Rosalia Posted December 30, 2017 Report Share Posted December 30, 2017 Hi. I was very recently diagnosed with pots after having been incorrectly diagnosed at Mayo with chronic fatigue 6 years ago. After 6 years of taking it easy and avoiding exercise the pots symptoms became worse and were finally diagnosed. My question is: When I am clearly over exerting myself (out of breath, very high heart rate which brings on chest pains and other symptoms) am I hurting / damaging my heart? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinterSown Posted December 30, 2017 Report Share Posted December 30, 2017 You are certainly stressing your heart, only a doctor and testing can tell if it being damaged. Chest pain needs to be investigated by a doctor, call your primary and get a referral to a cardiologist to begin getting your symptoms checked out and get you into a management that will get you better. I do exercise everyday but my program was developed by my PTD to match my needs. He has slowly increased my endurance and strength to match my capacities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haugr Posted December 30, 2017 Report Share Posted December 30, 2017 Chest pains are not considered normal and should ALWAYS be followed up on with a doctor due to the seriousness nature of potential heart problems. It is not worth hoping that there isn't an issue. They have the ability to do stress tests to determine if you have exercise induced heart problems. As a general rule, your heart rate should not exceed 85% of your max target heart rate during exercise. For a 30 year old that would be about 160. I would suggest starting slower too if you havent exercised much recently and slowly work your way up. Dont push it too hard too fast. If you are above your max, you should probably slow down, or do a different type of exercise. Swimming, recumbant excersise bikes, and rowing machines are good options for us POTSies because we can exercise with limited POTS effects. As always, consult your physician before heeding any online advice from us non-medical professionals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missy M Posted December 31, 2017 Report Share Posted December 31, 2017 It would be wise to have your doctor evaluate your chest pains so that you’ll know whether you should be alarmed (or not). In my situation, after a thorough workup and tests my doctor determined I have a healthy heart and should not be alarmed. So it gave me peace of mind. But it could have been a different result, so it’s definitely the smart move to consult with your doctor! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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