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Alystew

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Everything posted by Alystew

  1. I’m currently breastfeeding, so my options are limited. My cardio had me try two beta blockers, I think the only meds approved for breastfeeding mothers, but I didn’t like the feeling of being on them. My ob prescribed Zoloft, so I’m going to try that. I don’t know if it’s pots, but I know I had anxiety prior and currently it’s my greatest challenge, so at least I can treat that. Hopefully in getting the anxiety under control, I can figure out if my heart rate issues. My anxiety stems from not knowing and it’s only getting worse from not getting answers from my doctor. Since I don’t have any symptoms associated with elevated heart rate, I just want to know that my heart is okay if it goes that high and whether or not my hyper awareness of my heart beat is anxiety related or an actual problem. Cardio mentioned a 30 day event monitor, so maybe that’s the next step.
  2. I just came back here because I am so confused on what has been happening with me. I actually just saw an electrophysiologist who didn't agree with my POTS diagnosis. My situation is so weird that i don't even know what to make of it anymore. I had health anxiety following the birth of my 3rd child (she's 8 months now). Nothing crazy but it was there. In April, I had a burning in my chest, not alarming but then when I took my daughter to ballet, I was sitting and felt like I was about to pass out. I knew it was probably lack of sleep, food, water, but my anxiety got the best of me after googling chest burning and lightheaded, and I went to the ER. Everything was fine, but I followed up with a cardio anyways. He immediately jumped into POTS and told me to google it and see if my symptoms matched. This is when i started getting symptoms. I was checking heart rate for that spike obsessively. I was dizzy all of a sudden. Not from standing, just felt dizzy. My anxiety blew up, I was a wreck. I was so nervous for the tilt table and I failed it. 80 to 170. I was then officially diagnosed. Anxiety continued to grow, I was still obsessed with my heart rate but was noticing it was really only in the mornings where it got really high. I kept questioning it with my cardio who eventually sent me to the EP. EP asked if that one lightheadedness was my only symptom prior and he doesn't think it's POTS. But the thing is, my heart rate for sure jumps in the morning. I go upstairs to get the baby and it's 160 sometimes. I'm still very aware of my heart beating, even if it's normal. I don't know what's wrong with me. I can't seem to get an answer from anyone. Is it possible to see large heart rate increases but not actually have POTS?
  3. I need encouragement. Anyone personally or know people who have mild pots and live a normal life? Kids, work, outdoor activities? My pots isn’t that bad and some days I question my diagnosis based on everyone else’s experience with it. High heart rate, especially in the mornings, is really my only symptom and I should just probably stay off google and stop checking my heart rate constantly and just live my life. But I’m scared. Everyone’s experience seems so much worse than mine and I’m just here almost waiting for it to get bad. Anyone have just mild pots and it’s stayed consistent? Anyone out there living life like as you always have? I just fear for my future and I don’t want to let this hold me back from truely living. I want to be able to do all the things with my children.
  4. Is there criteria for how long a heart rate has to stay elevated 20+ beats upon standing? If it drops within a minute or two is that still POTS?
  5. He prescribed propanonol (so?) but I haven’t taken it. Besides first thing in the morning, my heart rate really isn’t an issue and I didn’t want it to drop my already low blood pressure. He wants me to take florinef but says I would have to stop breastfeeding first. So right now I’m just drinking water and trying to increase salt. I was drinking electrolyte drinks on top of 100+ oz of water but feel like maybe it was making me dizzier? I just returned from vacation where I was drinking more like my prediagnosis water intake and I feel normal again. I don’t get dizzy upon standing, my resting hr (totally relaxed/asleep) is about 60, but probably more like 70-80 normally, sitting is like 80-90, standing is like 100, walking around house is around 110 and going up the stairs is 120ish. My biggest issue is this randomly occurring dizzy/floating feeling, sometimes I get this pressure around my head and then just the anxiety feeling. I don’t know how to treat those things. Considering weaning my baby in hopes it levels out my hormones and will help symptoms.
  6. I know this topic gets brought up A LOT but I have probably the opposite problem. Could I really just have anxiety and NOT Pots? Let me explain and sorry for the novel - I had a baby 6 months ago. Since getting pregnant I've had some health anxiety surrounding this birth. I had two other healthy pregnancies and babies, I couldn't get lucky again, right? During labor I had some issues with nearly blacking out after the epidural because my blood pressure dropped, they injected me with something and then I had problems the rest of delivery with a high heart rate. Everything turned out fine but my health anxiety really kicked up a notch. I was concerned about every little twitch or pain related to me and going through flu season with 3 kids had me concerned with every little cough from them. Things were seemingly better for a while except for this weird dizzy feeling I would get on occasion, this weird almost floating feeling. Didn't feel like I was going to pass out, but just felt off. My period also came back way early at 4 months postpartum despite breastfeeding. A week before my 2nd cycle was due, I had this weird chest burning/tightness in the morning and then nearly passed out while watching my daughter's ballet. Googling chest pain and dizziness gives you a nice big warning telling you to call 911 immediately. I ended up going to the ER and getting all the blood tests and xrays and everything looked fine and was told to follow up with a cardiologist. I went to the cardiologist 2 weeks later, he came in, looked at the computer with my info and immediately said POTS. I scheduled a tilt table for the following week but did a stress test and an echo that day and he sent me home and told me to look into POTS and see if my symptoms matched. Down the google hole I went. I have three young kids and all I saw was "life changing illness, debilitating, disabled, bed bound." I became obsessed with checking heart rate on my apple watch, checking my blood pressure. I never once noticed my heartbeat before this but all of a sudden it consumed me. I read more about the Tilt Table Test and it freaked me out. I didn't want to be strapped to a table, I didn't want to pass out, or throw up, or go through the worst thing I've ever done. So I'm strapped to this table, super uncomfortable, silently freaking out, and all I could think about was what was my body going to do when this table gets tilted. It tilts up, my heart rate jumps to 170 and stays there for 20 minutes. My blood pressure is also elevated but stays consistent the whole time. My heart rate is never that high and never does it stay like that unless I'm panicking about something. My hands and feet are tingling, a little dizzy, but the test itself wasn't horrible besides just feeling my heart my pound out of my chest while people stare at me, and the doctor comes in after 20 minutes, sits at the computer, prints off the equivalent of Webmd and tells me I have POTS. Since the day he said POTS I feel like I have gotten worse. This occasional weird dizzy/floating feeling is now happening all the time. I feel like my once kind of low blood pressure of 110/70 is now much lower at 90-100/60 or less maybe from the gallon of water I'm drinking is flushing out my salts?. I'm fearful of going out or going outside in the heat and passing out. I get this nervous/dreadful feeling in my chest. Tell me guys, is it strange to think this is just postpartum anxiety? That my crazy jump in heart rate during the tilt table test was just an anxiety attack? The stress and echo and all the blood tests came back normal. I'm currently hooked up to a 24 holter, will that show POTS or not? I'm currently breastfeeding and I'm at a point where I need to wean her if I want to take any medication but I don't want to wean her if going on medication for POTS is not going to actually do anything because I just have anxiety. Please help, advise, give opinions. I don't know what to do.
  7. I know this is a old topic but maybe someone can point me in the right direction. Doctor suspects POTS for me and I’m only 5 months postpartum and breastfeeding. He’s already discussed wanting to put me on meds but that I would have to stop breastfeeding. I obviously want to feel better so I’m there for all of my children but I didn’t plan on stopping breastfeeding any time soon. What meds were you able to continue breastfeeding with? I’d love to be able to bring up alternatives with both my cardiologist and OB.
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