Do You Pool In Your Lower Legs?

[sue1234]

I was wondering about that. I don't think I pooled when I first got POTS, but definitely do now. I even pool when sitting---my feet turn a dark bluish purple.

I sometimes wonder if I pool due to my veins not constricting OR I have some kind of pressure on the returning veins from my legs somewhere at the pelvic area, and thus causing a "backlog" of blood in the legs.

I had bad varicose veins in my pelvic(outside, really low) area through all my pregnancies, and probably some residual bad veins due to it.

UPDATE: I added two new options for those who already voted to add another answer about whether you began pooling before POTS hit or after.

[roxie]

Sue, did you have your pelvic veins emboli zed?

[sue1234]

IHB, no, I didn't. But then again, no doctor really knew about them except my obstetrician at the time. He never mentioned them except to tell me why I was like that, but never said I might have issues down the road or anything.

[RunningWild]

Cleveland Clinic testing suggests I pool a lot in my lower legs... I am seeing a vascular surgeon in August to do ultrasounds of the veins in my legs.

[sisblostg]

I did not pool when I first noticed symptoms. Now if I stand for more then 10 minutes I do. I don't even look down in the shower because I know it just makes me more nervous to see the color change.

I have also had times recently when I am standing talking to one of my kids friends moms and my legs will ache and I get bruises from just standing in my upper thighs.

[Katybug]

I pool and over the last 3 years or so, I have gotten so many spider veins. Everytime I look, it seems like I have another patch of spider veins. And my legs also have edema. My nice athletic legs are a thing of the past.

[Anoj]

i pool in my feet and especially my toes. it looks weird. my toes get red. my son calls me "sausage toes."

[puppylove]

This was one of my first symptoms that led us to POTS. Your legs and feet don't turn purple from anxiety . Mine is definitely sitting and standing. Whenever I put one leg up to put lotion on it that leg turns "normal" colored and the other is dark purple. Looks so bizzare.

[LindaJoy]

Blood pooling in my legs was one of my first symptoms. I would turn purple, and I mean purple! I pool standing or sitting, doesn't matter. I pool in my arms, as well. I'm a mess.

Lindajoy

[Libby]

Pooling was the first thing that tipped me off to POTS. Actually it tipped off a friend of mine, who's been diagnosed with POTS for years. I went to visit her, but I had to do the trip without my midodrine because there had been a problem with Medco mailing the drug on time or being able to fill the prescription. After a few days without the BB, my legs were aching so, so badly when I stood. Taking a shower almost made me cry.

I mentioned to her, off-hand, that now I completely understood what she meant when she said her legs felt full and heavy. I think she ended up more freaked out than I did, haha. I knew she had something wrong, that affected her heart/stomach/legs/memory, and we had talked about it before - especially since I had been diagnosed with IST our junior year of college - but I guess I had always assumed that what she was experiencing was normal to have in moderation...because I was experiencing it too. And the idea that I had POTS never crossed either of our minds lol.

Anyway. We had a nice, long talk about POTS - and I learned that a whole lot of stuff that was happening to me was in no way normal. So the first thing I did when I got back home, after ripping open the Medco package and inhaling my metoprolol, was make an appointment with my POTS neuro who confirmed 'significant pooling'.

But now it doesn't matter whether I'm standing or sitting, if I'm on my bb or on my midodrine (that helped for a while, too); my legs swell up and turn purple or red all the time. Kind of embarrassing.

[RichGotsPots]

I think I have a very unusual pooling in my heels, I went to a podiatrist and he was dumbfounded.. :/

[Mytwogirlsrox]

Do most people who pool, do their legs turn purple? I have varicose veins in one leg so I just assumed that meant I pool

[sue1234]

Interesting that an overwhelming amount of those that responded have pooling. Now, I am curious to know if it is associated with the onset of POTS, or something that you had before POTS hit. For myself, it happened after my POTS hit. I think that might tell us a little more on how it is associated with POTS, such as, if we already pooled, then we might have gotten POTS from the lack of blood flow to the brain. Or, POTS happened, and the causative factor might be why our blood pools.

Sorry, I see that the people who already voted can't revote to answer, but maybe any new ones voting can show a trend.

[Libby]

Mine definitely happened 'after'. I've experienced symptoms of POTS/OI/NCS for as long as I can remember, but the pooling is a relatively new thing - only a few years.

But, and I think this was mentioned by someone else in another thread, I'm not sure that I would have noticed my pooling before it got severe. My neuro points it out every time I see her, but my feet aren't generally turning colors during my appt (it's like taking a car to the mechanic - it never seems to break down when you want it to). My legs are maybe a little mottled pink and white, nothing I would have noticed if I weren't looking for it.

...I guess I'm not really sure how long I've been pooling.

[Mytwogirlsrox]

Has anyone noticed their pooling is worse in the evening? My veins are so engorged every afternoon evening, but fine during the morning... But what's really weird is that my HR is faster in the am, slower in the PM. Which doesn't make sense if pooling is causing the tachycardia

[flower]

I have it in my feet/legs and hands/arms too.

[Fussybug]

I first noticed the blood pooling while taking 4 weeks of Levaquin in Spring 2009. I was then diagnosed with POTS in Spring 2010. Prior to 2009 I was not complaining of POTS associated symptoms. In hindsight, they existed in a mild form but the Lyme and Babesia symptoms - chills, fevers, swollen lymph nodes, sore throats, fatigue, muscle aches, etc were most pronounced. Now those are all gone, and POTS is predominant.