• Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Directory
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
The Brain Health Magazine
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Directory
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
The Brain Health Magazine
No Result
View All Result

Did You Just “DYS” Me?!

Dysautonomia After Brain Injury

in dysautonomia
January 28, 2020
0
Did You Just “DYS” Me?!

Kelly Harrigan

Do you want the bad news or the good news? 

Okay, here goes with the knockout punch: dysautonomia affects more than 70 million people worldwide and, at this time, there is no cure. The good news? Now that you know what you’re dealing with, you can educate yourself (and others) to manage this DYS-order.

I feel like I’ve been dissed…

Probably, but it wasn’t your fault. Let’s break the word down so we know what it means. Dys means bad or difficult. Autonomia refers to self-governing or self-regulating. “Houston, we have a problem,” regulating our body’s nervous system with functions we take for granted. Dysautonomia comes in two forms: 1) primary, which is inherited or genetic, and 2) secondary, which results from another condition or an injury.   

How do we solve a problem like dysautonomia?

Find a good functional neurologist or integrative medicine doctor. When trauma occurs in the brain, it disrupts many systems in the body. Unfortunately, most doctors are specialized, meaning they deal only in one area of practice, like the heart for instance. Dysautonomia needs a multi-disciplinary approach, and because its symptoms can be so generic (meaning they are symptomatic of other diseases or illnesses), it’s hard to pinpoint a diagnosis. It doesn’t help that our healthcare insurance has become a fast-food approach—in and out with the most profit—leaving us to see an organic and holistic approach visible only in the rearview mirror. 

Symptoms vary; they come and go, and are triggered by physical, emotional, and environmental stressors. A smattering of symptoms include:

  • Low blood pressure
  • Low energy–feeling like you can barely move
  • Heart palpitations
  • Feeling weak
  • Mood swings and irritability
  • Anxiety
  • Trouble sleeping
  • Dizziness, fainting, or vertigo
  • Tremors
  • Low glucose levels
  • Migraines and headaches
  • Trouble regulating your body’s temperature
  • Loss of appetite
  • Visual disturbances
  • Aversion to light and sound—so not a fan of “shock and awe”
  • Problems with urination or constipation
  • Brain fog
  • Attention and focus issues

These symptoms can be attributed to the brain injury itself as post-concussive syndrome, and not be diagnosed as dysautonomia resulting from the brain injury. It can be frustrating for those who have dysautonomia, and their symptoms are seen by an endless round of specialists or are dismissed with statements like “it’s all in your head,” “you should workout more,” “you look great though,” “eat more and gain some weight” or “you’re probably just depressed…get out a little more.” If you had a dime for every time you heard that—you’d a member of the millionaire club.

Temperature regulation seems to contend to be a top symptom, feeling “hot, hot, hot,” or like “ice ice, baby.” Your body temperature might not be in the normal range and might run a few degrees on either side of normal. You may feel you need a fur coat when the temperature dips below 70, with every hair on your arms standing up, covered in goosebumps, longing for those summer nights. Yet, when summer arrives, along with the humidity, you might feel like you have to crawl to your bed and inject IV fluids to avoid brain fog, confusion, dehydration, and dizziness. 

Other top contenders are low blood pressure and fatigue. Changes in blood pressure may occur upon standing and with changes in your heart rate—a drop that’s too fast and too far can cause you to faint. No need to point out the obvious that you could hit your head. (I’m mentally face palming myself at the irony…) The fatigue is can be so intense —  bone-wearying, feels like death, and includes brain fog and muscle weakness. Would you rather run a marathon, do a school science project, and twelve loads of laundry in one day—or deal with a day of dysautonomia fatigue? That was a trick question…

Sounds like I need a little patience…

It’s a true statement that we need patience, along with doing some low-tech management:

  • Stand up slowly and elevate your upper body when sleeping to reduce that blood pressure drop when you rise, which decreases your chances of fainting.
  • Make like a camel. Hydrate and use electrolytes. We’re a naturally dehydrated population with our caffeine fixes, so drink lots of water. Keep it in your car, by your bed, and while binge watching movies. 
  • Consider adding Himalayan sea salt to your diet to help balance electrolytes, give your body an assist in retaining water, while giving your blood pressure a much-needed boost. You should definitely consult with your practitioner before taking this tip.
  • For fun in the sun—skip the sun and stay in the shade or inside with the air conditioning and the fan. Keep a small fan by your bed or chair for when your internal Mt. Vesuvius erupts.
  • Store an extra-cool fashion hoodie in the car for the advent of the Ice Age. Start a new fashion trend with all the scarves you’ll be wearing to keep warm.
  • Don’t try to climb Mt. Everest or participate in the Tour de France just yet. Instead, practice moderate exercise, like walking. 
  • Eat … while you’re not fattening up for the holidays like Santa Claus, you do need to maintain and get proper nutrition even if your appetite has disappeared. Keep some bars on hand like Crickstart or 88 Acres brands for gluten-free, non-GMO, protein-style snacks, or get snack bags of almonds. Or, consider adding some protein drinks, like Remedy Organics, to get your two-fer: hydration and protein.
  • Your future is so bright you gotta wear shades…wear them when you need to, indoors or outdoors. And add some inexpensive silicon earplugs to help with your noise aversion or go hardcore and treat yourself to some Beats.   
  • Be kind to yourself.

