Autonomic Neuropathy in Vacaville

Autonomic neuropathy in Vacaville is a group of condition that causes nerve damage. It comes with many different symptoms like constipation, dizziness, and night sweats.

Your autonomic nervous system is made up of these nerves. It includes many different body functions such as:

• Digestion
• Urination
• Blood pressure
• Body temperature
• Bowel movements
• Heart rate

Autonomic neuropathy symptoms in Vacaville

Your symptoms will vary depending on which nerves are damaged and which organs are involved. This can include the following:

Digestive symptoms:

• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Heartburn
• Nausea
• Difficulty swallowing
• Throwing up undigested food
• Feeling full or less hungry after just a few bites of food

Urinary symptoms:

• Urinary tract infections
• Difficulties in emptying the bladder
• Difficulties in controlling urination

Heart and blood vessel symptoms:

• High blood pressure
• Dizziness or fainting when you stand up
• Rapid heartbeat especially during exercise

Body temperature symptoms:

• Night sweats
• Sweating while eating
• Sweating too little or too much

Sexual symptoms:

• Dry vagina (in women)
•  Low sex drive
• Trouble getting an erection (in men)
• Problems achieving an orgasm

Vision symptoms:

• Trouble adjusting vision between a dark room and a bright one

Lung symptoms:

• Shortness of breath

Autonomic neuropathy causes

Having nerve damage can affect the signals between your brain and other organs. There are certain diseases and treatments that are nerve-related that can cause it wherein diabetes is the most common one. Other possibilities may include the following:

• Amyloidosis (abnormal protein buildup)
• Botulism
• HIV
• Medicines
• Surgery
• Autoimmune diseases (lupus, Sjogren's, rheumatoid arthritis, and Guillain-Barré syndrome)
• Inherited diseases (Riley-Day syndrome)
• Multiple sclerosis
• Lyme disease
• Parkinson's disease
• Heavy alcohol use

Autonomic neuropathy diagnosis

Your attending physician will ask about your symptoms and perform a physical exam on you. Blood tests might also be recommended to check for the following:

• Diabetes
• Infections (HIV or Lyme disease)
• Sjogren's syndrome and other autoimmune diseases

Other tests that you can include:

• X-rays
• Urodynamic test - This test will check your bladder's storage capabilities then releases urine.
• Ultrasound - High-frequency sound waves will create images of your bladder so that your doctor will have a better look on what's happening.
• Tilt-table test - You will lie on a table, and it will tilt to raise part of your body to make you look like you're standing. Your doctor will monitor your blood pressure and heart rate as you change your position.
• Gastric emptying test - This will help check any irregularities with your digestion, like slow digestion or slow stomach emptying.
• Quantitative sudomotor axon reflex test - A small electrical current will check if your sweat glands are working properly.
• Thermoregulatory sweat test - This test will check for any irregularities in how you sweat. Your body will be covered in a powder that changes colors as the temperature rises inside a special chamber.

So, if you suspect that you have autonomic neuropathy, you can go ahead and check with your doctor to find out more about it. In this case, you can go ahead and contact Dr. Alex Tam of Absolute Integrative Physical Medicine to get diagnosed and be provided with the right kind of treatment. You can get in touch with his office by dialing (707) 474-5688 today.