All you need to know about the autonomic nervous system

I didn't know that I had won until MSA came along and the testing that goes with it.  It must be a very popular test as far as I can see because I have to wait over a year before I was called in.  Without this case being completed I was not going to get a diagnosis.  The main reason for the delay is that there are very few centres and the one in the national hospital was dealing with referrals from around the UK and continental Europe.  It is used not only to detect MSA type problems, but also the people who faint on a regular basis and others with heart and blood circulation issues. This is because the autonomic nervous system controls blood pressure/flow, the bladder/bowel and other things as well, including swallowing and voice; it is important piece of kit. 

Now, about the tests, the most exciting one reminded me of the American water board torture and being strapped for an execution by lethal drugs.  I was strapped to a bed, then tilted from horizontal to 60° and just left there.  My blood pressure was continually monitored as the longer you are on a tilting bed the more likely it is that you will faint or have double vision or something equally unpleasant.  I felt okay and lasted out the 10 minutes but it was a long time.  This test is followed by another which required me to put my hands between two blocks of ice and keep them there for as long as I could.  This was followed by a breathing test which involved blowing into a tube and maintaining a steady pressure for 3 minutes. This was followed by another similar test, gripping a tube for 3 minutes as hard as I could.  The technician was very good and I asked her how she arrived at doing this work.  She said she was a medical secretary and quite often patients were standing and the next minute flat on the floor! She thought this was unusual behaviour, so she wanted to know more. I spent 1.5 hours in hospital.   It is frustrating not to be given any Indicative results.

I am not very enthusiastic today because I fell onto my back opening the front door around five o'clock yesterday afternoon.  My autonomic system was not functioning properly and my low blood pressure made its presence felt.  The uncertainty in walking and particularly taking steps backwards doesn’t help.  There I was stuck on the floor just like a beached whale and nobody else in the house.  I tried all sorts of different ways of getting up without success.  I was there for nearly 2 hours feeling foolish until I remembered my phone in my pocket. I phoned a friend who came and helped me up, shaken but hurt. My pride had taken a battering too as I go to the gym regularly, so that’s it for now and next week I am on holiday.which is what MSA can do.  I can remember that I