Re: Brain Fog (Carol, Rob, & Bill)

[Guest guest]

Carol,

When I first joined the group and mentioned my symptoms, almost all

autonomic, it seemed to me that Rob and I had more symptoms that were common

than most other members of the group.

Some of the major problems I had for the last couple of years before I

quit work were with my memory and my ability to concentrate. When my Doctor finally discovered that

I had OH (Orthostatic Hypotension), I started checking my blood pressure often,

and found that it was not at all unusual for my blood pressure to drop from

120/70 to 60/40 when I went from setting to standing. I occasionally had a reading as low as 52/35 upon

standing. When I first started finding

information on the internet about Shy-Drager Syndrome, most of the articles mentioned

that problems with mental cognitance were rare with SDS, but that it did occur in

10% to 20% of the patients.

In the last several months I have seen new members ask if problems with

mental cognitance or confusion were part of the symptoms with MSA. The response to this question, from

other members, has usually been no.

I started to reply a few times that this was a big problem for me, but I

never did. I guess that I am just

trying to say that even though the majority of MSA patients do not have this

problem, a few of us do.

I worked as a Computer Systems Analyst for over 30 years. The last 7 years as a Unix System

Administrator with about 150 workstations to support. My job was fairly stressful, especially when things broke

and the system went down. I guess

that is one of the reasons that the memory and concentration problems bothered

me so much.

One article that I found on OH was from s Hopkins University. I have included the link to this article

below and copied one section of the report. I underlined

one sentence that discusses some of the mental problems caused just by OH. I would think that adding the other

problems caused by other symptoms with MSA would just cause these

memory/concentration problems to be even worse.

My symptoms first started in 1994, but the Doctors kept trying to treat everything

individually instead of considering the big picture. I went to a sleep study

center and was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea in June 1995. I started going to the Doctor for night

time incontinence problems in early ’97. The Urologist finally gave me a TURP prostate surgery in Aug.

1998, which failed to help with anything. My OH episodes started occurring every day

in Feb. 1999. I was finally diagnosed

with SDS in Aug. 1999. I went on Disability

and quit work at the end of October 2000.

I still have the problems with memory and concentration, but now that

the pressure at work is off and the Doctor switched me to Zoloft (after trying

Prozac, Effexor, Wellbutrin, and Celexia, over a five year period), I have been

coping with it pretty well I think.

I just have no interest in reading are learning anything technical

anymore, and it takes forever to get anything done. (I have been working on this letter for almost two hours

now.)

I read all the posts, even though I don’t write very often.

Jim Parsons, Arlington TX

http://www.med.jhu.edu/peds/cfs.html

Which symptoms can be caused by the

neurally mediated hypotension?

Recurrent lightheadedness and fainting are common symptoms, as is an

unusual difficulty with prolonged fatigue after a modest amount of physical

activity. This post-exertional fatigue can last 24-72 hours, and interferes

with many daily activities.

We have also observed that chronic fatigue, muscle aches (or

fibromyalgia), headaches, and mental confusion can be prominent symptoms of

neurally mediated hypotension even in individuals who do not faint. The mental confusion

takes the form of difficulty concentrating, staying on task, paying attention,

or finding the right words. Some describe being in a mental fog.

It appears that as

long as the fainting reflex is activated whenever the person stands or sits

upright for a period of time, then the blood pressure is improperly regulated,

and these symptoms are the result. Some develop worse fatigue after such

activities as reading and concentrating, and this may be due to the fact that

for some, the veins of the arms and legs dilate, thereby allowing more blood to

pool, rather than constricting in response to mental tasks.

[Guest guest]

Jim,

When I read your post I felt like I was reading about Rob! His

symptoms are almost exactly the same. Before he became unable to

work he was the Chief Financial Officer for a series of different

companies. He dealt with very stressful situations and traveled a

great deal, both domestically and internationally. Now, it would

take him at least 2 hours to write the letter you wrote, if he could

do it at all.

The cognitive isssues are NOT the same as dementia. Rob knows what's

going on, he just can't process it all. I think some of it is due to

the orthostatic hypotension, but I think some of it is that the brain

just isn't functioning the same way. I'm pretty sure that this issue

will be addressed at the Boston meeting, so I will be sure to report

to the group on what is said.

