Shortness of breath – high heart rate – low bp – dizziness – weakness – nausea – all caused by an autonomic nervous system that just doesn’t work right.

The Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) connects organs to the brain stem or spinal chord – mediating heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, pupillary response, metabolism, digestion, emotions, body temp, etc.

The ANS has three sets of nerves.

The enteric nervous system keeps the digestive system in balance. It’s sometimes called the second brain – it can function on its own, responding to environmental and physical changes even before the brain acknowledges it. But also can be significantly impacted when cues from the vagus nerve aren’t stable.

The parasympathetic nervous system are the cranial nerves, including the vagus nerve, and the lumbar and spinal nerves.

The sympathetic nervous system connects the internal organs to the brain. During times of stress, these nerves increase heart rate and blood flow to the muscles, while decreasing blood flow to the skin – fight, flight or freeze mode.

The hard part is knowing this is what’s affecting you. Even knowing this is a problem for me, I still struggle to think that’s what’s causing my current symptoms.

If caught early and while it’s still mild, there are things that can be done to help balance the ANS. Lots of water and salt…but that can be hard to keep up and still balance other electrolytes.

IV saline – as much as 2 liters a day – is needed in severe cases.

And that’s where I’m at. I’m in the process of getting another picc line so I can do it from home again. Which can feel like a step backwards but it’s really just part of moving forward.

If you’re feeling some of the symptoms of dysautonomia, talk to your doctor about tools that might help. Consider drinking a little salt water (see chart below) every morning – my doctor says add as much salt as you can tolerate (let your body tell you how much is enough).