I need opinions please.

[Mommy1989]

I havent been diagnosed yet, but I have been to my doctor lots of times and lots of test which come back normal. I'm 5 months postpartum and this started about 2 months ago or so. When getting up in the middle of the night to fix my son a bottle my heart rate will go above 100 frm 60s 70s, also like today I took a nap and my heartrate lying down was 74 and when I stood up it went to 110. The biggest thing that makes me believe its pots is I also get blood pooling pretty bad I believe. Could you guys tell me what you think?

[Pistol]

Hello @Mommy1989 - congratulations on the baby!!!! - It is not uncommon to have problems similar to yours in the postpartum months, since your body is experiencing massive changes. It could simply be related to that and may require increased water intake and ample rest as well as a healthy nutrition. ( Well - that will not happen though - not with a little one sucking up all of your time, attention and strength!!! ) 

In Dysautonomia - or POTS as it relates to your symptoms - the symptoms have to be present at least 6 months in order to qualify for diagnosis. Also - if the HR goes up and goes back down after a few minutes it probably is not POTS, since in this disorder the HR does not go back unless you lie down. In addition to the tachycardia upon standing we experience dizziness, fatigue, orthostatic intolerance, brain fog, attention deficits, sleep disturbance, fainting or presyncope … the list goes on and many of these symptoms also are experienced by any new mother. If your HR spikes continue your doctor will most likely order a Tilt Table Test to determine the degree of your orthostatic intolerance and cardio-vascular response.

In either case - POTS or not - an increase in fluid intake and compression hose should be beneficial for the symptoms you experience, especially the blood pooling. Often our HR goes up in response to - even mild - dehydration or low blood volume. This CAN be a result of breast feeding ( not sure if you do ). Increasing salt intake along with the increased fluids is also often helpful, but check with your doctor about that if you are breast feeding. 

Personally I believe that compression hose could help most of your symptoms. You can get it in medical supply stores or online. If you do get it make sure you get instructions on how to properly measure your legs in order to get the right size, which is essential in making sure they help. Compression hose aids the body to pump the blood back to the heart when standing and therefore can prevent the high HR ( which is a way for the body to pump enough blood through the body ). 

You can find more information under the information resources tab on the home page of this web site. Be well - I wish you and your baby all the best!!!!

 

[Mommy1989]

Thank you soo much for your reply it means alot to me! I actually ordered some today!! I have been watching my heartrate for a couple of days and it seem if I'm not exercising and just cleaning, cooking etc the highest my heart rate goes is 120.

[Pistol]

@Mommy1989 - great to hear you ordered compression hose, let me know how they work!!! No doubt will they require a bit getting used to, especially in warm weather. But if they help you feel better - they are worth the nuisance!!!!

8 hours ago, Mommy1989 said:

I have been watching my heartrate for a couple of days and it seem if I'm not exercising and just cleaning, cooking etc the highest my heart rate goes is 120.

The criteria for POTS is 30 BPM or above 120. So, in other words: if you start out 80 BPM when sitting and jump to 110 BPM when upright - that still is a 30 beat jump. And it is important to check if the HR stays elevated while you are upright - if it goes back down after a few minutes it may be a normal response to being upright. 

Good Luck with the compression hose - and everything else!!!!!! Keep us posted!