Just as an aside, I took Rob's blood pressure the other morning. It

was 140/90 lying down, 120/80 sitting up and 70/50 standing. Sound

familiar? Rob has been on the same kinds of meds for depression, and

is now taking effexor, which seems to be helping a bit. He also

struggles with nighttime incontinence, which so far is not helped by

the medications. His initial presentation was with a REM behavior

disorder and sleep apnea. Dr. Freeman, Rob's neurologist and the doc

who is organizing the Boston conference, has said he has a classic

case of Shy-Drager Syndrome. He was diagnosed in March 1998.

Are you coming to Boston for the meeting by any chance? Sounds like

you and Rob would have lots to talk about.

Carol & Rob

Lexington, MA

> Carol,

>

> When I first joined the group and mentioned my symptoms, almost all

> autonomic, it seemed to me that Rob and I had more symptoms that

were common

> than most other members of the group. Some of the major problems I

had for

> the last couple of years before I quit work were with my memory and

my

> ability to concentrate. When my Doctor finally discovered that I

had OH

> (Orthostatic Hypotension), I started checking my blood pressure

often, and

> found that it was not at all unusual for my blood pressure to drop

from

> 120/70 to 60/40 when I went from setting to standing. I

occasionally had a

> reading as low as 52/35 upon standing. When I first started finding

> information on the internet about Shy-Drager Syndrome, most of the

articles

> mentioned that problems with mental cognitance were rare with SDS,

but that

> it did occur in 10% to 20% of the patients.

>

> In the last several months I have seen new members ask if problems

with

> mental cognitance or confusion were part of the symptoms with MSA.

The

> response to this question, from other members, has usually been

no. I

> started to reply a few times that this was a big problem for me,

but I never

> did. I guess that I am just trying to say that even though the

majority of

> MSA patients do not have this problem, a few of us do.

>

> I worked as a Computer Systems Analyst for over 30 years. The last

7 years

> as a Unix System Administrator with about 150 workstations to

support. My

> job was fairly stressful, especially when things broke and the

system went

> down. I guess that is one of the reasons that the memory and

concentration

> problems bothered me so much.

>

> One article that I found on OH was from s Hopkins University.

I have

> included the link to this article below and copied one section of

the

> report. I underlined one sentence that discusses some of the

mental

> problems caused just by OH. I would think that adding the other

problems

> caused by other symptoms with MSA would just cause these

> memory/concentration problems to be even worse.

>

> My symptoms first started in 1994, but the Doctors kept trying to

treat

> everything individually instead of considering the big picture. I

went to a

> sleep study center and was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea in June

1995. I

> started going to the Doctor for night time incontinence problems in

early '

> 97. The Urologist finally gave me a TURP prostate surgery in Aug.

1998,

> which failed to help with anything. My OH episodes started

occurring

> every day in Feb. 1999. I was finally diagnosed with SDS in Aug.

1999. I

> went on Disability and quit work at the end of October 2000.

>

> I still have the problems with memory and concentration, but now

that the

> pressure at work is off and the Doctor switched me to Zoloft (after

trying

> Prozac, Effexor, Wellbutrin, and Celexia, over a five year period),

I have

> been coping with it pretty well I think. I just have no interest

in reading

> are learning anything technical anymore, and it takes forever to get

> anything done. (I have been working on this letter for almost two

hours

> now.)

>

> I read all the posts, even though I don't write very often.

>

> Jim Parsons, Arlington TX

>

>

> http://www.med.jhu.edu/peds/cfs.html

http://www.med.jhu.edu/peds/cfs.html>

>

>

> Which symptoms can be caused by the neurally mediated hypotension?

> Recurrent lightheadedness and fainting are common symptoms, as is

an unusual

> difficulty with prolonged fatigue after a modest amount of physical

> activity. This post-exertional fatigue can last 24-72 hours, and

interferes

> with many daily activities.

> We have also observed that chronic fatigue, muscle aches (or

fibromyalgia),

> headaches, and mental confusion can be prominent symptoms of

neurally

> mediated hypotension even in individuals who do not faint. The

mental

> confusion takes the form of difficulty concentrating, staying on

task,

> paying attention, or finding the right words. Some describe being

in a

> mental fog. It appears that as long as the fainting reflex is

activated

> whenever the person stands or sits upright for a period of time,

then the

> blood pressure is improperly regulated, and these symptoms are the

result.

> Some develop worse fatigue after such activities as reading and

> concentrating, and this may be due to the fact that for some, the

veins of

> the arms and legs dilate, thereby allowing more blood to pool,

rather than

> constricting in response to mental tasks.

