Tag Archives: orthostatic intolerance

Heart Rate and Beta Blockers

Posted on July 2, 2013 by Jennie Spotila

Beta blockers are routinely prescribed to ME/CFS patients who have orthostatic intolerance. But because of the medication’s effects on heart rate, it can be challenging to incorporate heart rate monitoring into the picture. After some uncertainty, I have managed to … Continue reading →

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Comparing Exercise Advice

Posted on January 18, 2013 by Jennie Spotila

Exercise is an issue for every CFS patient, and there is no shortage of advice on whether and how to do it. On January 14th, the CDC hosted a conference call as part of its Patient Centered Outreach and Communication … Continue reading →

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Insufficient Data

Posted on December 4, 2012 by Jennie Spotila

One of the most frustrating aspects of coping with CFS is the lack of definitive data. A PubMed search for “chronic fatigue syndrome” yields 4,877 results (as of today), but as a patient on the front lines I have to … Continue reading →

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Puzzle Pieces

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Jennie Spotila

Let’s play a game. Imagine you have a large puzzle that makes an Impressionist picture of a colorful cottage-style garden. You can put it together as long as you have the picture on the box. First you assemble the lower … Continue reading →

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This. Is. Why.

Posted on October 17, 2012 by Jennie Spotila

I’m on the verge of tearing my hair out, and I suspect I’m not the only one. The American Academy of Family Physicians published a review article about CFS (paywall) on Monday, accompanied by a patient information sheet. From the … Continue reading →

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Blaze of Glory

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Jennie Spotila

Pacing is . . . actually, my descriptions of pacing generally involve expletives that are not appropriate for this blog, so we’ll stick with “Pacing is challenging.” One positive side effect of my pacing efforts, though, is that I am … Continue reading →

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NIH Funding and the XMRV Effect

Posted on July 31, 2012 by Jennie Spotila

The largest pool of money available for investigator-initiated CFS research grants is the NIH. Although miniscule relative to other areas of research, $6 million a year is the largest annual research investment in CFS from any source. Given the significance … Continue reading →

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Raising the Limit

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Jennie Spotila

I feel like I am getting close to baseline, the state I was in prior to the exercise testing. It’s taken almost seven weeks, and in that time I have left my house a total of seven times – 5 … Continue reading →

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Significance of AT

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Jennie Spotila

Now that my exercise tests are finished and I have the results, it’s time to figure out what to do about it. I’m relying on the work of Staci Stevens, Chris Snell and others at the Pacific Fatigue Lab who … Continue reading →

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Recoverin’

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Jennie Spotila

Three weeks ago, I had my exercise stress tests. A friend had cautioned me that it could take three weeks to recover, and I think she was right although I did sabotage myself a little bit, as I’ll explain. I … Continue reading →

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