My POTS Morning Routine and What My Ulcerative Colitis Looks Like Now

 Since I got diagnosed with dysautonomia a few months ago, I have switched from midodrine to propranolol. The propranolol helps keep my heart rate under control much better than the midodrine did. Although I do have the heart rate under control now, I still feel extremely fatigued every day. My mornings look different from day to day, but here is what I found that works for me:

Slow Awakening

I find that getting up very slowly helps me feel better than just jumping out of bed like I used to (not literally, but much quicker than I do now). I start by slowly sitting up and allowing my body to adjust to an upright position. Most days I feel dizzy when I first sit up, so taking it slow helps me not bonk into walls when I get up. Once I adjust, I have my electrolyte water handy and drink some of that. I then take my meds and then I actually get up out of bed. 

I know sleeping with your head propped up is supposed to lessen the amount of morning dizziness if you have dysautonomia, but I don't like sleeping propped up if I can help it... so I don't. 

Exercise

A lot of people with dysautonomia have exercise intolerance. I do have this to an extent. Which is to say, I can exercise and really push myself, but I crash afterwards and I am limited in how much exercise I can handle. But I can do it! If I feel up to exercise, I do yoga. It's indoors, that way I don't need to worry about my heat intolerance, and I don't need to worry about direct sunlight (another thing I need to avoid due to a medication). I found an excellent yoga channel on YouTube that is tailored to people with EDS (Ehlers Danlos Syndrome), POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), or people with a chronic illness in general. I either do a yoga session with one of the LEMon Yoga videos on a bad day or if I am feeling especially good and motivated, I will do a 10 Minute Morning Power Flow Yoga Session. 

Positivity

Lately I have been very self-conscious about my appearance. I am the heaviest I have ever been. I am used to being either underweight or a healthy weight but closer to the underweight side. I am still a healthy weight, but more towards the heavier side now. Ever since my last and worst UC flare, my body hasn't been quite the same. I am now weak and unable to exercise as much as I should. I shared this with a group of girlfriends without going into much detail, and one of my friends said this... "You need to train your mind to think more positively. You're putting in just as much energy into negative thoughts as you would positive thoughts. Put that energy towards something constructive. Just stop." The "just stop" made me laugh, but it honestly helped me be more aware of how I thought. My body has been through a lot, and I am doing the best I can. So, for anyone else struggling with negative thoughts about yourself... Just stop! 😂

My Ulcerative Colitis Presently

I have had my UC under control for over two years now thanks to the awesome doctors that I have that have helped me every step of the way. I eat basically anything I want to, but every so often, maybe once a month or every other month, I will have what I call a mini-UC flare. I will have the same pain and bathroom issues for a few or several days like I would in a flare situation, but not all day. When this happens, I start to be very careful with what I eat for a little while. Eating primarily low-fiber foods. This usually makes the symptoms go away. Every time this happens, I get nervous that it will become a big flare that hospitalizes me, but it still has yet to get to that point. The Rinvoq has helped tremendously!