[Guest guest]

Jim,

When I read your post I felt like I was reading about Rob! His

symptoms are almost exactly the same. Before he became unable to

work he was the Chief Financial Officer for a series of different

companies. He dealt with very stressful situations and traveled a

great deal, both domestically and internationally. Now, it would

take him at least 2 hours to write the letter you wrote, if he could

do it at all.

The cognitive isssues are NOT the same as dementia. Rob knows what's

going on, he just can't process it all. I think some of it is due to

the orthostatic hypotension, but I think some of it is that the brain

just isn't functioning the same way. I'm pretty sure that this issue

will be addressed at the Boston meeting, so I will be sure to report

to the group on what is said.

Just as an aside, I took Rob's blood pressure the other morning. It

was 140/90 lying down, 120/80 sitting up and 70/50 standing. Sound

familiar? Rob has been on the same kinds of meds for depression, and

is now taking effexor, which seems to be helping a bit. He also

struggles with nighttime incontinence, which so far is not helped by

the medications. His initial presentation was with a REM behavior

disorder and sleep apnea. Dr. Freeman, Rob's neurologist and the doc

who is organizing the Boston conference, has said he has a classic

case of Shy-Drager Syndrome. He was diagnosed in March 1998.

Are you coming to Boston for the meeting by any chance? Sounds like

you and Rob would have lots to talk about.

Carol & Rob

Lexington, MA

> Carol,

>

> When I first joined the group and mentioned my symptoms, almost all

> autonomic, it seemed to me that Rob and I had more symptoms that

were common

> than most other members of the group. Some of the major problems I

had for

> the last couple of years before I quit work were with my memory and

my

> ability to concentrate. When my Doctor finally discovered that I

had OH

> (Orthostatic Hypotension), I started checking my blood pressure

often, and

> found that it was not at all unusual for my blood pressure to drop

from

> 120/70 to 60/40 when I went from setting to standing. I

occasionally had a

> reading as low as 52/35 upon standing. When I first started finding

> information on the internet about Shy-Drager Syndrome, most of the

articles

> mentioned that problems with mental cognitance were rare with SDS,

but that

> it did occur in 10% to 20% of the patients.

>

> In the last several months I have seen new members ask if problems

with

> mental cognitance or confusion were part of the symptoms with MSA.

The

> response to this question, from other members, has usually been

no. I

> started to reply a few times that this was a big problem for me,

but I never

> did. I guess that I am just trying to say that even though the

majority of

> MSA patients do not have this problem, a few of us do.

>

> I worked as a Computer Systems Analyst for over 30 years. The last

7 years

> as a Unix System Administrator with about 150 workstations to

support. My

> job was fairly stressful, especially when things broke and the

system went

> down. I guess that is one of the reasons that the memory and

concentration

> problems bothered me so much.

>

> One article that I found on OH was from s Hopkins University.

I have

> included the link to this article below and copied one section of

the

> report. I underlined one sentence that discusses some of the

mental

> problems caused just by OH. I would think that adding the other

problems

> caused by other symptoms with MSA would just cause these

> memory/concentration problems to be even worse.

>

> My symptoms first started in 1994, but the Doctors kept trying to

treat

> everything individually instead of considering the big picture. I

went to a

> sleep study center and was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea in June

1995. I

> started going to the Doctor for night time incontinence problems in

early '

> 97. The Urologist finally gave me a TURP prostate surgery in Aug.

1998,

> which failed to help with anything. My OH episodes started

occurring

> every day in Feb. 1999. I was finally diagnosed with SDS in Aug.

1999. I

> went on Disability and quit work at the end of October 2000.

>

> I still have the problems with memory and concentration, but now

that the

> pressure at work is off and the Doctor switched me to Zoloft (after

trying

> Prozac, Effexor, Wellbutrin, and Celexia, over a five year period),

I have

> been coping with it pretty well I think. I just have no interest

in reading

> are learning anything technical anymore, and it takes forever to get

> anything done. (I have been working on this letter for almost two

hours

> now.)

>

> I read all the posts, even though I don't write very often.

>

> Jim Parsons, Arlington TX

>

>

> http://www.med.jhu.edu/peds/cfs.html

http://www.med.jhu.edu/peds/cfs.html>

>

>

> Which symptoms can be caused by the neurally mediated hypotension?

> Recurrent lightheadedness and fainting are common symptoms, as is

an unusual

> difficulty with prolonged fatigue after a modest amount of physical

> activity. This post-exertional fatigue can last 24-72 hours, and

interferes

> with many daily activities.

