Does this sound like pots?

[DakMan96]

Hello, I'm a 21 year old guy and know pots is fairly rare for men, however lately I've noticed my heart rate flies when I stand up. It's also very apparent when I do minimal physical exertion such as walk around my apartment or clean.  My resting heart rate varies between 60-70 and sometimes reaches 55. I am 6 foot tall and weigh 145lbs.  I did a standing test and here were the results:

Resting: 74bpm (higher than usual)

Standing: 84bpm (immediately after standing)

4 minutes: 90bpm

6 minutes: 93bpm

8 minutes: 103bpm

10 minutes: 98bpm

As soon as I laid down: 60bpm

I don't usually get too lightheaded and I've never passed out, but this was a more mild example of how my HR climbs. Sometimes it will reach 110-120bpm.  Thoughts?

[BuffRockChick]

That looks suspicious for POTS. I'd suggest more testing at home.  Lie down flat on your back for at least 15 minutes.  Stand up quickly and don't fidget or tense your muscles, try to not move at all.  Test in the morning also, since symptoms tend to be worse in the morning and in research on POTS the tests are done in the morning.

Only about 30% of people with POTS will faint, so don't worry about that.  I've only fainted once.  It was after standing for 10 minutes, my pulse was 120, I gestured with arms overhead and walked away, fainted after a couple of steps.  I wonder if putting my arms over my head was why I fainted?

Stay curious and please update as you gather more data and begin exploring the possibility of POTS. 

[DakMan96]

35 minutes ago, BuffRockChick said:

That looks suspicious for POTS. I'd suggest more testing at home.  Lie down flat on your back for at least 15 minutes.  Stand up quickly and don't fidget or tense your muscles, try to not move at all.  Test in the morning also, since symptoms tend to be worse in the morning and in research on POTS the tests are done in the morning.

Only about 30% of people with POTS will faint, so don't worry about that.  I've only fainted once.  It was after standing for 10 minutes, my pulse was 120, I gestured with arms overhead and walked away, fainted after a couple of steps.  I wonder if putting my arms over my head was why I fainted?

Stay curious and please update as you gather more data and begin exploring the possibility of POTS. 

Thank you very much for your response, I will conduct another test later this evening.  Also - should I monitor my blood preasure during the test? I have a wrist cuff I could use. I'm new to pots and understanding it, and have seen some members post BP can play a role in diagnosis.  Thank you!

[BuffRockChick]

Yes, if you can manage the bp cuff without moving too much, go for it.  A drop in blood pressure is orthostatic hypotension and the body compensates with increasing heartrate.  My PCP checked blood pressure first to rule out orthostatic hypotension before I got a referral to investigate further.

In my opinion, in this phase of data collection and discovery, it is beneficial to also track fluid intake, sleep, nutrition, stress, and anxiety.  Why?  Because these are very basic things that you can rule out at home as causing symptoms.  Malnutrition (like eating disorder level) and dehydration cause these symptoms, and anxiety has very similar symptoms.  Many people get dismissed as "eat more" or "see a therapist for anxiety" rather than getting a referral to confirm diagnosis.

I had 13 year history of misdiagnosis with psychiatric conditions, so I was very wary of being dismissed.  I collected data for week and by the time I had my appointment with my PCP I had identified that my mood changes which were previously misdiagnosed as bipolar disorder correlated to my body position, with occasional mood shifts with blood pressure changes.  That info, along with graphs of heart rate data and his quick confirmation of tachycardia withou hypotension upon standing got me a preliminary POTS diagnosis and referral to neurology straight away. 

[MomtoGiuliana]

Welcome to the forum.  DINET maintains a list of specialists that may be helpful to you:

http://www.dinet.org/physicians/