Is This A Pots Episode Or Anaphylaxis?

[LindaJoy]

Hi, everyone,

Would like to know if this is an episode that others here have experienced with your POTS. I've never had an episode quite like this before.

I had just gone for a short bike ride (just up and down my road. I've actually been able to ride a bike this summer for just minutes at a time, but it's progress!). Then, after coming home, my husband wanted to remain outside working, so I thought it'd be a good time to mop the kitchen floor. While scrubbing (I really have to add a lot of pressure to get my mop to clean our floor and it's hard on me), I got really, really hot, but had no other distressing symptoms.

Then, when I got done, I walked into my bedroom and suddenly felt weak and kind of ill. The bottoms of my feet began to sweat. I just didn't feel good. I grabbed my bp machine and sat down. By this time, my heart rate had gone up and my right hand was shaking uncontrollably. I took my bp and it was 135 / 80, pulse rate 107, but steady, no arryhthmia. I called my husband in and he sat with me.

Then, I actually felt my vagal nerve kick in, or I just felt that it had to have because my heart leaped hard, then began to slow down and went into a slight arrhythmia. I began to feel better, too.

While this was happening, I noticed a mosquito bite on my upper arm, a new one. I sometimes react to them, but I felt no itching, swelling in my throat (which I normally get with allergic reactions), etc. Just the symptoms I mentioned above.

Can anyone tell me, does this sound familiar, and if so, what caused it? I'm so dismayed because, as I was on my bike, I was feeling so good to be having a good day for the first time in a long time, good enough that I decided to take my bike for a five minute ride.

Thanks, everyone.

Lindajoy

[carinara]

Just wanting to let you know, that hoovering or scrubbing the floor realy sets my symptoms of. I often had spells similar to what you experienced from this kind of houshold work. Now i always hoover whilest sitting down in a chair and even this makes me symptomatic. I think it has to do with bending over and adding pressure whiles doing it.

I honestly believe that it had nothing to do with riding your bike prior to the cleaning. You said you felt good when you got home! I experienced so many situation where i was proud of myself because of a stressfull workday i managed or other situations then i get home turn the hoover on and find myself laying in bad for the next few hours. I noticed that this is a big trigger for me. I think you should go on riding your bike as long as you feel good with it and when you get home just make a little rest, drink something and wait until your body cooled down. Ist so important to exersice .

All the best for you

carinara

[carinara]

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carinara

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[LindaJoy]

Thanks, Carinara, for finding this for me. Wow, I didn't realize so many people had problems when they cleaned.

I guess this "attack" just surprised me because I've been doing so well lately with NOT having these POTS episodes. (It probably didn't help that I started my "monthly" the next day))

Thanks, again,

Linda

[gertie]

You probably just did too much. Most of the time I clean my floors sitting down. I have to ask, what did you clean your floor with? I have had this type reaction to cleaning products.

[MightyMouse]

It kind of sounds like what happens to me when I have a huge pots surge--all those catecholamines come into my blood stream at once and make me feel very strange and awful all at the same time.

[flop]

Sounds like a POTS episode to me - sweating is often the first symptoms that I notice before my heart rate goes crazy and then the general "feeling dreadful" starts and you just have to lie down somewhere cool.

Allergic reactions usually involve a combination of itching, rash (urticaria / hives - looks like nettle rash), swelling, wheezing, itchy/watering eyes. Severe reactions can include swelling of the mouth, throat, airways and very low blood pressure. Anaphylaxis is often defined as including 2 of the following 3 symptoms - throat swelling, severe asthma, very low blood pressure (shock).

I guess that mopping the floor was more than your system could handle. When feeling well it is so easy to over-exert yourself and end up wiped out afterwards. Learning to pace yourself and rest after an activity like cycling, even if you don't feel like you need a rest, is important to let yourself complete another task/activity later the same day.

Hope you're feeling back to normal again now,

Flop

[masumeh]

just echoing, but anaphylaxis would be lower bp, not 135/80 as mentioned

Great that you were able to do so much though...go you Summer is a temptation for outdoor activities that just sometimes come back to haunt us I guess.

[juliegee]

Hi Linda Joy,

I have an awful time differeintiating between the two: POTS and anaphylaxsis. I've even used my epi-pen a few times when I can't get my HR to slow down, just as I'm about to lose consciousness, and lo and behold, it stops all of my symptoms. I also deal with throat tightness and chest heaviness, etc. But, the two times I've used my epi; awful, unstoppable tachy and the feeling I was about to faint, were my only symptoms.

My cardiologist feels for me. He said that an epi is the absolute wrong thing to do for tachy, but absolutely necessary during anaphylaxis. I got really, really lucky both times. All of my symptoms stopped immediately after using my epi-pen.

BTW, a high BP can most definately occur with anaphylaxis before a drop.

Julie