> We have also observed that chronic fatigue, muscle aches (or

fibromyalgia),

> headaches, and mental confusion can be prominent symptoms of

neurally

> mediated hypotension even in individuals who do not faint. The

mental

> confusion takes the form of difficulty concentrating, staying on

task,

> paying attention, or finding the right words. Some describe being

in a

> mental fog. It appears that as long as the fainting reflex is

activated

> whenever the person stands or sits upright for a period of time,

then the

> blood pressure is improperly regulated, and these symptoms are the

result.

> Some develop worse fatigue after such activities as reading and

> concentrating, and this may be due to the fact that for some, the

veins of

> the arms and legs dilate, thereby allowing more blood to pool,

rather than

> constricting in response to mental tasks.

[Guest guest]

Carol,

I would like to meet you and Rob, but I won't be able to make it to Boston.

I hope that there will be some way that any papers or research information

presented at the meeting in Boston can be shared with the rest of us.

I had a couple more sleep problems that showed up after I managed to get the

sleep apnea under control. After starting with the CPAP I thought that it

must not be helping much because I was still had pretty much the same

symptoms every day. My wife noticed that my sleep was still being disturbed

each night, but the symptoms were not the same as before. Instead of

stopping breathing every 5 minutes or so, I was going through a cycle that

repeated ever ten minutes. It would begin with light jerks in my arms and

legs that would build in frequency and intensity until I would jerk so hard

that evidently it would partially wake me up, even though I wasn't aware

this was going on. At first my wife said that she was afraid I was having

an epileptic seizure until she noticed that it was repeating every ten

minutes. She said that the climax every ten minutes looked almost like

someone being shocked with a de-fibulator like they do on TV when someone's

heart stops. The Doctor started giving me Klonopin at night which pretty

well controlled this problem.

Shortly after that I started having the REM disorder that several people

have mentioned. I would have violent dreams in which I would be fighting

with someone who was trying to kill me. I usually woke up hitting either

the pillow or my wife. I fell out of bed a few times trying to get away. A

big rat or some other animal would chase me at times and I would try to kick

it when it attacked, but it seems that I missed and kicked my wife instead.

She did not appreciate this phase at all. This finally stopped after a year

or so, about the same time that I switched from Prozac. I thought at the

time the Prozac might have been a factor, but maybe not.

I finally had surgery on my nose, throat, and sinuses which has pretty much

cured my problems with sleep apnea. I guess that I was lucky there because

most of the research I have found says that very few sleep apnea patients

are really helped much by surgery.

Another problem that I developed, besides the night time incontinence, was

having a very strong urge that I needed to urinate. When I would go to the

restroom the urge would completely disappear, but before I could get back to

my desk the urge would be back stronger than ever. Sometimes this would

last for two hours or more. This started happening during the day while I

was at work, which added to the difficulty I was already having with being

able to concentrate on doing my job. Ditropan seemed to help this problem

more than anything else, but it made the low blood pressure problems worst.

Pro-amatine helps best with the hypotension when standing, but increasing

the dosage of the pro-amatine makes my bladder discomfort worst.

For the last six or seven years, every time we have thought that we might be

seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, it has always been just another

train headed our way.

The brain fog that I have experienced is not debilitating but it did make it

impossible for me to continue supplying the quality of technical support

that was expected of me at work. Or, at least I have managed to convince

myself of that.

When I read my complaints they sound fairly mild compared to what several

other members of this group have suffered through. I hope I'm not coming

across as a whiner. I appreciate reading about the experiences others are

having, so maybe not everyone will be bored when I write.

Take care,

Jim Parsons

Re: Brain Fog (Carol, Rob, & Bill)

Jim,

When I read your post I felt like I was reading about Rob! His

symptoms are almost exactly the same. Before he became unable to

work he was the Chief Financial Officer for a series of different

companies. He dealt with very stressful situations and traveled a

great deal, both domestically and internationally. Now, it would

take him at least 2 hours to write the letter you wrote, if he could

do it at all.

The cognitive issues are NOT the same as dementia. Rob knows what's

going on, he just can't process it all. I think some of it is due to

the orthostatic hypotension, but I think some of it is that the brain

just isn't functioning the same way. I'm pretty sure that this issue

will be addressed at the Boston meeting, so I will be sure to report

to the group on what is said.

Just as an aside, I took Rob's blood pressure the other morning. It

was 140/90 lying down, 120/80 sitting up and 70/50 standing. Sound

familiar? Rob has been on the same kinds of meds for depression, and

is now taking effexor, which seems to be helping a bit. He also

struggles with nighttime incontinence, which so far is not helped by

the medications. His initial presentation was with a REM behavior

disorder and sleep apnea. Dr. Freeman, Rob's neurologist and the doc

who is organizing the Boston conference, has said he has a classic

case of Shy-Drager Syndrome. He was diagnosed in March 1998.

