JenniferInOhio

Hi Anna and welcome! I also have POTS and anemia (well, I'm not anymore due to iron supplements). You will get a lot of support from this board. I have been a member for almost 2 years. Everyone is so nice and helpful. You will find that a lot of people manage quite well with a little change in lifestyle habits. I am happy to say that I do most things that I did before I had POTS with the exception of aerobic exercise and being out when it is 90 degrees (that can really get my heart rate going). Symptoms seem to be varied. There are all sorts of symptoms that go along with POTS from fatigue to dizziness to bowel problems to numbess in certain body parts at times. I am still learning not to be afraid when a new symptom pops up. The good thing for me is that the symptoms are almost always temporary. Post any questions you have about medications, symptoms and the like - the people on this board have a great deal of knowledge about those sorts of things!

Hi Lauren and welcome. I don't have much info. on meds as I do not take any - just extra fluids. I did take a beta blocker (very low dose) when I was first diagnosed, but it lowered my resting heart rate too much...I see that yours is already low so a beta blocker probably wouldn't do for you.

I wasn't diagnosed until after my second child. However, I think I had mild POTS before having children. With my first labor, I was hooked up to heart monitors for a few hours because of my palpitations - they intensified during labor. At this time, no one knew I had POTS and my doctor told the nurses to take the monitor off of me because I didn't need it (she seemed dismissive and made me think I was being ridiculous). I think what I was having at the time were PVC's. I pushed for 1.5 hours. I had an epidural. The palpitations went away right after the birth and even with hemorraghing, I recovered quickly. With my second child, I only had to push for 10 minutes. Labor did not cause any palpitations this time. I had an epidural. I recovered quickly. I hope all goes well for you and you recover quickly.

I know dizziness seems to be a chief complaint among people with POTS, however, I never really experienced it until now. I'm not so sure it is POTS related. This is different from lightheadedness you get from getting up too fast (I get that all the time). It started 6 days ago. The dizziness comes and goes. If I'm sitting still I feel pretty good. As soon as I start moving around - especially bending my head I get this wooshy feeling in my head - it's not the feeling of the room spinning. It's just this fullness and wooshiness in my head. Feels like I might fall or faint, but I don't. Went to urgent care yesterday. Seemed to think it was inner ear. Didn't give me any meds. Said it would go away on it's own. My ears don't even hurt. If anything, I might have a little pressure under my eyes and around my nose and cheeks. Is this a normal feeling for anyone or does it sound like inner ear?

I have anaphylaxsis due to food allergies (nuts, shellfish). Starts out as sore throat or hurt in mouth. Stomach hurting, hives all over, wheezing, difficulty swallowing. Scary. Are you eating foods that are causing the anaphylaxsis?

Thanks everyone!

I know I answered you in a pm, but I thought I would post here too to clarify my reasoning for no birth control with migraines for anyone else that wondered. If you have migraines with visual aura, your stroke risk is significantly increased. If you use birth control, your risk of stroke is slightly increased (for any woman). Put the two together and you have an even higher risk of stroke. You can do a search on birth control and migraines with visual aura and you will get a lot of information. As far as I know if you have a classic migraine with no visual aura, your stroke risk is the same as any other woman on birth control. It all has to do with the visual thing. If I didn't have the aura with my migraines, I would definitely be on birth control.

Hi again Mary. I think a nap helps sometimes. As long as you don't lie around all day, I think your body will be fine. Get one of those wedge pillows and lie back on that for a nap. I don't do any caffeine except for chocolate. That does not seem to be bad as long as I don't go crazy eating it. I usually try limit myself to one serving per day.

Jessica, I'm sorry to hear that you are still feeling crummy. It is probably just a combination of your anxiousness about the CT scan as well as being that time of the month. Hopefully in a day or two your body will get itself together.

If I didn't have migraines, I would definitely try birth control. I always feel worse right before and during my period. That would be great to make it shorter through bc pills or even stop it. If you don't smoke or have migraines, I say go for it.

Katherine, They have mentioned heavy periods, but aren't sure. I think they want to rule out GI issues and THEN blame it on my period. I'm scheduled for and endoscopy and colonoscopy in July. My periods have always been on the heavy side so I don't know why it would cause anemia now in my life. If I take iron supplements, my iron serum levels go way up, ferritin only a little. When I go off the supplements, the iron serum goes down as well as ferritin so something is definitely going on in my body. Just don't know what.

I didn't have a reaction at all. Didn't feel a thing when they injected it as I do with the contrast from a CAT scan. Coincidence maybe? Were you anxious about the scan so maybe now you are reaping the consequences of the anxiety or nervousness about the test? Just a thought.

I'm just thinking it's going to be a lot of trouble and they aren't going to find the cause of my anemia. Wouldn't it more likely be a stomach deal than intestinal at my age? What, if anything, did they find for all of you that have had colonoscopies?

I am scheduling a colonoscopy/endoscopy sometime in June. I am NOT looking forward to the prep. I had to do the prep 2 years ago before a diagnostic laparoscopy. It was 3 liters and not pleasant at all. I was diagnosed with POTS afterward because my reaction to either the dehydration or sedation used (major adrenaline rushes with heart rate going from 70-130 in a matter of seconds). The reason I tell you is to let your doctor know that most POTSY need extra fluids and a knowledgeable anethsiologist (sp).

I didn't read the other replies, but the doctor wanted to get my heartrate up to 180. I had this before I was diagnosed with POTS. At that point, I thought I was going to faint so they let me quit.

I'll be praying that he will be okay.

Doctor didn't really know. They gave me some sort of mylanta or heartburn concoction. Didn't make it better. I'm not one who has heartburn - only once when I was pregnant. They did an ekg and then let me leave. ????

Good luck!! I hope it is better than you think it is going to be!

Last week I actually went to the ER because I thought I might be having a heart attack - it is one of my fears and triggers for my panic attacks. Anyway, I kind of felt like I had indigestion...burning in upper stomach and a lot of burping. This went on for several hours and I finally just had to go to the ER for my sanity. What scared me is that I also had burning in my back too... in the muscles of both sides of my back. Can you have back pain with indigestion or digestive problems? This has happened twice now about 7 days apart.

Hi Danni, Welcome. I am glad you are feeling somewhat better with meds. There are a lot of young women your age on this board so I hope they pop in. There are some of us here who live relatively normal lives with just a few adjustments.

Thank you Doctorguest for clearing that up. I was always under the impression that I was at an increased risk of stroke because of POTS. I'm not sure where I heard that information.

I got your pm. I've tried to reply a couple of times, but your messenger is turned off or not working??

I've gotten 1 pm. I am guessing that no one likes their doctors?

I've had several doctors try to get me to take them. I took them for about 4 years when I was younger, prePOTS. I know 1 person who had a stoke from taking them (a young, healthy, non-smoking female). I know another person who died four months after having a baby...she just didn't wake up (my speculation is stroke from birth control). Frankly, I'm scared to take birth control. I have heard that POTS people are at an increased risk for stroke anyway (not sure I am correct on this though). People with migraines with visual aura are at an increased risk of stroke. Birth control puts you at an increased risk of stroke (although small if you are otherwise healthy and don't smoke). For myself, I don't want to take the risk. This probably didn't help you at all, but maybe gives you something to ask your doctor. POTS and stroke risk and all.

I agree with the others that you probably did too much. Sometimes it doesn't seem like much to us, but our body says otherwise.