Wondering about my daughter

[erinlia]

Ive had POTS since i was a little kid.  Not diagnosed til i was an adult.  Over the last year my thirteen year old has been complaining daily that she is tired.  Its not so bad that it keeps her from playing actively with friends.  When i was her age i was very debilitated.  I have noticed though that if she has to stand still she lifts one leg and props one foot against the other knee...which is what i do when im standing and feeling POTSy.   She also says she is dizzy sometimes. 

I did a nasa lean test in her at home.  I dont feel like it was glaringly obvious pots, but what do you think?  Laying down her numbers were 106/60 71.  After standing ten mins it was 91/80 99.    So not over a thirty point increase in her heart rate, but close.  I dont know what is normal for kids this age.  

[Pistol]

@erinlia POTS runs in the females of three generations in my family. My daughter ( now 18 ) developed symptoms when she was ten. She often complained about dizziness, she would come and ask me to check her racing pulse, and she would pass out in certain situations ( standing in line was a big one ). I had taken her to a pediatric cardiologist, making sure he was aware of my family history. He did an upright EKG and said a;; was normal. They also did a heart monitor, which did show tachycardia, but they dismissed that, although often the tachycardia was when she was just standing. My autonomic specialist told me that her symptoms do sound like POTS, so she simply drinks a lot and knows to sit down when her heart races. So far she has managed just fine. 

[Water Lover]

@erinlia I also don’t know what’s normal  for kids that age, but it’s worth noting that standard diagnostic criteria require an HR increase of 40 BPM for children and adolescents, so based on your home test she would not be close to diagnosable. (Though not everyone agrees with having different HR criteria for youths—good discussion with the authors of a recent review on pediatric POTS in this episode of the POTSCast. You may well find it interesting in general given your concerns.)

But as you know well, lots of us show signs going back to childhood. I suspect I would not have been diagnosable as a teenager, but I think I had “pre-POTS,” including experiences of presyncope and orthostatic intolerance that were manageable enough that I never told anyone about them.

 It’s definitely worth mentioning to her doctor if you still accompany her into appointments, or encouraging her to mention if you don’t. And you can definitely try things like extra hydration; I believe I was usually under-hydrated as a teen.

[erinlia]

I didnt realize that the standard diagnostic criteria required a heart rate increase of 40bpm in kids.  Thats helpful to know.  Thanks.  Ill listen to the POTSCast.  

Ill also talk to her about being careful to drink more.  

She is not one to like to slow down so Im hoping POTS doesnt become part of her life. 

thank you both for your thoughts