Are you coming to Boston for the meeting by any chance? Sounds like

you and Rob would have lots to talk about.

Carol & Rob

Lexington, MA

> Carol,

>

> When I first joined the group and mentioned my symptoms, almost all

> autonomic, it seemed to me that Rob and I had more symptoms that

were common

> than most other members of the group. Some of the major problems I

had for

> the last couple of years before I quit work were with my memory and

my

> ability to concentrate. When my Doctor finally discovered that I

had OH

> (Orthostatic Hypotension), I started checking my blood pressure

often, and

> found that it was not at all unusual for my blood pressure to drop

from

> 120/70 to 60/40 when I went from setting to standing. I

occasionally had a

> reading as low as 52/35 upon standing. When I first started finding

> information on the internet about Shy-Drager Syndrome, most of the

articles

> mentioned that problems with mental cognitance were rare with SDS,

but that

> it did occur in 10% to 20% of the patients.

>

> In the last several months I have seen new members ask if problems

with

> mental cognitance or confusion were part of the symptoms with MSA.

The

> response to this question, from other members, has usually been

no. I

> started to reply a few times that this was a big problem for me,

but I never

> did. I guess that I am just trying to say that even though the

majority of

> MSA patients do not have this problem, a few of us do.

>

> I worked as a Computer Systems Analyst for over 30 years. The last

7 years

> as a Unix System Administrator with about 150 workstations to

support. My

> job was fairly stressful, especially when things broke and the

system went

> down. I guess that is one of the reasons that the memory and

concentration

> problems bothered me so much.

>

> One article that I found on OH was from s Hopkins University.

I have

> included the link to this article below and copied one section of

the

> report. I underlined one sentence that discusses some of the

mental

> problems caused just by OH. I would think that adding the other

problems

> caused by other symptoms with MSA would just cause these

> memory/concentration problems to be even worse.

>

> My symptoms first started in 1994, but the Doctors kept trying to

treat

> everything individually instead of considering the big picture. I

went to a

> sleep study center and was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea in June

1995. I

> started going to the Doctor for night time incontinence problems in

early '

> 97. The Urologist finally gave me a TURP prostate surgery in Aug.

1998,

> which failed to help with anything. My OH episodes started

occurring

> every day in Feb. 1999. I was finally diagnosed with SDS in Aug.

1999. I

> went on Disability and quit work at the end of October 2000.

>

> I still have the problems with memory and concentration, but now

that the

> pressure at work is off and the Doctor switched me to Zoloft (after

trying

> Prozac, Effexor, Wellbutrin, and Celexia, over a five year period),

I have

> been coping with it pretty well I think. I just have no interest

in reading

> are learning anything technical anymore, and it takes forever to get

> anything done. (I have been working on this letter for almost two

hours

> now.)

>

> I read all the posts, even though I don't write very often.

>

> Jim Parsons, Arlington TX

>

>

> http://www.med.jhu.edu/peds/cfs.html

http://www.med.jhu.edu/peds/cfs.html>

>

>

> Which symptoms can be caused by the neurally mediated hypotension?

> Recurrent lightheadedness and fainting are common symptoms, as is

an unusual

> difficulty with prolonged fatigue after a modest amount of physical

> activity. This post-exertional fatigue can last 24-72 hours, and

interferes

> with many daily activities.

> We have also observed that chronic fatigue, muscle aches (or

fibromyalgia),

> headaches, and mental confusion can be prominent symptoms of

neurally

> mediated hypotension even in individuals who do not faint. The

mental

> confusion takes the form of difficulty concentrating, staying on

task,

> paying attention, or finding the right words. Some describe being

in a

> mental fog. It appears that as long as the fainting reflex is

activated

> whenever the person stands or sits upright for a period of time,

then the

> blood pressure is improperly regulated, and these symptoms are the

result.

> Some develop worse fatigue after such activities as reading and

> concentrating, and this may be due to the fact that for some, the

veins of

> the arms and legs dilate, thereby allowing more blood to pool,

rather than

> constricting in response to mental tasks.

