I don't know what is wrong with me, whether this is a crash from being out in the heat Wednesday then pushing myself at work Thursday, or if I caught a virus.

My blood pressure is staying around 70s/40s and heart rate isn't falling under 100 - even when I lay down. Standing it's in the 150s.
I can't keep anything down due to nausea and I have really bad diarrhea, my head hurts every time I move it.

Should I go to the ER in hope that maybe they can give me something to get my heart rate down? Or at the very least something to help the nausea?

go

Being as it's Sat--you might find a GP in at an office walk in clinic--cheaper--but go --no matter where you have to go--go.

I would go - your bp is pretty low.....I know the ER can be a nightmare but you want to be better safe than sorry....good luck - let us know how you make out.

BTW--I posted this b4--emergency treatment for anyone with an elevated heart rate is to chug a 16oz bottle of water--if you can keep it down.

Cant hurt--might help.

PLEASE go to the E.R. -- NOW!!! When I'm out in the heat the exact same thing happens to me!! Once you get hooked up to an I.V. and given some meds. you'll feel ALOT better and your heart rate will drop! Best of luck and get goin'!!

Your vitals are in poor shape. Go to the ER and get some fluid therapy.

Make sure you go to a place where they take your vitals as soon as you walk in the door. Don't go to one of those ERs where you have to suffer for hours before anyone checks your vitals.

I'm with Sunflower.

You are probably way too low on electrolytes at this point in time. Better to get the bag of fluids.

I just got home. Turns out I caught a virus, got very dehydrated, and my potassium was low.

They gave me 2 and 1/2 bags of fluids, potassium, and a prescription for something to help my nausea.

Final symptom reared it's head late last night. I think it was food poisoning. I had been eating away from home on Wednesday and Thursday.

Also, the attending ER doc was trying to say that the midodrine I take causes tachycardia! LOL Maybe in a rare few that can't take it, but for most of us it does the opposite. I tried to tell him it was a standard medication that was used for what I have, but he was rude...

Thanks everyone though - I was on the fence a bit until after the first two posts and now know that I definitely needed medical treatment.

So glad your feeling some better today!!!

I don't claim to know exactly why--but I am firmly convinced that many of us have fluid balance "issues" such that heat, or upset stomach that drains fluid reserves puts us in very bad shape pretty quickly.

I am looking for a "sports drink" that approximates a "bananna bag" IV --i.e. with saline and potassium--and that I can tolerate. But most I can't so far.

Til then I have noticed that drinking a bottle of room temperature water (with salt when BP is low) brings pulse rate down pretty quickly. It's NOT a total cure to replace an IV--but it helps quite a bit and pretty quickly. I keep water and salt in the car and with me at all times. (It's hot in Fl this time of year)

The thing I worry about is folks who are driving in this sort of shape and may pass out and /or have visual/cognitive disturbances B4 getting to medical care.

As for as ER docs--the fact is they are--many of them--the bottom of the barrel docs who can't get a job elsewhere. NOT the best choice--but what we have. They will NEVER get it. Only the top of the class docs got the rare syndromes/dysautonomia question right on exams--and most of them have forgotten it long ago. Just tell them to either listen to you or call your prescibing doc--or maybe to go look up dysautonomia on line for "clues?"

Sucks to have to be sick and put up with crap from dumb docs too. My least favorite part of this!!!!

Again, glad you're doing better today!!!!

quote:

The thing I worry about is folks who are driving in this sort of shape and may pass out and /or have visual/cognitive disturbances B4 getting to medical care.

This is exactly one of the reasons I had to stop driving. Although I did have a syncope episode at the wheel of my car (with my kids and doggie in tow), I would often get so dizzy and lightheaded or have trouble focusing. So, it's not only the syncope spells but the other symptoms that occur when I am overstimulated or my balances are off as you said.

strangewings: Hope you are feeling better! Glad you got the help you needed.

The point I was trying to make is~~
If you have to drive--and know you are ill--chug a 16 oz bottle of salt water or water before you drive so as to get as stable as you can.

Some folks have no choice but to drive.

Well, I live in a smaller town - around 8,000 people. Most of the PCPs around here do hospital rounds in the ER. My regular PCP does as well.
The way Oklahoma is set up, we have cardiologist from the Oklahoma Heart Association that travel and visit all these smaller hospital - my cardiologist is one of these, and in fact I believe most of them belong to that group.

I know what the ER doc did. I bet he looked up Midrine. Why the heck I'd be taking Midrine for low blood pressure and tachycardia is beyond me... I even spelled Midodrine out for him. I wonder if I should call the hospital or call my cardiologist on Monday to make sure the doc gets reprimanded for that. It's the sort of mistake that could hurt someone.

Strangewings - I would probably mention it.....it's scary, people can go to the ER in one condition and leave in worse condition because of Drs. mistakes....

Sandy - I understand that some people have no choice but to drive because of jobs, etc. For me, after having that episode with my kids, it was obvious the choice had been taken away from me. It became a safety issue....
My biggest problem with driving is that I can feel really well when I am at home (as I did that day), and think I'm okay to drive and then once I'm out in the heat, and sitting in the car in one position and exposed to all the stimulation, the episode hits. It really stinks ....