Tachy In The Shower

[Mrs. Burschman]

Most of the time, Paxil seems to control my tachycardia pretty well, except when I do bad things.

I took a really hot shower last night. We had gotten the Christmas tree, and hours later, I was still chilled. So I indulged.

When I was done, I could tell my heart was beating pretty fast, so I took my pulse. It was somewhere around 144 bpm. Not as fast as some of yours, but still, not exactly normal.

Do you think it was the combination of hot water and standing? Do "normal" people's hearts also beat faster under those conditions?

Just curious.

Amy

[goldicedance]

Hi, Amy....

I used to love hot showers before I became a POTSIE. I think that your reaction is typical of someone with POTS. I understand that a hot shower or bath, as lovely as that is, is a trigger for tachyniess and difficulty standing. I find this helpful: after you are finished showering with warm water, then you should shower with cold water for about 30 seconds. This helps counter the reaction to hot reaction we get.

Finally, I find it mandatory to have a shower chair in the tub when showering. It helps protect me when I start feeling poorly. Other times the shower chair is great for shaving legs. I gave that up in favor of compression hose and the side effects of chemo.

I hope this information is helpful.

Lois

[flop]

Hi Amy,

it sounds like you had a typical POTS reaction to standing up whilst in the hot environment of the shower. If you didn't feel ill during the episode then I wouldn't worry too much about it. However, if you felt lightheaded or dizzy whilst in the shower then it would be an indication that you might be at risk of fainting in the shower and should either use a shower chair or cooler water or both.

Flop

[India]

I get this too if I have a really hot shower and if I already feel pretty symptomatic. Like the others said, it is partly probably to do with standing up in the shower. But I think it is also the heat of the water causing vasodilation. I get the dizzies if I have a hot bath too.

My solution? Take cooler showers. My husband always shouts at me as I get into the shower on particularly symptomatic days "don't have the shower too hot!" It's a bummer as I love hot showers but keeping the temperature cooler really does seem to work for me. As others suggested, if you really feel on the point of passing out, get a shower chair--lots of hard tile in those showers does not react well with the noggin!

India

[Mrs. Burschman]

Yeah, I'll turn down the temperature. It's not worth fainting over!

Amy

[JenniferInOhio]

I love hot showers. Living in Northern Ohio, a cooler shower is not an option for me!!! I also get very tachy in the shower, but I settle down afterwards. I love me a hot shower.

[MomtoGiuliana]

exactly, the hot temp causes vasodilation--that's what my doc told me. When my POTS was very bad, I did need to sit while bathing for this reason. Or take a shower at night since my POTS was almost always the worst in the AM. These days I do take hot showers and get tachy (pribably around 120 generally) but it doesn't bother me and improves after I get out.

[yogini]

I used to take HOT showers but have switched to very warm. I do get tachy, but it usually calms down within 1/2 hr. I tend to take showers at night - if I take one during the day I try to rest for a little bit until my system calms down. I agree with Katherine - it's the vasodilation from the hot water which does it. Plus standing and moving around to clean yourself probably doesn't help.

[Steve]

Do you think it was the combination of hot water and standing? Do "normal" people's hearts also beat faster under those conditions?

I have a detachable shower head and it helps immensely. I wet and shampoo my hair while squatting, so I don't have to stand under the water for more than two minutes. I also haven't taken a hot shower for years. This is actually because of eczema, but as Giuliana's mom said, hot temperatures will trigger vasodilation (and I would guess that hot water is hotter than even the hottest summer days). I am also pretty sure that hot water will cause dehydration. My tongue usually feels dry after a shower, so I always drink water when I get out.

[ajw4790]

I also think that all the arms above the head movement in the heat while standing semi-still has an affect. Also, if you do much of the bending over or whatever to reach for a bottle or shave your legs can cause symptoms. I know it does for me! Oddly, enough how I FINALLY started to get diagnosed with this after having it likely my whole life was I told my dr. that I get sick in the shower a lot and almost pass out along with menstrual cramps etc. She was like interesting that is not normal I think it is vasovagal syndrome.

So, it definitely has to do with the dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system seen with us.

Be careful, it can hurt if you do pass out. Also, I was told never under any circumstances to ever enter a hot tub again, for fear that I could pass out and drown. Same with bathtubs, have to be careful.