If you do not wish to belong to shydrager, you may

unsubscribe by sending a blank email to

shydrager-unsubscribe

[Guest guest]

Thanks to Jim Parsons for the link to the article on OH. Being a new member to the group its so helpful to get information but more importantly to hear other members discuss their own particular symptoms.When ,about a year ago ,I was first searching for information on my symptoms I began to suspect I may have SDS but was very confused as most medical articles did`nt speak to such symptoms as pain ,shortness of breath,brain fog,muscle spasms etc except to say they were uncommon.I have all in abundance as well as the more common Autonomic Disruption symptoms.Of course I`m still hoping I don`t haveSDS! At present I have given up on pain meds such as Neurotin and Amitriptyline as they don`t seem to help but after reading some of the groups experiences I will consider trying a muscle relaxant such as Zanaflex.I have found Celexa to be helpful for the lightheadedness it has helped me to work without feeling that I`m going to pass out every few minutes!Now if I could just find something to give me my brain back....... any ideas ? May be like Bill says use it or loose it ...Anyone know any good brain exs? Seriously I`m profoundly thankful to all those who share their knowledge and especially to Pam and Bill for their tireless efforts for us all Love to everyone Marg Manson.

Jim Parsons wrote:

Carol,

When I first joined the group and mentioned my symptoms, almost all autonomic, it seemed to me that Rob and I had more symptoms that were common than most other members of the group. Some of the major problems I had for the last couple of years before I quit work were with my memory and my ability to concentrate. When my Doctor finally discovered that I had OH (Orthostatic Hypotension), I started checking my blood pressure often, and found that it was not at all unusual for my blood pressure to drop from 120/70 to 60/40 when I went from setting to standing. I occasionally had a reading as low as 52/35 upon standing. When I first started finding information on the internet about Shy-Drager Syndrome, most of the articles mentioned that problems with mental cognitance were rare with SDS, but that it did occur in 10% to 20% of the patients.

In the last several months I have seen new members ask if problems with mental cognitance or confusion were part of the symptoms with MSA. The response to this question, from other members, has usually been no. I started to reply a few times that this was a big problem for me, but I never did. I guess that I am just trying to say that even though the majority of MSA patients do not have this problem, a few of us do.

I worked as a Computer Systems Analyst for over 30 years. The last 7 years as a Unix System Administrator with about 150 workstations to support. My job was fairly stressful, especially when things broke and the system went down. I guess that is one of the reasons that the memory and concentration problems bothered me so much.

One article that I found on OH was from s Hopkins University. I have included the link to this article below and copied one section of the report. I underlined one sentence that discusses some of the mental problems caused just by OH. I would think that adding the other problems caused by other symptoms with MSA would just cause these memory/concentration problems to be even worse.

My symptoms first started in 1994, but the Doctors kept trying to treat everything individually instead of considering the big picture. I went to a sleep study center and was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea in June 1995. I started going to the Doctor for night time incontinence problems in early ’97. The Urologist finally gave me a TURP prostate surgery in Aug. 1998, which failed to help with anything. My OH episodes started occurring every day in Feb. 1999. I was finally diagnosed with SDS in Aug. 1999. I went on Disability and quit work at the end of October 2000.

I still have the problems with memory and concentration, but now that the pressure at work is off and the Doctor switched me to Zoloft (after trying Prozac, Effexor, Wellbutrin, and Celexia, over a five year period), I have been coping with it pretty well I think. I just have no interest in reading are learning anything technical anymore, and it takes forever to get anything done. (I have been working on this letter for almost two hours now.)

I read all the posts, even though I don’t write very often.

Jim Parsons, Arlington TX

http://www.med.jhu.edu/peds/cfs.html

Which symptoms can be caused by the neurally mediated hypotension?

Recurrent lightheadedness and fainting are common symptoms, as is an unusual difficulty with prolonged fatigue after a modest amount of physical activity. This post-exertional fatigue can last 24-72 hours, and interferes with many daily activities.

We have also observed that chronic fatigue, muscle aches (or fibromyalgia), headaches, and mental confusion can be prominent symptoms of neurally mediated hypotension even in individuals who do not faint. The mental confusion takes the form of difficulty concentrating, staying on task, paying attention, or finding the right words. Some describe being in a mental fog. It appears that as long as the fainting reflex is activated whenever the person stands or sits upright for a period of time, then the blood pressure is improperly regulated, and these symptoms are the result. Some develop worse fatigue after such activities as reading and concentrating, and this may be due to the fact that for some, the veins of the arms and legs dilate, thereby allowing more blood to pool, rather than constricting in response to mental tasks.

