Postpartum rapid heart rate when standing or moving...

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I gave birth to my twins on the 4th of July what was meant to be the happiest time of my life turned so dark. The day after my cesarean I stood up to go and see my babies who were in NICU due to being prem. As I stood up my heart started racing and I felt extremely short of breath. A CTPA of my lungs was done and a cardiologist did an echo on my heart and all came back normal. I was discharged two weeks later and have been back and for to hospitals since. I was admitted into ICU in the beginning of August where a CTPA was again run and another cardiologist had a look at my heart and all came back clear... They then suspected a tumor in my adrenal glands (pheochromocytoma) but urine elevations were not excessive enough and I was sent home. A week ago I was admitted to another hospital ICU where they did a stomach CT and investigated but all tests once again came back normal. I was discharged with the diagnosis of POTS but I am not convinced. My symptoms are: resting pulse between 90-100 (on a beta blocker) and 120-165 standing. I sweat for no reason, tremble if I walk, I have lost a lot of weight along with my appetite. I get dizzy and lightheaded and my vision is strange (I have after images and light sensitivity) and my stress response is so high that if I stress even a little I feel awful!! Could this be POTS? Anyone have any suggestions... doctors can't help me anymore I am looking for my own answers

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6 Replies

  • Posted

    Sounds more like HYper POts than common pots... Hyper pots is different in as much as you have more adrenaline constantly .. and when you stand up your heart rate shoots up but your blood pressure will also go up. With common pots the blood pressure will down on standing and thats why alot of people faint.  Its rare to faint with hyper pots but you do feel really unwell the longer you stand.  When hyper pots first kicks in its is quite dramatic and this can last for many months.. my first episode lasted almost a year and then settled and i had few symptoms for years , up until my second child when it again escalated and gradually got worse.  All the symptoms you mention are classic pots.  Hyper pots while pregnant is quite dangerous  and it almost killed me as i was diagnosed at the time.  The main distinction between the 2 types of pots is the blood pressure... so you need to check that out to determine thats what you have. But i would say if you have high resting heart rate while on beta blockers that you have the hyper variant which is quite rare ( roughly 5% of all pots cases). 

    It may well resolve itself as mine did to start..  I have been living with it for 28 years now and have brought up 2 children. At times i have been well enough to work part time but its not been easy as i went most of that 28 years un diagnosed.  There isnt alot out there on HYper POts ..trust me ive looked but there are some videos on youtube etc that are helpful.

    • Posted

      Littleme1969 thank you for your reply. Do you have access adrenaline with Hypo POTS? I definitely feel like I have access adrenaline. I suffer with pvcs too and since this started they are harder and more painful. I have been convinced that this is a tumor on my adrenals or one that can cause excessive adrenaline production but due to a lack of evidence I have nothing to go by. I do feel awful the longer I stand and it's only relieved by lying down and resting I have to lie down everyday since my c section. I can get up with the beta blocker but only quickly

  • Posted

    Hi again.. yes i have high adrenaline and cortisol . You feel stressed all the time, on edge, very jumpy and easy to get anxious and panicky.. Little things that never bothered you freak you out... general background feeling of doom and gloom. As well as all the usual dizzy stomach issues , weight loss eyesight issues and hyper sensitive to noise and light etc.  If you have been tested and they have ruled out a tumor then i wouldnt worry about it.  Its more likely to develop pots after C section than to suddenly develop a tumor.  Its just the joy of living with pots.. it does get better especially if its hyper pots, for some reason this variant seems to wax and wane much more that classic pots . It takes a while to settle at first  . I found it would crash every 4 years or so .. having  18 months to recover from each episode then getting a good 2 years where i could live a pretty normal life. Im currently going through a bad flare due to menopause at the moment.  

    I also found that food can trigger it.. large meal.. too many carbs, too much sugar etc.  The digestive system really struggles with pots as the blood supply is compromised due to it being constantly diverted into fight or flight mode due to adrenaline surges which is why we feel sick and have to run to the loo etc.

  • Posted

    This is similar to my concerns. I had baby 8.2.17. After execution I was given cytotec due to excessive bleeding and clots. Within 5mins I started feeling weird and called the nurse. All of a sudden I was having uncontrollable shakes and could barely talk. My BP spiked and pulse was about 140-150, for the next 24 to 48 hrs. They kept me a extra day. My pulse didn't really go down, when they sent me home it was still atleast 100. Several weeks later i was back in the er with high BP, temp of 103, and pulse of 120. They performed EKG and CBC, also requested blood cultures to check for sepsis. They found nothing. I ended up back in the er a month ago with abdominal pain. They performed a CT and this time found just appendicitis. I'm still concerned because to this day I have a resting heart rate that's nearly always 100.... And 120 when on my feet. I am scheduled to see a cardiologist soon. I also experience pin brick pain on both sides of my chest on a daily basis

    • Posted

      Cesarean not execution
  • Posted

    Hey i know this might be a wierd question but have you had ur thyroid levels checked? An have you figured anything out since then.

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