity, Light Sensitivity, Disequilibrium, Disabling Fatigue, Sleep disorders, Headache/migraine, Myofascial pain, Neuropathic pain, Bloating after meals, Nausea, Vomiting, Abdominal pain, Diarrhea, Constipation, Bladder dysfunction, Pupillary dysfunction , Blurred Vision, Tunnel vision, Arrhythmia, Chemical sensitivities, Easily over-stimulated, Food allergies/sensitivities, Irregular menstrual cycles, Loss of appetite, Loss of sex drive,Muscle aches and/or joint pains, and Swollen nodules/lymph nodes, Polydipsia (excessive thirst)

Q. Do I just tell my doctor I think I have Dysautonomia?

A. In short yes. Let them know why you think you may have Dysautonomia, be sure to write down the symptoms you experience so you don’t draw a blank when you get there.

When you go to the doctor they take your vitals one time while sitting down, people with Dysautonomia usually have abnormal swings in blood pressure and or heart rate after standing for a few minutes (Orthostatic Intolerance). If your doctor doesn't offer to do this on his or her own you may want to suggest it.  

I personally recommend doing your own Poor Man Tilt Table Test several different times over a few days and keep track of the numbers to bring in with you.

Q. What is a Poor Man Tilt Table Test and how can I do it?

A. The Poor Man TTT is an easy way to see if your BP and HR have a normal reaction to standing. I bought my blood pressure and heart rate wrist cuff at Wal-Mart for around $40. I do it the same way it was done in my Neurologist’s office. Lie down for about 3 to 5 minutes and take BP (I take a photo of my results with my cell phone). Then stand in a relaxed way and take it again at 3, 5, and 10 minutes.

You are looking for a change in blood pressure, usually a drop but possibly a rise, of 20/10 from your resting blood pressure or a jump in heart rate of 30 beats per minute or over.

Downside to poor man Tilt Table Test are that you are weight bearing when standing up and have a range of motion to monitor your BP and HR. The results will not be exactly the same as a TTT at a medical facility.

here is my own BP drop of 21/10 after 5 minutes after standing

here is my own HR increase of 31 after 3 minutes after standing

Q. How is Dysautonomia diagnosed?

A Tilt Table Test is the most common test done for diagnosing Dysautonomia. You will lie down on a secured table and have vitals taken over a period of time. You are then raised at an upright angle but non-weight bearing and they continue to monitor your HR and BP, usually for 45 minutes.

Other tests you may be asked to do are ECG, EEG, and wearing a Holter Monitor. Less common tests, usually done as facilities such as the Mayo Clinic, are Quantitative Sudomotor Autonomic Reflex Testing (QSART) and Thermoregulatory Sweat Test. I wrote about these tests after talking to my Neurologist.

Q. What type of doctor treats Dysautonomia?

A. Best case scenario you will end up with a team. Your Primary Care Physician usually starts you off with a referral to cardiology as well as neurology.  Depending on your symptoms your team my include specialists like an Allergist, Gastroenterologist, and an EP Cardiologist.  As for who will end up handling most of you treatment for Dysautonomia that will depend more on the doctor specifically and less on the type of doctor they are.

Q. Are there Dysautonomia Specialists?

A. Though few and far between there are doctors and facilities that specialize in treating Dysautonomia. Here a few in the US I know of.

POTS Treatment Center in Dallas, Texas
Vanderbilt Autonomic Dysfunction Center in Nashville, Tennessee
Dr. Grubb in Toledo, Ohio
Dr. Randy Thompson in Pensacola, Florida

You can find a list of doctors who are familiar and have experience treating Dysautonomia on the Dysautonomia Information Network website.           

Q. What specialists do you see?

A. As of now I have an EP Cardiologist, a Neurologist, and Dr. Thompson is my Dysautonomia Specialist.

Q. What can I expect as far as treatment?

A. Some popular non pharmaceutical treatment options are compression wear, my personal favorite compression wear is Juzo. Salt loading is very important with Dysautonomia, I wrote about salt loading and what exactly it means here. Drinking enough water is also important with Dysautonomia, most specialist recommend 64oz to 72oz a day.

As far as medications you can expect to discuss beta blockers, Florinef, for hyperadrenergic POTS  phenobarbital, vasoconstrictors, as well as saline IV therapy. Again, I am not a physician and by no means am saying you need these medications for the treatment of Dysautonomia, just that they are commonly discussed.

Q. Is this hereditary, how did I end up with Dysautonomia?

A. There is such a wide range of how a person can end up living with Dysautonomia. It can be much like casting a net to figure out the cause. Many varieties run in families and researchers agree it can be hereditary. For some people symptoms begin after an event like a virus or a trauma, others find they have autonomic issues in relation to other illnesses such as Chronic Fatigue and Lupus.  

Q. My family just doesn't seem to understand what is happening to me, how can I help them understand?

A. You have a few options and if you can base how you approach sharing information with how you think they will best receive it. The What is Dysautonomia brochure from Dysautonomia International can be helpful. The Spoon Theory written by Christine Miserandino helps give a tangible explanation to life with a Chronic Illness. The Changes documentary is very informative and the information comes directly from medical professionals.

Q. My doctor said I probably have POTS, but hasn't been able to answer what type of POTS I have. How do I know?

A. I understand this frustration and it is actually a very common in the world of Dysautonomia. Patients are left to find out on their own that there are in fact different types of POTS. In short there is:

Partial Dysautonomia, PD - thought to be autoimmune and brought on by something specific like pregnancy, virus, accident etc..

