CLIENT’S STATEMENT - As far as this health issue I deal with…Originally they thought it was Dysautonomia (break down of the autonomic nervous system)…recently I went to the Dysautonomia clinic [after months of denial about my condition) at Mt. Sinai in New York and it turns out I was misdiagnosed (thank God). What I have is Neurally Mediated Syncope…I faint from some unknown (at this point) trigger.
My nightmare started last June when I got to a client’s house and passed out in her staircase. I thought it was dehydration and went on with my day after drinking lots of water. The following week I went on a beach vacation and was fine. When I returned I was hard at work at my desk, started to feel funny, stood up and passed out on my bed. Ignored it still. That week I taught a yoga class on a hot night at a rehab center in my area. I had my period and on the way home I stopped to buy my boyfriend at the time, a case of wine that was on sale. I nearly fainted on line when paying for the wine, and then when I was in the parking lot I announced to the young Mexican man who was carrying the wine for me that “I am going to pass out”…right there in the parking lot. Then I got up again, got to my car and sat with my head between my knees till I felt better. I was right near the hospital, but it didn’t occur to me to go there so I tried to drive myself home and ran my car off the road. No damage. Kept driving…passed out in my driveway, and again in my doorway just as I got my front door open. Still didn’t want to go to the hospital. Called my best friend and told her I couldn’t stand up without fainting. Crawled to the refrigerator to get Gatorade…after a few hours I could stand.
Started going for tests…positive tilt table test…very low blood pressure, unknown what would cause it to drop further and bottom me out. Thought it was hormonal. Went up and down the road…tests, hormones, you name it. Finally moved in with my boyfriend, was no longer allowed to drive…lost clients, stopped teaching…my life fell apart.
In March my boyfriend told me our relationship was over…I moved back home. Began to rebuild my life one stick at a time, grateful that God gave me so much motivation, determination and strength…Started acupuncture and Reiki treatments, meds to raise my blood pressure, lots of salt, lots of water. I am stabilized and getting stronger. Still suffer from days on end of horrible (what I call bone crushing) fatigue…BUT I am not fainting!!! I live every day…every day in a state of constant gratitude.
COMMENT FROM HER YOGA TEACHER- My first hit was the Boyfriend and she says that things have improved since she moved out; the other thing that struck me was ‘too much Yoga’ or an unbalanced practice. She says that she had a heavy teaching schedule at the time that this started. What practices would you recommend for low blood pressure? Thanks for your help.