mistyjoy

ok, the two are not very common as i am finding out. I'm hoping to find others with either/or. I'll try to give you my story as briefly as i can. Jan. 2002 i had arthroscopic knee surgery....march 2002 i developed blood clots in that left leg. I was hospitalized and put on heparin IV. after a week, sent me home on coumadin/warafin for 6 months. The moment they put the heparin in my vein, i felt dizzy. my doc. said it wasn't a known side effect, and i figured it must have been lack of food causing it. the dizziness never went away, so the doc. concluded that every patient is different and it must be my body's response to the blood thinner. a month later, i developed tension headaches that laid me flat. Shortness of breath and chest pain soon followed. My BP's were all over the place, but with all the specialists, no one was able to help me. I began experiencing extreme exhaustion all the time. My ability to concentrate, think, and complete thoughts was limited. I found myself often at a lack for a word or forgetting what i was doing .Black outs became a part of my daily and nightly routine. in october i learned the term "drop-attacks"as i began having them and still do, every day, i experience 10-40 a day.there are many other "symptoms" that i could add to the list, but those are the major ones. i have had so many tests, especially mri's! too many to count. Finally, God led me to a doctor who could diagnose me. I found out that i have severe mercury poisoning, which has caused the pots syndrome. mercury poisoning is often misdiagnosed as many, many, many, other diseases. i don't think there are many doc.'s who consider it, when they are ruling things out. i am now doing chelation therapy. the course of treatment has changed in the last month, so now i need to have my fillings in my teeth removed and replaced with mercury-free amalgams. In november i start the new treatment(DMSA) it's gonna be a long journey still. i waited a year and a half for the diagnosis . i am so thankful to have a name on it now, and to begin on the path to being well again. i am in my twenties and would like to enjoy it. i mentioned earlier about the heparin iv, and the reason i specified that, is because i feel that's what set me over the top. heparin contains thimersol, an agent of mercury!!!!!!! most healthy people don't have to worry about that stuff, but my body wont get rid of it. it holds onto heavy metals. if anyone can relate, or has questions, please reply. i only have my story, but i have read lots of information and have become well educated on the topic. i hope this may even help someone out there.

[This message has been edited by mistyjoy (edited 08-17-2003).]