Disclaimer: As always, please consult with a licensed medical practitioner for your medical needs.

Kelly is a single mum, veteran, TBI survivor with a girl child and a frenchie, oolong tea in hand and humor on hand, who lives in Annapolis, Maryland.   

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare Via EmailPinterest
Next Post
Managing Stress With Plants

Managing Stress With Plants

SIGN UP

BLOG

Neuroplasticity and Meditation

Neuroplasticity and Meditation

By Dr. Shane Steadman, DC, DACNB, DCBCN, CNS We often think of meditation as a metaphysical or religious practice. Many use activities such as mindfulness, deep breathing, and meditation to calm down the sympathetic system (fight or flight) to help us get through the day. But what if we thought of it from a neurological […]

Read more
How to Use Turquoise for Mindfulness

How to Use Turquoise for Mindfulness

By Kristen Brown Creating a calm and focused mind can be tricky in today’s world, but when you tap into the power of turquoise you can bring back the mindfulness you seek. Whether you use it as a tool during meditation or yoga, wear it as jewelry, or simply keep loose stones around your house […]

Read more
Setbacks After Brain Injury

Setbacks After Brain Injury

By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief Setbacks. They’re a fact of life, right? After a brain injury, setbacks can be devastating. They can feel like the end of the world, wrapping you in a feeling of isolation and despair. Throughout the course of my recovery, it was only natural that I would encounter setbacks. Most of these […]

Read more
Tuna Salad Lettuce Wraps

Tuna Salad Lettuce Wraps

By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief What You Need: 1 ¼ cup (280g) tuna in olive oil, drained 1 tbsp. tomato puree 1 small red onion, finely chopped ½ Granny Smith apple 8 lettuce leaves Put the tuna and half of the oil from the can in a bowl and mix with the tomato puree. Chop the […]

Read more
Mindfulness Proving Powerful for Injured Brains

Mindfulness Proving Powerful for Injured Brains

By Deborah Zelinsky, O.D.  “For many brain injury survivors, mindfulness is an essential practice that helps regulate their mental health, mood changes, and memory.” That comment – from the Headway Company, which works with affordable mental health services – suggests why mindfulness meditation has undergone scientific scrutiny as a technique to bring relief to patients […]

Read more
Why is Mindfulness Important for Your Workout?

Why is Mindfulness Important for Your Workout?

By Amy Zellmer A workout for the sole purpose of physical exercise can only provide limited health benefits. It can help you stay fit to some level and boost your serotonin levels to some points. But, when you add mindfulness into your workout, it becomes the secret ingredient to overall well-being, including physical and mental […]

Read more
Mindfulness and TBI

Mindfulness and TBI

By James A. Heuer, PA In recent studies, mindfulness proved to help improve the cognitive state of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)  patients. It is said that mindfulness assists TBI patients with keeping their focus on the present moment. In short, mindfulness is the state of awareness resulting from consciously paying attention. Since healing from a […]

Read more
Mentally Mindful

Mentally Mindful

By Amy Zellmer “Mindfulness clears the windshield of the mind so that we can see things as they really are.” Travis Eliot What is Mindfulness? A state of nonjudgmental awareness of what’s happening in the present moment, including the awareness of one’s own thoughts, feelings, and senses. You act mindfully when you listen to a […]

Read more
Caregiver Corner: Art as a Means of Mindfulness

Caregiver Corner: Art as a Means of Mindfulness

By Ian Hebeisen Mindfulness comes in many shapes and forms. It doesn’t have to be hardcore meditation for a solid hour once a day – that’s simply not realistic for everybody. For some people it might be a simple prayer and reflection at the end of the day, for others it might be doodling in […]

Read more

INSTAGRAM

Follow Us!

  • Some of our book award goodies arrived today … the swag looks pretty good with this book 🥇 

#ConcussionDiscussions #author #publisher #writer #blogger #braininjury #tbi #concussion #pcs #anthology #FunctionalNeurology
  • I am thrilled to share that Concussion Discussions has won TWO book awards for excellence in publishing. A huge thanks to all of the contributors who helped make this book award-winning:
@steadmanshane 
@dr.perry.maynard 
@integratedbraincenters 
@dockeiser 
@portlandchiropracticneurology1 
@midcoastbrain 
@drszimmerman 
@neurowellnessdoc 
@learningrx_brain_training 
@healingresponse 
@dr.habanova 
@rezzimaxpaintuner 
@bagnell_brain_center 
@nurenbergparis 
@frameworktms 
@northwestfunctionalneuro 
@drerikreis 
@mindeyeinstitute 
@functionalhealthunlimited 
@michironeuro 
@deltasperformance
  • #kindness
  • Comment below!
  • #kindwords
  • Yoga or Pilates? Comment below!
  • #blazeyourownpath
  • Congrats to Jeffrey M Heller recently named the newest partner of @nurenbergparis
  • It’s officially March … and that means Brain Injury Awareness Month!! Join us on March 16th for a FREE virtual event with over 20 survivors and professionals sharing their experience. Register now for FREE! www.FACESOFTBI.com/event

© Copyright 2019 | The Brain Health Magazine

  • Advertise With Us
  • Submission Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Contact Us

DISCLAIMER: THIS MAGAZINE DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE - View PDF

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Directory
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used.