Conrad_hemsley Posted May 21, 2019 Report Share Posted May 21, 2019 Hi all, Male, 28 here, POTS since 2 years ago, bed bound for the last year. Quite a severe case, only able to sit upright for eating and toilet. I’m dealing with a really tough situation right now and would love your help. About 2 months ago I started exercising in bed. I hadn’t done any exercise before while having pots. It went quite well, I didn’t get tired at all, so gradually increased the intensity over 7 weeks, up to the point where I was able to do multiple exercises with resistance bands, planking, etc. I didn’t feel any relapses or increase in symptoms. One morning, c. 2 weeks ago, I woke up and suddenly got really bad anxiety and an adrenaline rush. I thought it was because I had Chinese food the evening before (I know, bad idea), so I just kept on exercising. The anxiety became less, but didn’t go away, I was continuously tense and anxiety was just under the surface, just one irregular thought and it would get triggered. Also my heart rate has been much higher and intenser than normal and I tremble a lot. I also get sudden bouts of really bad depression, which I normally don’t have. After about a week I realised that it might be due to the exercising, since I was exercising quite intensely, while my body wasn’t used to anything at all, and I didn’t feel the impact it had on my nervous system since I take propranolol. I also noticed my HR still remaining up for the entire day after exercise, so I quit last Tuesday. It has now been a week since Tuesday and I still have this continuous feeling of anxiety, stress, tension, higher HR, palpitations, trembling, bad sleep, midnight wake-ups, very sensitive to stimuli, etc. It has maybe become a bit less but not much. I’m starting to get really worried about it and it’s messing with my symptom level. Usually I’m really calm and therefore very able to deal with the whole POTS situation but this is driving me crazy, especially the depression episodes. What do you guys think, could overexercising be the reason for this? Has anyone else ever had something similar, potentially from exercise? When did it go away? Should I just rest or do some very light exercise (because it is known to reduce anxiety)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delta Posted May 21, 2019 Report Share Posted May 21, 2019 Hi Conrad! I'm sorry you're going through this and I hope things improve for you soon! I have a question - I also take propranolol, BTW - when or after you started your exercise routine, did you ask your POTS doc if it might be an idea to increase your dose of propranolol or make any other med changes? It sounds as if the dose you're taking now might not be able to keep up with the new level of activity you're now doing, especially since your heart rate is staying up. I'm thinking you're not over-exercising, but "under-dosing"! I have found that symptoms often pop up *the day after* I had an especially busy day with more activity than I usually do. I take a day or two to recoup. It might be that if you're going to continue the exercises (good for you, by the way!!), you may just need to up your dose. But talk with your doctor first. And yeh, it's probably a good idea to stay away from the Chinese food. I've noticed the last couple of times I had it that I felt really carppy the morning after, and it never used to bother me. Good luck and I hope you feel better soon!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pistol Posted May 21, 2019 Report Share Posted May 21, 2019 I second what @Delta said - more exercise is extremely helpful but probably also calls for n increase in meds - it always did for me. Be well!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bombsh3ll Posted May 21, 2019 Report Share Posted May 21, 2019 4 hours ago, Conrad_hemsley said: so gradually increased the intensity over 7 weeks, up to the point where I was able to do multiple exercises with resistance bands, planking, etc. I didn’t feel any relapses or increase in symptoms. If you had been gradually building up the exercise over 7 weeks without issue, & stopping it hasn't improved things, your recent symptoms may not be related to the exercise. I wouldn't recommend giving up exercise altogether although you may need to take it easier for a while. Even though I haven't found exercise beneficial for improving my POTS, it still has other important benefits such as reducing the risk of blood clots with immobility, and maintaining muscle strength. Are you adequately hydrated? Any other symptoms like a fever? GI upset after the chinese food? I would suggest checking in with your doctor if things don't settle. There are other medications besides beta blockers that can be helpful for the non-psychogenic sense of anxiety and sympathetic hyperactivity that come with POTS. B xxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conrad_hemsley Posted May 21, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2019 Thanks @Delta and @Pistol for the tip, will talk to my doc about it. @bombsh3ll, I have indeed been gradually increasing it, but I suspect way too aggressively, I have done a lot of bodybuilding in my life and thus have much difficulty pacing myself, I want to do more than the time before every time, etc. I was literally gasping for air after exercising and perhaps that wasn’t that good of an approach! I’m definitely not going to give it up, when I just started I was feeling really well. I will take it a LOT easier though. No fever here, have upset GI indeed (bloating and excessive belching) but that was already before both the anxiety and Chinese food. I am indeed very keen on trying out medicine that helps with non-psychogenic anxiety, since that is exactly what I’m feeling (as I’m not mentally anxious for something, it feels physical really). Which would be examples so that I can mention them to my doc? thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bombsh3ll Posted May 21, 2019 Report Share Posted May 21, 2019 1 hour ago, Conrad_hemsley said: I am indeed very keen on trying out medicine that helps with non-psychogenic anxiety, since that is exactly what I’m feeling (as I’m not mentally anxious for something, it feels physical really). Which would be examples so that I can mention them to my doc? I take a small dose of diazepam. It is really helpful. I don't tolerate beta blockers (they lower cardiac output, even in healthy people). Benzodiazepines are somewhat controversial because of concerns over addiction/dependency due to historical abuse by a minority of patients, but that is less of a concern for the chronically ill. B xxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conrad_hemsley Posted May 21, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2019 Thanks a lot @bombsh3ll! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bombsh3ll Posted May 25, 2019 Report Share Posted May 25, 2019 You're welcome. You can only see what your doctor says, all we can do is try things and see if they help. I hope you are soon feeling better. B xxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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