Night waking with headaches

[TorturedSoul]

My daughter woke me up at midnight (she's 11) saying she had a bad dream. She also had a headache, dizziness, and her legs felt a little wobbly. She has PoTS. Could it be her blood pressure was low? I don't know what do when she has episodes like this. A month ago she woke with vertigo at 5:30 am and it lasted on and off a couple of hours. By the time I got her an appointment with her pediatrician it was late afternoon and the episode was long over. Anyway she sent us to ER and they did a clinical assessment and said she could go home. During that month she had an MRI done (weeks later) and a 24 hour EEG. Everything came back normal. What could these episodes be? 

[TorturedSoul]

I should also say she had a sleep study done that was found to be pretty normal except her oxygen stayed low most of the night. She had lung function test that came back perfect. When she did the 24 hr EEG her pulmonologist monitored her oxygen at night and it was fine. Never went below 95% so they felt maybe because she did the sleep study 4 weeks after she had Covid it may have affected the oxygen readings. I thought maybe it could've been an error with the pulse ox itself but the doctor said probably not. I've tested her at home multiple times at random points during the night and never got readings that low. Anyway I just don't know what to make of headaches, dizziness, and vertigo that happen when she's laying down 

[MomtoGiuliana]

So sorry your daughter has been having these symptoms.  Having had episodes of severe POTS at times throughout my adult life, I feel so sorry for kids who have to deal with this.

It's good she's had thorough testing to eliminate other causes for these symptoms.

You indicate she's had COVID and I know I read recently that POTS is being seen in pre-teens and teens after COVID, particularly girls.

Headaches, dizziness and vertigo are common with POTS.

I will say when I have had severe POTS symptoms, I have had symptoms even when lying down, including vertigo.  So even tho a lot of literature may indicate symptoms occur on standing and dissipate with lying down, I have not always found this to be true in my experience.  In addition, I can remember, especially when younger, waking up and feeling badly, when in a POTS flare up.

Extra fluids and salt help me greatly.  I think when we sleep and go for hours without taking in fluid, that may be one reason symptoms worsen.

[TorturedSoul]

@MomtoGiulianathank you for your reply. Thinking back do you think you had symptoms as a child?

[MomtoGiuliana]

15 hours ago, TorturedSoul said:

Thinking back do you think you had symptoms as a child?

Yes starting in adolescence.  I began to have trouble with exercise tolerance.  Even when I exercised daily I could not improve much.  I was never athletic.  I had issues with fatigue. I also had episodes of dizziness and vertigo.  In my 20s these symptoms increased in frequency until a full blown severe year long POTS "episode" that started during pregnancy that completely disabled me.  That is when I was finally diagnosed.