If you do not wish to belong to shydrager, you may unsubscribe by sending a blank email to shydrager-unsubscribe

[Guest guest]

Jim,

No one would ever be bored hearing what you have to say. I am glad

that you have told us about your circumstances because you are not

alone. I have a problem with trying to concentrate for any length of

time. If I am reading something I will soon realize that I could not

tell you what I had been reading and then will re read it and try to

make myself stay on track. I also know that I concentrate very hard

during church so I won't miss anything the Pastor is saying. This

competely wears me out and I have to take a nap upon getting home

from church. We are here to share with each other and I thank you for

taking so much of your time to share with us.

God Bless,

Belinda

> > Carol,

> >

> > When I first joined the group and mentioned my symptoms, almost

all

> > autonomic, it seemed to me that Rob and I had more symptoms that

> were common

> > than most other members of the group. Some of the major problems

I

> had for

> > the last couple of years before I quit work were with my memory

and

> my

> > ability to concentrate. When my Doctor finally discovered that I

> had OH

> > (Orthostatic Hypotension), I started checking my blood pressure

> often, and

> > found that it was not at all unusual for my blood pressure to drop

> from

> > 120/70 to 60/40 when I went from setting to standing. I

> occasionally had a

> > reading as low as 52/35 upon standing. When I first started

finding

> > information on the internet about Shy-Drager Syndrome, most of the

> articles

> > mentioned that problems with mental cognitance were rare with SDS,

> but that

> > it did occur in 10% to 20% of the patients.

> >

> > In the last several months I have seen new members ask if problems

> with

> > mental cognitance or confusion were part of the symptoms with MSA.

> The

> > response to this question, from other members, has usually been

> no. I

> > started to reply a few times that this was a big problem for me,

> but I never

> > did. I guess that I am just trying to say that even though the

> majority of

> > MSA patients do not have this problem, a few of us do.

> >

> > I worked as a Computer Systems Analyst for over 30 years. The

last

> 7 years

> > as a Unix System Administrator with about 150 workstations to

> support. My

> > job was fairly stressful, especially when things broke and the

> system went

> > down. I guess that is one of the reasons that the memory and

> concentration

> > problems bothered me so much.

> >

> > One article that I found on OH was from s Hopkins University.

> I have

> > included the link to this article below and copied one section of

> the

> > report. I underlined one sentence that discusses some of the

> mental

> > problems caused just by OH. I would think that adding the other

> problems

> > caused by other symptoms with MSA would just cause these

> > memory/concentration problems to be even worse.

> >

> > My symptoms first started in 1994, but the Doctors kept trying to

> treat

> > everything individually instead of considering the big picture. I

> went to a

> > sleep study center and was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea in June

> 1995. I

> > started going to the Doctor for night time incontinence problems

in

> early '

> > 97. The Urologist finally gave me a TURP prostate surgery in Aug.

> 1998,

> > which failed to help with anything. My OH episodes started

> occurring

> > every day in Feb. 1999. I was finally diagnosed with SDS in Aug.

> 1999. I

> > went on Disability and quit work at the end of October 2000.

> >

> > I still have the problems with memory and concentration, but now

> that the

> > pressure at work is off and the Doctor switched me to Zoloft

(after

> trying

> > Prozac, Effexor, Wellbutrin, and Celexia, over a five year

period),

> I have

> > been coping with it pretty well I think. I just have no interest

> in reading

> > are learning anything technical anymore, and it takes forever to

get

> > anything done. (I have been working on this letter for almost two

> hours

> > now.)

> >

> > I read all the posts, even though I don't write very often.

> >

> > Jim Parsons, Arlington TX

> >

> >

> > http://www.med.jhu.edu/peds/cfs.html

> http://www.med.jhu.edu/peds/cfs.html>

> >

> >

> > Which symptoms can be caused by the neurally mediated hypotension?

> > Recurrent lightheadedness and fainting are common symptoms, as is

> an unusual

> > difficulty with prolonged fatigue after a modest amount of

physical

> > activity. This post-exertional fatigue can last 24-72 hours, and

> interferes

> > with many daily activities.

> > We have also observed that chronic fatigue, muscle aches (or

> fibromyalgia),

> > headaches, and mental confusion can be prominent symptoms of

> neurally

> > mediated hypotension even in individuals who do not faint. The

> mental

> > confusion takes the form of difficulty concentrating, staying on

> task,

> > paying attention, or finding the right words. Some describe being

> in a

> > mental fog. It appears that as long as the fainting reflex is

> activated

> > whenever the person stands or sits upright for a period of time,

> then the

> > blood pressure is improperly regulated, and these symptoms are the

> result.