Hyperadrenergic -this is more slow growing and progressive, a bit of a stronger version where you see tremors and the more fight than flight response

Secondary -POTS is more of a side effect of another medical issue

Now this is just for POTS specifically and POTS is again just one type of Dysautonomia. Many people wont fall into a clear type. For example I have Pure Autonomic Failure so POTS would be secondary, mine has been a slow progression and includes the classic hyperadrenergic traits.

The following is from Dr. Grubb and can be seen in it entirety at the American Heart Association.

The most frequent form of primary POTS is the “partial dysautonomic” (or PD) form. These patients appear to suffer from a mild form of peripheral autonomic neuropathy characterized by the inability of the peripheral vasculature (especially the nervous system) to maintain adequate vascular resistance in the face of gravitational stress. This leads to a much greater than normal degree of blood pooling in the dependent areas of the body (legs, lower arms, and the mesenteric vasculature) while upright. The sequestration of blood away from the central vasculature elicits a compensatory increase in heart rate and myocardial contractility in an attempt to maintain cerebral perfusion at constant levels. Whereas the increase in heart rate and inotropy may initially be compensatory, the extent of peripheral venous pooling can continue to increase over time and exceed this compensatory effect. The patient then becomes increasingly dependent on the skeletal muscle pump to augment venous return and maintain adequate blood pressure. However, the degree of venous pooling may continue to increase and overcome this compensatory effect as well. A roughly 5:1 female to male ratio exists in this form of POTS. Many of these patients report that their symptoms begin after an acute febrile illness (presumed to be viral), as well as after pregnancy, surgery, sepsis, or trauma. It is presently felt that in many patients this form of POTS is an autoimmune disorder.

A second (and less frequent) form of POTS is termed the “hyperadrenergic” form.These patients often describe a more gradual and progressive emergence of symptoms over time rather then an abrupt onset. Patients with hyperadrenergic POTS often complain of significant tremor, anxiety, and cold sweaty extremities while upright. Over half of these patients experience migraine headaches as well as a significant increase in urinary output after being upright for only a short period of time. A characteristic of this form of POTS is that patients will often display orthostatic hypertension in addition to orthostatic tachycardia. Many will also have an exaggerated response to intravenous isoproterenol, as well as significantly elevated serum norepinephrine levels (>600 ng/mL) on standing. The disorder often has a strong family history. A study by Shannon et al found that some patients have a single point mutation that produces a poorly functioning reuptake transporter protein that recycles norepinephrine within the intrasynaptic cleft.¹ This process leads to an excessive degree of norepinephrine serum spillover in response to a number of sympathetic stimuli, producing a “hyperadrenergic” state (similar to that seen in pheochromocytoma).

The term secondary POTS is used to describe a variety of conditions that produce a state of peripheral autonomic deinnervation or vascular unresponsiveness with relative sparing of cardiac innervation. A frequent cause of secondary POTS is chronic diabetes mellitus. However, it also may be seen in association with amyloidosis, sarcoidosis, alcoholism, lupus, Sjögren syndrome, chemotherapy, and heavy metal poisoning.

In some patients, POTS may be the presenting picture of a more severe autonomic nervous system disorder such as pure autonomic failure or multiple system atrophy. POTS can also be a form of paraneoplastic syndrome that can be seen with adenocarcinomas of the lung, breast, ovary, and pancreas. It has been reported that these tumors produce autoantibodies to the acetylcholine receptors of the autonomic ganglia similar to those identified in the postviral syndromes.

Q. I joined a Dysautonomia group and I have no idea what all the acronyms mean, help.

A. As an Army wife I live for acronyms! This is by no means all the acronyms associated with Dysautonomia and we can add to it if you think of one that should be included.

ANS                       Autonomic Nervous System

Types of Dysautonomia and/or symptoms:

POTS              Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia- heart rate increase of 30 beats per minute (bpm) or     more, or over 120 bpm, within the first 10minutes of standing

OI                   Orthostatic Intolerance – an abnormal change in heart rate and or blood pressure when standing

OH                  Orthostatic Hypotension – drop of more than 20/10 in BP after standing

PAF                 Pure Autonomic Failure -a disorder of the autonomic nervous system, also  called  Bradbury-Eggleston Syndrome

MSA               Multiple System Atrophy - rare neurological conditionin the same category as PAF and Parkinson’s Disease

NCS               Neurocardiogenic Syncope- a decrease in blood pressure, and a slow or lowered heart rate upon standing

NMS               NeurallyMedicated Syncope – New name for NCS

FD                   Familial Dysautonomia- exceptionally raregenetic disorder, I admittedly know very little about FD

IST                  Inappropriate SinusTachycardia - a rare type of fastcardiac arrhythmia for no reason

ISB                  Inappropriate SinusBradycardia - a rare type of slow cardiac arrhythmia for no reason

EDS                 Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome - group of connective tissue disorders

MVP                MitroValve Prolaspe – a valve that does not close properly

CFS                Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - persistent fatigue lasting more than six months

SVT                Supraventricular Tachycardia – a rapid heart rhythm for no reason

Tests relating to Dysautonomia

TTT                         TiltTable Test

QSART                  Quantitative Sudmotor Axon Reflex Test

TST                         Thermoregulatory Sweat Test

ECG                        Electrocardiogram

EEG                        Electroencephalography

Q. I love your Blog and all but where can I find other sources of information?

A. The Dysautonomia Sites I frequently visit:

Informative Sites:

Dysautonomia International

Dysautonomia Information Network


Great Blogs to get your information and a laugh or two:

You could always just stay right here ;)

Living with Bob (Dysautonomia)

Musings of a Dysautonomiac

Sometimes Helpless Never Hopeless


Do you have a question about Dysautonomia? Did you have a question that you'd like included to help others? Let me know.