Still struggling to get a diagnosis of hyperPOTS at this point, but these are my favorites so far:
- After 2 months of visits to the cardiologist following a severe syncopal episode landing me in the ER, he looks at me and says, “well, I don’t think you have POTS. I’ve seen people with heart rates from 40 to 150, sustained.” And then, “things like this often go away with age.”
My heart rate DOES range from 50s to 150, stays elevated, and he obviously is ignorant of the criteria of 30bpm or >120bpm. Also, I’m 34 and it’s worsened with cardiac symptoms so yeaaa, not gonna go away dude. He never even checked my pulse after standing. Did put me on .2mg of fludro, which I later found out he thought had only been .1mg, and gave me severe edema and worsened cardiac symptoms.
- GP, same story after nearly a year of visits and developing tremor episodes says to me, all in the same visit:
>> “Maybe this is just how your body is now.” <<
”It’s probably low blood sugar, you should eat more protein.” (Told her it didn’t feel like low blood sugar, but like adrenaline and even after I eat, but sure.)
”It could be stress.” (From being house-bound without a diagnoses or a doctor who cares? Well then, yes.)
“You should make an appointment with a psychiatrist.” (Ditto.)
They’ve both also rolled their eyes and chastised me for taking my pulse rate, so I didn’t dare tell them I also take my blood pressure. Gasp!
So here I am, still without a TTT and a new EP who thinks I MAY have POTS.