Day 8, POTS symptoms worse - should we go on?

[JaneK]

My family is on day 8.  My daughter (age 21) has POTS (autoimmune related), and we are hopeful that Whole 30 can reduce inflammation so her POTS symptoms get better (fatigue, headache, brain fog, nausea, and the list can go on and on). My husband and I are doing the program too.

 

Despite feeling pretty good in the beginning, starting with about day 5 she went downhill quickly.  She is feeling extremely light headed and dizzy, nauseated, her fatigue has shot through the roof, and she's flushed and feeling achy.  I know from reading the book about this thing called "carb flu", so we're wondering if this is an extreme form of that.  She's at the point where she can barely function without having to sit down because of dizziness. We do not believe she is sick or getting a virus or something related. She does not have a fever (despite the warmth and flushing).  The symptoms she has right now seem to be extreme versions of her POTS symptoms which she had before the Whole 30 began.  It is frustrating that she feels worse, when the whole reason we did this is to feel better.

 

If we knew the long-term results would be an improvement on her POTS symptoms, maybe she could push through.  But what she is feeling is quite extreme, we are wondering if she should stop the program.  

 

Any input/advice is much appreciated.  FYI,   

 

Thank you.

[ShannonM816]

Is she eating enough? Not eating enough can definitely cause those symptoms. Not salting food can too. Can you give us a rundown of what she's eating in portion sizes related to her palm or thumb as explained in the meal template, as well as her water intake (she should be aiming for 1/2 oz per pound of body weight, so a 120-lb person needs at least 60 oz of water per day), and any exercise she's doing?

[wingedfeet]

I have POTS myself and noticed a slight uptick of symptoms but it has improved. Try upping her fluid and salt intake and maybe larger/fattier meals (I don't know how much she is eating). V-8 is pretty miraculous for POTS. To be honest, a small dose of a beta blocker changed my life. I hope things get better.

[JaneK]

Shannon & winged feet -

 

Thanks for responding.  She has always salted her food since being diagnosed 5 years ago, but because of not eating processed foods any more during whole 30 she has been salting her food more than usual.  However, maybe she needs to salt even more because of how salty processed foods are?  I don't know!

 

Also, she drinks a lot of water!  She always has since being diagnosed.  I would say she easily goes through 70 - 80 oz or more per day (she's 130 lbs).  No exercise right now.  She did try physical therapy a few months ago but it did not offer much help.

 

Regarding food intake, I think the thing that might be low is the fat intake.  I don't know if I can say she's been getting 1 to 2 thumb size  portions, but we are trying to up that.  I can tell you that she (and I to be honest) find ourselves hungry a lot.  But sometimes I don't know if it's really hunger or craving (I'm aware of the grilled fish & veggie test to tell the difference; again to be honest, sometimes the thought of more veggies makes me nauseated!).  I think everything else on her plate seems to be in line with the amounts given on the meal template. (She might take in a little more fruit than recommended; it is an easy snack since we are both hungry between meals, but we always pair it with a fat or protein).

 

In conjunction with this problem she is having with her symptoms being on Whole 30, can you explain why the Whole 30 is against having snacks between meals if the snacks are compliant?  I know it's not a hard rule, just a recommendation as "being in the spirit of the Whole 30", and also to "train" you not to snack.  But from a scientific standpoint I've heard from other educated sources that more frequent smaller meals are better than bigger fewer meals.  It's supposed to keep your blood sugar more stable, and prevent it from spiking and dipping.  So I don't get why Whole 30 says the opposite?  

 

Thank you very much for your help.  My daughter really wants to try and stay with the program for the balance of the 30 days, but we are both concerned about how she's going to function in the short term while on it.  I appreciate your help!

[jmcbn]

Shannon & winged feet -

 

Thanks for responding.  She has always salted her food since being diagnosed 5 years ago, but because of not eating processed foods any more during whole 30 she has been salting her food more than usual.  However, maybe she needs to salt even more because of how salty processed foods are?  I don't know!

 

Also, she drinks a lot of water!  She always has since being diagnosed.  I would say she easily goes through 70 - 80 oz or more per day (she's 130 lbs).  No exercise right now.  She did try physical therapy a few months ago but it did not offer much help.

 

Regarding food intake, I think the thing that might be low is the fat intake.  I don't know if I can say she's been getting 1 to 2 thumb size  portions, but we are trying to up that.  I can tell you that she (and I to be honest) find ourselves hungry a lot.  But sometimes I don't know if it's really hunger or craving (I'm aware of the grilled fish & veggie test to tell the difference; again to be honest, sometimes the thought of more veggies makes me nauseated!).  I think everything else on her plate seems to be in line with the amounts given on the meal template. (She might take in a little more fruit than recommended; it is an easy snack since we are both hungry between meals, but we always pair it with a fat or protein).

 

In conjunction with this problem she is having with her symptoms being on Whole 30, can you explain why the Whole 30 is against having snacks between meals if the snacks are compliant?  I know it's not a hard rule, just a recommendation as "being in the spirit of the Whole 30", and also to "train" you not to snack.  But from a scientific standpoint I've heard from other educated sources that more frequent smaller meals are better than bigger fewer meals.  It's supposed to keep your blood sugar more stable, and prevent it from spiking and dipping.  So I don't get why Whole 30 says the opposite?  

 

Thank you very much for your help.  My daughter really wants to try and stay with the program for the balance of the 30 days, but we are both concerned about how she's going to function in the short term while on it.  I appreciate your help!

In simple terms blood sugar will only spike and dip if you are eating sugar. Protein & especially fat give a slow & sustained level of energy far superior to sugar which, in any form (fructose, glucose, sucrose etc) will peak in the blood stream & be gone within 30-60mins. Eating protein & fat alongside carbs slows down the digestion of the sugars in the veg and so causes much less of an impact on blood sugar levels.

The thinking behind the no snacking rule is in terms of fat adaptation. By constantly topping up your body's fuel stores with snacks you are not allowing the body adequate time to have to learn to tap into it's fat stores for fuel - plus it does the digestive system good to get some 'down time'

In terms of salting food, by switching to a whole food diet sodium intake can be reduced by up to 75% - I'd salt away until the food tastes good, and I'd definitely up the fat until you no longer feel hunger - fat is your friend here.

 

Hope this helps.

[RastleW30]

My husband has POTS/EDS and the first 45 days of Whole30 were MISERABLE for him, which is why he stuck it out for a Whole60. During those first 45 days, he was in worse pain and had increased POTS symptoms. We think that he had such a strong reaction for two reasons: 

1. To cope with the pain, he had been eating a lot of sugary foods before Whole30, and it just took longer than 30-days to completely rid his body from all of the junk.
   
2. With POTS, we watch his energy closely, and when he has lows he would drink Gatorade, and when he had highs, he would take Benadryl. While on Whole30, he cut out the Gatorade but he still needed a quick way of getting salt into his system and adding lots of salt to his food wasn't cutting it. After doing a lot of research, we found a product called Elete electrolyte for him to add to his water, which essentially acts like Gatorade but has all Whole30 compliant ingredients. Having a Whole30-compliant way of getting salt into his system was key.  
   

I can only speak to our experience, but Whole30 has significantly helped with inflammation and has reduced some of his pain or at least helps him better mentally cope with the pain.