Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Butterflies - Exercise - Father - DNA

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Brian,

You can have a colonoscopy without sedation at all. This is common outside the US. Many skillful US doctors will agree to do it without sedation. The upside is that it eliminates all risks of sedation. Also, because the doctor has to go slow, you get a much more careful exam, so details will not go unnoticed. And there is really no discomfort if the doctor is gentle. The only discomfort is a little bloating from the air they push in, but it can be sucked out in the end. I just drove myself home right after the colonoscopy without problem.

You can also do an upper endoscopy without sedation. This might be more uncomfortable. But I'd rather have 15 minutes of discomfort than risk long term deficits from sedation.

Harry said...

Hi,

Regarding your heat/orthostatic intolerance, has your doctor talked about prescribing Midodrine?

I am taking it because of heat/orthostatic intolerance. My peripheral blood vessels dilate and the blood goes to the legs instead of the brain. The vessels fail to constrict appropriately due to dysautonomia/POTS. Midodrine constricts the peripheral vessels making more blood available for the brain and I get less dizzy. It does not cure my dysautonomia, but at least I can sit, stand and walk without feeling too dizzy. The upside it that it does not cross the blood-brain barrier, so it does not cause CNS problems.

The only thing I had to get used to was adjusting the dose according to my level of dizziness. If I take too much or too often, too much blood goes to the brain and I get a headache. But it goes away after 4 hours, which is the drug half-life.

Hope this helps.