yuliya Posted January 10, 2011 Report Share Posted January 10, 2011 Hi everyone,I have been following this form for a few months and decided to join even though I'm not sure if POTS is what I have. I have had a high pulse rate since I have been a teenager, maybe younger according to my mom, but the teen years is when the doctors started to point it out. No one really thought much of it, and said it was anxiety. I would have a rush of adrenalin feeling and a racing heart rate all through my teen and adult life. The "anxiety" seemed to get worse in my early twenties as did my high pulse rate. By then I was very obese (4'11'' and 230lbs) so all the doctors said it was due to my weight. So I lived believing I had anxiety and needed to lose weight. Finally I got myself together and lost 100lbs, but my pulse rate and rush feeling never went away, and if anything got worse. The past few years I started to experience palpations, gray foggy vision, dizziness, and the high pules rate continued. In July of this year the palpitations got really bad, as did the dizziness especially when I was out shopping or doing things around the house. My mom told me to go to the doctor. I was put on an event heart monitor. I was able to record more then 10 events in 3 day, and didn't have to wear it for the full month. The test came out that during my palpitations my heart rate would go from 60 beats to 154 beats. After that my doctor sent me to a cardiologist. Right before I went to his office I saw a program on TV about orthostatic intolerance and it sounded like they were talking about my life. I asked him about it and he blew it off asking me "how could I be so sure its not anxiety?". I told him "Well I feel the heart symptoms then I get anxiety, not get anxiety and then feel the symptoms". He did a quick test in the office with have me lay down take my pules, sit/ take my pulse, and stand take my pulse. there was an increase of only like 10 beats in between and the whole test took about 1 1/2 minutes to do. I asked for the real tilt test and was told no its not necessary just to increase my salt and fluid. He scheduled me for a stress test, echo cardiogram and some basic blood work. After the tests came back the doctor called and said "all these test came out normal, I did excellent on my stress test, and my heart structure looked perfect". I told him "So I guess Im like a chihuahua, just have a fast heart rate and nothing to worry about?" After a good chuckle he decide to put me on a holter monitor. This time the when the doctor called he said that my test result came out interesting. The results came back that my average heart rate was 72, My heart rate when sleeping was 60, but when I woke up and was moving around doing normal thing like brushing teeth or washing dishes, things that are not stressful or used a lot of energy my heart rate would spike. He then said I know that "we" ruled out POTS but I would like to go back to that. All I could think of was maybe you ruled it out, but I still had hope, that maybe for once its not in my head, Im not crazy and that there is a explanation to my symptoms. Now I am scheduled to a tilt test on Thursday. I feel very weired that for once in my life I am praying that I will fail this test and finally know what is wrong with me. Even if there is no cure for this, at least I know what it is and I can move on. And in the back of my mind I can't help and feel but what if I'm wrong again and now I'm back to square one.Sorry guys for the extra long ramble about my life and symptoms. Yuliya Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pat57 Posted January 10, 2011 Report Share Posted January 10, 2011 Lots of people here know how you feel, wanting a more concrete answer.Sad- if it is POTS - that it took so long to get the answer.Congrats on losing 100 pounds that's excellent.you go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yuliya Posted January 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2011 Thanks , to bad it wasn't the answer to my problems as all the doctors said it would be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaTrain Posted January 10, 2011 Report Share Posted January 10, 2011 Hi Yuliya!Welcome! You are good hands here at DINET. I am sorry to hear you have been a such a long path to finally get some answers. I think we have all been told it's anxiety or stress. If the medical professionals we saw could live in our bodies for 1 week they would be running to the ER! Way to go on dropping 100 pounds....that is amazing!! I am also having a tilt table test this week so we will have to compare notes. Hope you have a good Monday! KC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yuliya Posted January 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2011 Thanks KC, I know exactly what you mean, some days I feel like the only person that understand is my mother. Hopefully we both get to hear the news we want to hear about our TTT . Have a great Monday as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cordellia Posted January 10, 2011 Report Share Posted January 10, 2011 welcome, hoping that you find your answers. i have the same issue-- rapid heart rate with minimal activity.many doctors suggested depression, panic, anxiety... as sources for my tachy... instinctively, i knew thatthere was something more to it... thanks to dinet, i learned about polar monitors. keeping a journal and charting my heart rate and symptoms (using the polar monitor) allowed me to clearly show my cardiothat my ltachy is real and life altering. i also wore the montior to my medical appointments and simulated washing my hair or brushing my teeth-- watching the monitor climb really got his attention... and galvanized him to act: referrals, further testing, holters, TTT.... i am stillsearching for answers, but the documentation was helpful in presenting my case.i wish you well. dinet is a wonderful resource. there are so many kind and knowledgeable people here. i learn somethingeach and every time i visit. best,cordelia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaos Posted January 10, 2011 Report Share Posted January 10, 2011 Good luck with your TTT. I can certainly relate to being worried that you won't fail it and they'll tell you AGAIN that it's all in your head. Even though it was AWFUL I was SO glad to have failed it so that the docs finally had to take me seriously. Sounds like your monitors have pretty much shown you some concrete results. Also, remember that TTT have false negatives as well so even if you pass it one day it doesn't mean you would another day. Hopefully you can finally get a diagnosis...and then join the rest of us as we try to figure out how to live our lives WITH that diagnosis. But at least it gives you credibility and that's worth a LOT!Good luck and welcome to our weird world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomtoGiuliana Posted January 10, 2011 Report Share Posted January 10, 2011 Welcome and good luck with getting an appropriate diagnosis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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