Hi Byanna,

Thanks for replying. No, thankfully I was not hospitalized at the time except for my trip to the ER and I did not have a PICC line then. However, the Pericarditis caused another illness I already had, but didn't know I had, to go into overdrive. After the acute phase of the Pericarditis, I continued to have severe chest pain, difficulty breathing, rapid heart rate and difficulty breathing. This was even worse upon standing. So when I was referred to a cardiologist, I was diagnosed with with a rare illness called Dysautonomia or Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome(POTS). It is where the autonomic nervous system (ANS) does not work properly. For those who are not familiar, the ANS is responsible for bodily functions you do not control on your own...i.e. respiration, blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, perspiration, digestion, and other vital functions.

For me, every time I try to stand and perform any tasks, my heart races and my blood pressure drops very low causing me to pass out very frequently. I have passed out approximately 30 times since September of last year and have been hospitalized on numerous occasions for this. I also have chronic pain, extreme fatigue, dizziness, severe gastrointestinal difficulties, migraines, and many, many other issues. I have been homebound since November of last year and basically bedridden except for going to the bathroom.

I am currently under the care of my local cardiologist and I was also see by a physician at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in March, as they are one of the leading research facilities in the country for Dysautonomia. He is currently attempting to help my cardiologist and me come up with a treatment plan to hopefully help get me some quality of life back. There is no cure for this illness at this time, only treatment of symptoms.

I am on numerous meds, waist high compression hose to help keep the blood from pooling in my legs when I stand and I am on home IV fluids. I am hoping and praying we will eventually come up with the right combination of treatments that will get me back to where I can live a somewhat normal life!