WanderWonder

Good to know I'm ok with these low numbers! It's weird because it's happening again, usually around 3pm. I did take 500mg of vitamin c both times right before. I'll have to experiment more and see if anything triggers it.

@Sushi Are pulse finger oximeters the same in terms of false readings? I also have one of those and it shows the same numbers. Plus when I feel my pulse, it's not beating as fast or as hard as usual. Maybe it's just a non-pots day.

I think I'm okay, but it's weird seeing such low numbers. My wrist tracker is showing my HR around 65-80 bpm when I'm sitting, but it's usually 90-100. When I'm standing and walking around, it is around 75-85 now, but it usually is around 105-120. I'm not feeling any different than normal, and I haven't done anything differently today. Is it just a blip day, maybe because I just finished my period. I wonder should I be concerned at all?

I get that whenever I take hot showers. Mine are actually darker than yours and bulge out slightly. I always thought this is normal for everyone?

What kind did you take, how often do you take it, and did it help your symptoms?

@FileTrekker What does ANS for? Edit: Oh! I'm assuming anatomic nervous system. It doesn't come up on Google.

@songcanary Thank you, that sounds promising! Now what I think about it, back in my teens I was eating more home cooking that didn't have much salt in it. Then I moved out and ate out more which might mean I was getting more sodium back then. This past few years when symptoms started again, I had begun to eat healthier again...and that's around the same time the POTS started. It could be all wishful thinking though! Anyways, I'll report back if it works for me.

@Sushi Thanks for your input. I hear there are different types of POTS, some that can be caused by underlying things, and fixing that underlying things can make it go away. I used to have these same symptoms in my teens, but they went away 100% for a good decade, then mysteriously came back. I'm hoping to get back to whatever was working for that decade. I guess in any case it won't hurt my me to actually get the recommended amount for the general public and go from there!

Does chronic Low sodium cause POTS, or is it only that those with it need more sodium? Does anyone track their sodium intake? I realized I've only been taking in less than 1,000mg a day, possibly less, since I don't eat processed food. The recommended is about 1,500 - 2,300. For people with POTS it's about 3,000 and up. I'm wondering if I can "cure" my POTS simply by getting in the recommended amount. Has anyone experienced that?

So after doing more research on Heart Rate Variability (HRV), I'm not sure this is the correct term for what we are witnessing. To get an HRV, someone would need a special sensor that most HR watches don't detect well. It looks like a low HRV - when the variability in between each heartbeat does not vary and stays the same - is unhealthy and from stress because the heart is like a Metrodome and beating at the same time I'm between each heart to keep up. On the other hand a high HRV - where the time between is more varied - is healthier. Hence, our HR rapidly changing doesn't necessarily mean we have a high or low HRV (changes in the time between beats relative to how fast it's beating), just that our heart is beating faster or slower.

Anyone know what this is called so I can look into it more -someone said vagal modulation? I looked it up, but there was too much technical jargon. Any resources on how to reduce the variation? It's a bit concerning since it's been happening more lately, and I'm pretty sure it didn't happen to me back then. EDIT: I found a more common term: Heart rate variability (HRV). I'll report back anything I find interesting.

I've noticed my HR goes up, along with heart pounding and a trembling sensation sometimes when gulping water too fast, and after eating food with heavy carbs.

I've been sleeping with the head of my bed elevated by 9 inches using raisers. It used to be 6 inches, but acid kept coming up my throat on some days, so I increased it. I think it's at 20-30 degrees now? I haven't noticed any changes in POTS symptoms or sleeping heartrate though.

@KiminOrlando My sodium level before taking any extra sodium is 143meq/l, so on the higher end. What does that mean? No I haven't seen one because they ran a EKG and said I was normal and that I don't need to see one. I'm not going to push for it until I try a few more things because specialists here will likely tell me I'm healthy like they usually do. @Pistol Thanks for the info! Nuun tablets seem to help, and it has less sodium then I thought: 300mg. I also had something with lots of olives and capers in it the other day, and I felt amazing. It looks like there is about 60mg per olive, and they are healthy, so I guess it wouldn't hurt to start eating then more in moderation.

My doctor said I could try taking salt tablets and include more salt in my diet. I'm considering eating more olives and other things but I don't know if I should. While I have consistent low blood pressure, high blood pressure runs in my family and causes complications for them. I don't want the risk to come back to me later in life. Does anyone have experiences in including more salt in their diet without risks - such as using certain types of salt, have info on how much sodium a day is the average is good, or have any explanation of why upping sodium for people with POTS isn't be bad in the long run? Thanks!

