katsusu Posted October 28, 2004 Report Share Posted October 28, 2004 I was just wondering if colds effect other peoples POTS- making it worse and making me feel like i cannot handle the simple cold.I was also wondering - what is concidered to high as a pulse rate? I know everybody has different limits and can tolerate different pulse-but is there any guide line for what could be bad?Has anybody gotten a good answer from their doctor -why POTS patients will have chest pains? and even if it is not because of something being wrong with the heart - can it be dangerous?thanksKathleen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tearose Posted October 28, 2004 Report Share Posted October 28, 2004 Hi kathleen, welcome! My body thermostat doesn't work well so the cold does effect me. I dress in many layers so as I warm up I can peel something off or if I am cold I can add another layer.Talk to your doctor and together you should figure out what the high and low range of heartrate is good for you. I think mine is based upon my age, my physical condition, my symptoms...you are right, it is different for all of us. As for chest pains, not everyone gets them and for some they are a problem and for others just an annoyance. Yes, it could be dangerous. If you are not sure if what you experience is okay, get to the doctor! hope you are feeling stronger, tearose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernie Posted October 29, 2004 Report Share Posted October 29, 2004 Hi,Cold affects me more than "normal" people. As a matter of fact anything I get affect me more. When I had my car accident 2 years ago it took me 3x time to recover and the insurance did not want to pay for the treatment. My doctor had to explain that because of my disorder I needed extra treatment for the same benefit as the usual patient. The temperature I am comfortable is 72-78F. Anything different makes me sick.When my HR gets above 95 I start to feel nauseus, when I get above 130 I get triggered to faint and I faint at above 140-150. When my HR is below 57 I start to feel dizzy and nauseated and faint usually around 50. My tolerance is pretty narrow.Ernie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackwolf Posted October 29, 2004 Report Share Posted October 29, 2004 Getting the most basic illnesses (colds, little bugs, etc.) can be devestating to POTS people. I have one advantage to one of the drugs I take, Norpace, it helps to keep my sinuses dryer and I rarely get colds, and allergies aren't so bad either. I might sneeze and cough but I don't get the nasty stuffy, runny nose many suffer from.On the down side, things like flu, pnuemonia, pleurecy, are terrible and hang on forever.I also have poor tempature control and am happist at about 70 degrees.Blackwolf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gena Posted October 29, 2004 Report Share Posted October 29, 2004 Hi there. My cardiologists have said that a HR that hits 200 or above is cause for concerna nd that I should immediately go to the hospital. In my worst of time, my HR hasn't gone over 140, but considering my resting heart rate is often in the 40s and 50s, 140 certainly feels like 200 for me! The caridologist I saw at Mayo clinic in Jax (his name is Dr. Kusumoto, awesome cardiologist, by the way), said one theory for the chest pains is that when someone is actually having a heart attack their body produces a chemical (I think he said it's called adenesol, or something like that) that brings on the chest pain, and in POTS patients our bodies soemtimes produce a surge of this chemical even though we're not having a heart attack, hence the chest pains.He looked me right in the eyes and said, your heart is healthy and as long as you have a healthy heart you do not need to worry that POTs is going to give you a heart attack, I guarantee you that. So I felt better after hearing that anyway.I think POTS is still such a mystery to doctors (and us), but I'm hoping we'll unravel all of its secrets soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ethansmom Posted October 29, 2004 Report Share Posted October 29, 2004 I do get exacerbated cold symptoms most of the time. My family usually has nothing more than a stuffy nose and sore throat, while I feel like death warmed over at times. I am very hopeful that we will not get the flu this year because that would set me back big-time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest veryblue Posted November 1, 2004 Report Share Posted November 1, 2004 Colds...what are those...I caught a cold a few months ago...but I felt fine with it...no different than I felt before whatever is wrong with me happened. In fact my boyfriend just got over a really nasty flu/cold and I'm still here and not sick. In fact everyone at work and school are always sick, but it never seems to affect me at all. I have never been sick...I dont remember the last time I ever threw up or too an over-the-counter cold medicine. Even as a kid...I never ever got sick. Never took a prescription drug in my entire life until I got hit with POTS or whatever it is...and that was only 9 months ago...thats why it is hard for me to think I have an illness...cuz I have always been so healthy! Strange huh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest GayleP Posted November 1, 2004 Report Share Posted November 1, 2004 Gettting sick is a real problem for me. My symptoms always get much worse when I'm sick, even with a slight cold. Even as a child I used to faint every time I was sick. And that was before I had any other symptoms of dysautonomia.I don't have POTS but last year when I had the flu I got really tachy every time I got up.GayleP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justme Posted November 1, 2004 Report Share Posted November 1, 2004 My wife was consistently running pulse rates in the 190-220 range. During her last pacemaker clinic her highs were in the 120s, which was great news. You should have seen the look on the nurses face when she said they are still high and we asked how high? She said 120s and we said "that's great". My wife has the problem where her heart would actually stop too. She ranges down to 50bpm consistently. She can't go lower than that because that is when her pacemaker kicks in. They don't mind her heart going low cuz they know the pacemaker will correct it. She is on Nadolol for the high heart beats. It seems to be working (at least somewhat).We have heard any where from beats over 120, 140 and 160 being dangerous to the statement that if you can't feel the effects, it is nothing to worry about. I don't agree with the latter statement though.Colds and any type of illness hit my wife like a ton of bricks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katsusu Posted November 1, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2004 i found that i have a range which i feel comfortable- which is 85 and below when sitting - and 108 and below when standing. I fluctuate between that -always staying POTSY- meaning no matter where I start - I will always go up 30 points.I have learned to live within this range but what gets me frustrated is that doctors misunderstands POTS. I have found that they associate the tachycardia part of POTS with normal tachycardia- so no maatter how high the pulse goes it is normal for me because i am tachycardia. i went to the ER the other day and my pulse was 129 and raising when the tech. stopped taking it and wrote 112. (which was high -still) - but the doctor (who knew me from the past- did not pay any attention to it because i was already dx with poTs- they only see the tachycardia in it and assume that it is normal.. Most doctors do not appreciate that POTS acting up -pulse increasing - is usually telling us something is going on in us that is abnormal- from a cold to having your period. Also that checking your pulse does make you act the way your no. is but it tells me that usually that my pulse matches how i feel. Not to change the subject but has anyone had problems with low blood count?Kathleen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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