LOW BP, POTS, AND DYSAUTONOMIA

I learned something this week from my primary which made so much sense to me and hopefully will help me and someone here.

I get some scary low BP drops since I got Lyme, caused by POTS. It took years to figure out, with many failed medications. I eventually found solutions to keep my electrolytes balanced and my BP up to 100/60, and have mostly managed well for 2 years.

It's a delicate balance when you have an intracellular hydration issue. So many variables in a day can affect how well you manage the effects. Trust me, I've been in some BAD scary places with this issue. So, to make my long story longer, I feel quite in control on managing this until this week. I had to have an appointment with my primary since my cardiologist was out of office. After the appointment I realized I certainly caused the issue with my choices.

She started with asking if I eat much packaged/processed foods. I answeted, "Not a lot, I mostly eat something I throw together or in whole food form. I eat healthy most of time, but sometimes eat more processed." She then explained why she asked, saying that when someone has chronic health conditions, they tend to eat a cleaner diet than most/a less processed diet. Basically, although you are making better, healthier choices, when you have POTS this means you consume less salt more times than not. She said most people are watching their salt but with POTS, you need more. I knew this obviously, but it was starting to get my interest. She said on average you need 2,000mg of salt (about one teaspoon), but that POTS people need even more.

She said my electrolytes packets are vital as a boost, for prevention, and as a quick fix as it helps me balance some, but it's only a fraction of what I need daily. I had been skipping electrolytes every other day because I figured since we had cooler weather, I wouldn't need as much. She explained that maintaining daily is important due to sweat. We evaluated what I had eaten that day considering the appointment was at 2pm. Well, I had under 25mg of salt! No wonder I was struggling. Even with electrolytes, it wasn't enough.

She said to fill a little container each day with one teaspoon of salt and add it to my meals throughout day with the goal of using it all up, and continue to maintain my electrolytes too. These steps would help me monitor the issue.

Wow, it is hard! Yesterday I tried, and realized that by 4 pm I had probably only had 200mg (including electrolytes of 160) and had a very full container of salt left by bedtime. So, in case you eat low sodium too and don't realize, have low BP issues and feel like a drunk, paying attention to this may help you. Sorry for the length of this post, but hopefully it can help at least one person!

See our POTS education post to learn more.

POTS:

https://www.riseabovelyme.com/post/pots-dysautonomia

VERTIGO:

https://www.riseabovelyme.com/post/vertigo-and-dizziness

Disclaimer: Rise Above Lyme makes no claims about any possible benefit of using any product mentioned within this site. Always consult with your doctor before adding anything. The information shared is based on personal experience, years of accumulated researched resources from Lyme Literate doctors and polls conducted within Lyme groups from actual patient experience using these solution ideas.