I like Jarrows Methyl Folate and Methol B12 because it can be melted under the tongue. It's a mega dose. It tastes good, and can be broken into pieces if needed. I have one MTHFR mutation, and some other random ones that say I can't absorb b12 well. I've been taking it daily for about 6 months, and have been breaking it to smaller chunks to get less lately. I was feeling sad with ocassional tingling in my extremities when I first started talking it, but after the first month I'm no longer sad with no more tingles, so it definitely helped me.

@lieze I'm looking into if antihistamines would help with POTS symptoms, since my nose inflammation issue seemed to happen around the same time the POTS (and food intollerances started). I'm using an antihistime spray that seems to be helping my nose from being stuffy at night, but my POTS symptoms and food intollerances are still the same. I saw you posted on 2011 about trying Benedryl, and checked this post, and saw you tried it and it that it seemed to help you potentially. Can you elaborate on what it means when you say a drop on the tongue is (what dossage/form), and why did it reduce your anxiety?

@lieze I'm looking into if antihistamines would help with POTS symptoms, since my nose inflammation issue seemed to happen around the same time the POTS (and food intollerances started). I'm using an antihistime spray that seems to be helping my nose from being stuffy at night, but my POTS symptoms and food intollerances are still the same. I saw you posted on 2011 about trying Benedryl, and checked this post, and saw you tried it and it that it seemed to help you potentially. Can you elaborate on what it means when you say a drop on the tongue is (what dossage/form), and why did it reduce your anxiety?

@Pistol My mistake, I meant to say that I tried 2 kinds of steroid sprays that didn't work. Right now I'm trying an antihistamine spray (azelastine) and a steroid spray. Even though my Turbinates are at the same size, they haven't closed up my nose completely and I've been breathing easier at night so far. My POTS is still the same though. I wonder if my POTS symptoms will get better with antihistamines - does anyone know if an antihistamine spray would show the same results an oral antihistime, or would trying Benedryl instead or something show results if it is a hiastimine issue? Edit: after more searching, it looks like the spray doesn't cross the blood-brain barrier so it only affects the nose, not the rest of the body. I wonder if it's worth trying one that does.

Bumping in case anyone has more insight on it. This is me most of my entire life! I can't stand loud noises, moving fast (like rollercoasters or sledding), or crowded places with lots going on because my heart painfully jolts and beats super hard, and I fit the criteria for "Highly Sensitive Person". I can't watch scary movies because I'll jump at the smallest thing. Now that I think about it, there was a few years in my early 20s where I didn't feel overally stimulated - and I didn't have POTS or anxiety symptoms either! I want to go back to those years. I don't know what was different in those few years.

@Pistol I don't think the doctor will find anything. I'm guessing at a certain angle our eye connects to our nose. Sometimes when I use a netipot bottle, water comes out of my eyeball. Just seeing if anyone else had that same experience. In any case, I've been not pressing down on the spray bottle as hard.

Let's share our graphs, and provide the following if you want: Tracker: Garmin Visismart Conditions: Not sure yet; potential dysautonomia, sleep issues, hormones, allergies, thyroid, heart issues, food intollerances, or maybe it's simply anxiety? Questions/thoughts: Peaks occur after I've eaten anything. Does anyone else experience spikes in hr during sleep? When those spikes are higher and occur more often I wake up pretty tired and stressed. I wonder if taking anti-anxiety meds help with that? Pic 1: Sleep. Avg heart rate 68bpm, 92% oxygen lowest, average is 95% Pic 2 Daytime while at desk job

@Pistol Well yeah, I read a ton of articles on how to use it correctly. None of them stated anything about feeling a pressure in the eyeballs.

l got a antihistamine spray for my nose. The spray that comes out of it is pretty strong. I primed it and have been using it for a few days, but it's still a strong mist. Today when I used it per instructions, not pointing toward the middle and looking down, I felt it shoot up and hit the back of my eye socket. My eye isn't in pain, but it feels like it experienced trauma, and when I blink it feels similar to an eyelash being stuck under my eyelid? It also immediately turned a bit red (I've noticed my eye being more pinkish since I started using it). Is that normal? I'm kind of scared to keep using it if it is damaging my eye. Any experiences with how to angle it?

@kisekis Thanks for your experience. I did have a brief autoimmune issue where my TSH was high, but it went away. As for the hisamine, I don't have all the symptoms, but some. Yet the list has so many things, so I'm not sure if that is what I have or not. I'll keep an eye out on if a trigger food has histamine.