Could Pots, At Other Dysautonomic Syndromes Be Causing These Symptoms?

[erickamcc0523]

Ear problems: feeling like there is a ton of water in them, ringing like crazy, having difficulty hearing. This only happens when I have a really, really bad pre-syncope episode... comes on a few minutes before and lasts a few minutes afterwards. Also, all of the time, they also pop really easily, like every time I swallow or flex some of the muscles in my throat used to swallow.

Gastric symptoms: nausea, very rarely vomiting (like every other month, if that), extreme belching (sometimes I'll wake up in the middle of the night with such pain!!! After belching for about 10 minutes, I'm feeling somewhat better), feeling pre-syncope when belching, GERD, varying periods of diarhea and consipation (a few days consipated and then the next few I have horrible diarhea)... I also had my gallbladder removed about 3.5 years ago since it stopped working completely.

Heart symptoms: my pulse can be around 80 (usually never lower than 75) resting, but when I stand up, it can shoot up to at least 120, though sometimes it's even higher than that. Also at times, I will feel like my heart is beating out of my chest. Sometimes when my pulse is really high, you can see my carotid pulsing in my neck (much to the horror of a really good friend... I wish I didn't scare him with that). Once a month, I will get some minor chest pains, and when that happens, I become very pre-syncoptic and get tunnel vision.

Eye symptoms: When I get pre-syncoptic, my vision will completely blur out... I don't really get tunnel vision, since I become completely blind for a few moments. Before that happens, I will see white or metalic (sort of like mercury) spots.

Mental status symptoms: I will go through periods where I can barely form a 2 word sentence, and will babble like a fool... also I have alot of the "tip of the tounge syndrome", and it almost is like my brain is not working at all.

I also have pretty severe allergies (both to periennal things, like dust mites and mold, and seasonal, such as pollen), have been diagnosed with asthma (though I was 5 when I was diagnosed, way before the other symptoms started), have a history of bipolar disorder (though I haven't been on such meds since July of 2008, and have been functioning just fine, emotionally at least... actually better, since alot of mood stabilizers have orthostatic hypotension as a side effect), and am extremely hyperflexable (so much so, that I can move my arms from my back to the front and to the back again without letting go of my hands) with varying degrees of joint pain (it varies from day to day, but generally cold and humid and hot and humid makes it worse)......

Anyways, I just wanted to know if these could be symptoms, so I could be better educated for when I see my cardiologist in 13 days... These are the only ones I can think about for right now, but I'm sure the more I keep reading and putting together the dots, the more I will learn just how much I've been effected.

[firewatcher]

Just about all of those fit 80-90 percent of the people here. My gastro issues are constipation and a slow esophagus, the burping resolved after my gallbladder was removed. There should be a mention in the next newsletter about tinnitis (ear ringing) being a presyncope symptom. You sound pretty normal for here! Welcome to our dysfunctional family!

[flop]

Yes, almost all of those symptoms can be caused by POTS / dysautonomia.

Eyes - seeing spots, greying of vison, tunnel vision and loss of vision can all happen just before a faint. It is the eye's way of letting you know that it wants more blood flow (ie please lie down).

Ears - muffled hearing, going deaf and tinnitus (ringing) can all happen before a faint.

Ears - the blocked / popping sensations may be more linked to your allergies than POTS, swelling around the eustacian tube can stop the pressure equalizing itself normally. Some people find antihistamines or other allergy treatments can help this.

Gastric symptoms - yep fits with dysautonomia.

Heart symptoms - definately fits with POTS / dysautonomia.

Mental staus - we often describe this POTS problem as "brain fog".

Hyperflexible joints - there is a connection between a condition called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and POTS. There are many types of Ehlers-Danlos (EDS) but type 3 / hypermobile type is the most common. It is sometimes also called Joint Hypermobility Syndrome (JHS). It would be worth seeing a good clinical geneticist (in the USA) to see if any of these hypermobile problems affect you (in the UK EDS is diagnosed by rheumatologists but other people in the US have had better luck with genetics clinics).

Sounds like I'd better welcome you to the club. There is an awful lot of information on this forum and the main DINET website, try not to read it all at once or you will get brain fog!

Flop

[prettyinpink]

I think that while many people on here will say that those are symptoms of pots(and they very well could be) its important not to miss out on other treatable causes of those symptoms so be sure and tell your dr all of them. He knows you and your history better then us so he is more qualified to rule out the causes of symptoms. I mean even if the GI stuff is related to pots there are treatments for some of the pots causes that a PCP or GI dr can prescribe.

[smiles]

I have multiple forms of autonomic dysfunction. One of my more difficult symptoms (well, I don't know, many are difficult) is the affect on my speech during or before or after a flare up. I also have times where I babble like a crazy person, can't form words even when I know what I want to say. These symptoms always come with other symptoms. My children can tell before me when my speech is getting affected and they've learned to tell me to lay down. If I don't listen they will take my hand and lead me to the couch or just insist that they are serious and then I realize that they are trying to warn me. I can't tell whenI'lm beginning to have problems, but other people notice it first. If I don't get it under control quickly it then goes into the babbling, non-sensical stuff.

"Mental status symptoms: I will go through periods where I can barely form a 2 word sentence, and will babble like a fool... also I have alot of the "tip of the tounge syndrome", and it almost is like my brain is not working at all."

[tinkerbella]

OH YEAH, you found us all right!