> > Some develop worse fatigue after such activities as reading and

> > concentrating, and this may be due to the fact that for some, the

> veins of

> > the arms and legs dilate, thereby allowing more blood to pool,

> rather than

> > constricting in response to mental tasks.

>

>

> If you do not wish to belong to shydrager, you may

> unsubscribe by sending a blank email to

>

> shydrager-unsubscribe@y...

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Marg,

Welcome to the group. I wish it was under different circumstances. I

have also taken what Bill has said to heart. I read as much as I can.

To me that is the only thing I know will exercise my brain. I am sure

others have more ideas.

God bless,

Belinda

>

> Carol,

>

>

>

> When I first joined the group and mentioned my symptoms, almost all

autonomic, it seemed to me that Rob and I had more symptoms that were

common than most other members of the group. Some of the major

problems I had for the last couple of years before I quit work were

with my memory and my ability to concentrate. When my Doctor finally

discovered that I had OH (Orthostatic Hypotension), I started

checking my blood pressure often, and found that it was not at all

unusual for my blood pressure to drop from 120/70 to 60/40 when I

went from setting to standing. I occasionally had a reading as low

as 52/35 upon standing. When I first started finding information on

the internet about Shy-Drager Syndrome, most of the articles

mentioned that problems with mental cognitance were rare with SDS,

but that it did occur in 10% to 20% of the patients.

>

>

>

> In the last several months I have seen new members ask if problems

with mental cognitance or confusion were part of the symptoms with

MSA. The response to this question, from other members, has usually

been no. I started to reply a few times that this was a big problem

for me, but I never did. I guess that I am just trying to say that

even though the majority of MSA patients do not have this problem, a

few of us do.

>

>

>

> I worked as a Computer Systems Analyst for over 30 years. The last

7 years as a Unix System Administrator with about 150 workstations to

support. My job was fairly stressful, especially when things broke

and the system went down. I guess that is one of the reasons that

the memory and concentration problems bothered me so much.

>

>

>

> One article that I found on OH was from s Hopkins University.

I have included the link to this article below and copied one section

of the report. I underlined one sentence that discusses some of the

mental problems caused just by OH. I would think that adding the

other problems caused by other symptoms with MSA would just cause

these memory/concentration problems to be even worse.

>

>

>

> My symptoms first started in 1994, but the Doctors kept trying to

treat everything individually instead of considering the big picture.

I went to a sleep study center and was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea in

June 1995. I started going to the Doctor for night time incontinence

problems in early '97. The Urologist finally gave me a TURP prostate

surgery in Aug. 1998, which failed to help with anything. My OH

episodes started occurring every day in Feb. 1999. I was finally

diagnosed with SDS in Aug. 1999. I went on Disability and quit work

at the end of October 2000.

>

>

>

> I still have the problems with memory and concentration, but now

that the pressure at work is off and the Doctor switched me to Zoloft

(after trying Prozac, Effexor, Wellbutrin, and Celexia, over a five

year period), I have been coping with it pretty well I think. I just

have no interest in reading are learning anything technical anymore,

and it takes forever to get anything done. (I have been working on

this letter for almost two hours now.)

>

>

>

> I read all the posts, even though I don't write very often.

>

>

>

> Jim Parsons, Arlington TX

>

>

>

>

>

> http://www.med.jhu.edu/peds/cfs.html

>

>

>

>

>

> Which symptoms can be caused by the neurally mediated hypotension?

>

> Recurrent lightheadedness and fainting are common symptoms, as is

an unusual difficulty with prolonged fatigue after a modest amount of

physical activity. This post-exertional fatigue can last 24-72 hours,

and interferes with many daily activities.

>

> We have also observed that chronic fatigue, muscle aches (or

fibromyalgia), headaches, and mental confusion can be prominent

symptoms of neurally mediated hypotension even in individuals who do

not faint. The mental confusion takes the form of difficulty

concentrating, staying on task, paying attention, or finding the

right words. Some describe being in a mental fog. It appears that as

long as the fainting reflex is activated whenever the person stands

or sits upright for a period of time, then the blood pressure is

improperly regulated, and these symptoms are the result. Some develop

worse fatigue after such activities as reading and concentrating, and

this may be due to the fact that for some, the veins of the arms and

legs dilate, thereby allowing more blood to pool, rather than

constricting in response to mental tasks.

>

>

>

> If you do not wish to belong to shydrager, you may

> unsubscribe by sending a blank email to

>

> shydrager-unsubscribe@y...

>

>

>

>

>