Title theme for April: my favorite childhood cartoons =]
Didn't get a chance to post yesterday, really rough day. So relieved to have gotten a diagnosis Monday afternoon, but I still had several tests on Tuesday to confirm it isn't anything more serious than POTS.
Our last full day at Mayo included a visit to a liver specialist, some more blood work (9 vials, yikes! Led to lightheadedness, tremors, and difficulty walking), an ultrasound of my abdomen (normal - yay!), and vision tests at the neuro-ophthalmologist. I had a bad reaction to the dilating eye drops: sudden fatigue and trouble balancing. But it was comforting to hear that there are no issues with my retina, optic nerve, or anything else. The gastroenterologist also predicts that her round of blood work will come back fine; it's probably time to switch from Tylenol back to Ibuprofen.
This morning I had my last test -- a thermoregulatory sweat test. My neurologist says that the results of this test will help determine how to treat my specific case of POTS. In sum, gold powder was sprinkled all over me; then they put me in an oven-type contraption ("sweat cabinet") and waited about 30 minutes for the gold powder to turn a deep violet, showing where and how much I sweat in response to neurological stressors such as heat and humidity. The test will show if I have autonomic nerve damage or abnormal sweating patterns.
My technician was especially knowledgeable, answering all my questions. Images were taken throughout the test to track my "purpling" progress, and we should hear results by Monday. The tech pumped music into my own personal sauna -- made the experience more bearable, and allowed me to keep tabs on how long it had been. It was really excruciatingly hot; I got dizzy, had some pin-prick feelings in my shins. They didn't monitor my heart rate, but it must've gotten to at least 120 bpm, and this is lying down! The whole experience reminded me of a time when I got terribly sick a few summers ago; will write more on that later.
Jeez, folks. Sorry this is so long. No more skipping a day of blogging!!
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Bah. That sweat-test sounds nasty.
ReplyDeleteI like the new theme for April
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ReplyDeleteReally diggin the theme!!!!
ReplyDeleteDon't forget: Rugrats, Ahhh! Real Monsters, The Angry Beavers, CatDog, Doug, Pinky and the Brain, Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Dexter's Laboratory, Tom and Jerry, Carmen Sandiego, Scooby Doo, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Garfield and Friends, Timon and Pumbaa, Recess, The Magic School Bus, Arthur, Pepper Ann, The Wild Thornberrys, .......
=D