Pots and the menopause.. how does it effect you ladies out there.
Posted , 7 users are following.
I guess my story is similar to alot of people out there. I originally suffered from my first bout of pots at the age of 20 after a bout of glandular fever. I was rushed into hospital with suspected heart problems and spent a week there with many tests etc. At the end they said although i clearly had an issue they couldn’t actually find anything wrong and i was sent on my way with propanolol to calm things down. After about 6 months things did settle and for the most part my symptoms where not an issue. Roll on 4 years and my second pregnancy. It nearly ended in death for both me and my son due to fulminating preeclampsia . I was never right again as ME/CFS quickly kicked in and left me struggling to do the most basic of tasks with 2 small children. At the time i didnt know what it was and just got the usual.. oh you have small kids your just tired etc, so i carried on as best as i could for 6 years until one day i just couldn’t take another step and ended up back at the docs in a state. I was diagnosed with GAD given meds and sent on my way. Then 3 years ago at the age of 43 i had another serious collapse that put me back in bed but this time i had a whole new list of symptoms to go with it. After the usual tests i was diagnosed with CFS/ME, and i can’t tell you what a relief it was to finally be taken seriously and to know i wasn’t going mad. Roll on again to the February this year after yet another collapse after a bout of swine flu and i decided to do alot more research and that’s how i cam about POTS. After another trip to the docs and explaining my life to him he agreed there and then that i most definitely had POTS which for me was another huge relief as it finally explained all he weird symptoms i had been living with for most of my adult life.
I’ve had a rough year with my health and now I’ve just finally stopped my periods and the pots has kicked in like never before. I have hyperadrenergic POTS which causes anxiety neck pain stiffness ontop of the usual POTS issues. I was just wondering if anyone has had the same issues with change of life etc?
0 likes, 10 replies
kenaz littleme1969
Posted
I am so sorry you have been down such a long winding road. Although I am just to turn 70 yrs old I have been going through some very muddy water for almost 15 yrs. Symptoms started much like jeat stroke where I would get dizzy, sweaty, SOB, vertigo, chest pain and high heart rate. I had served time in the Army in Vietnam so I had chemical contamination from Agent Orange. I have so many medical problems that no one could give a diagnosis. I had major migraines and in 2008 had brain surgery qhich helped for a yr. Many doctor and hospital visits with no answers. In 2012 I passed out while driving, thank God my wife got the vehicle off the road and I spent a week in the hospital with now answer.I xontinued to fall and have spells of near blackout. Finally using a monitor in 2014 the doctor found my heart paused 3.9 seconds so they put in a pace maker and that didn't help. Finally Mato clinic started looking into Autonomic Nervous System Dysfunction from traumatic brain injury. We are finally starting to do testing to that end. Many symptoms are the same as POTS. I hope you find answers abd relief.
Blessings to you and your house, Ken
littleme1969 kenaz
Posted
gracey649956225 littleme1969
Posted
Hi, I'm still going through tests and it is assumed so far that I may have a form of angina. However, all tests that I have had so far have not confirmed this so I am yet to be diagnosed. My symptoms are very similar to POTS. I have had vertigo for last six months. I get migraines, breathlessness on standing. My pulse rate increases also on standing. I can't walk far without getting out of breath and having chest pains. I also think I'm going through the menopause and have felt so unwell ever since. Certainly around the time I would usually be due on, my symptoms seem a lot worse.
I also have high blood pressure and am being medicated for this. However I feel very unstable and unable to go out on my own. I haven't passed out but certainly feel like I could if I don't quickly sit and rest.
I stand to lose my job because I have been so unwell. Just hope this condition will be better researched and recognised. Because at the moment the doctors I have seen seem clueless about what is truly wrong with me.
Sorry if I sound like I'm moaning. Suppose it's shocking to go from very active and feeling well, to how I am now within 6 months. I do have good support and am upbeat most of the time. As I feel stress and anxiety actually makes me feel a lot more incapacitated.
Anyway, I wish you the best of luck!
kenaz gracey649956225
Posted
Good morning Grace, I am so sorry for your dilema. I am a male ready to turn 70 and I have so many of the same symptoms and am finally going through some major testing. In the past 4 months my heart rate has not gotten as high but now we can't get my blood preassure down. I still have migraines, vertigo, sohort breath and chest pain on exertion of any kind. I have blacked out and get black floaters in my eyes. Still waiting for answeres.
You are not whining and complaining, every bit of information we share can be used by someone. We need one another to learn how to function with these crazy symptoms.
God bless and I hope you get some answers, Ken
littleme1969 gracey649956225
Posted
gracey649956225 kenaz
Posted
gracey649956225 littleme1969
Posted
Hi Littlerme
You know it's so weird, I never used to suffer with allergies until now. Everything even perfume irritate me. I do have a lot to stress about as I'm probably going to lose my job. But I give myself a talking to and control what I can. So most of the time I'm OK, or think I am. But my body obviously is responding differently.
When I see my cardiologist next I will discuss hyperadrenergic PoTS and see if they can look in to this with me.
Thank you all x
harleybabe54 littleme1969
Posted
littleme1969 harleybabe54
Posted
POTS.. is
https://patient.info/health/postural-tachycardia-syndrome-pots-leaflet
CFS.. Cronic Fatigue Syndrome also known as M.E.
Emis Moderator comment: I have replaced the given link with a link to the equivalent article on our site.
sheila22250 littleme1969
Posted
although I'm not sure exactly when my POTS symptoms started, i think it was around when I was 40. (I'm 55 now) I think I was starting to go through peri menopause at that time. My symptoms would come and go. I didn't know what it probably was until just recently. Also about that time, I was diagnosed with pre diabetes.
A few years later, while going through a divorce, my symptoms became much much worse. I would have palpitations, extreme head throbbing, and vomiting. This happened almost every morning. I had a hard time showering and getting ready for work. I could hardly walk, let alone exercise and heat made it all worse. This probably went on for about a year. Then, I started eating less carbs, cut out caffeine and I got better. I went several years without symptoms. I thought I was healed of whatever it was.
Then, after years, I had the most severe episode. My head was throbbing so bad and I was vomiting uncontrollably. I called an ambulance and was taken to ER. They did some tests and CT scan. Found nothing and wanted to do a spinal tap. I refused the spinal tap, and they released me for refusal of treatment.
The symptoms again went away, mostly, for several years.
Now, I am having symptoms several times per day. Each one is not as bad as I have had before, but it's very debilitating. I told my general doc, and she did and EKG and standing, sitting, lying blood pressure and HR test. Nothing stood out from these. I then wore a hear monitor for 7 days. I meet with doctor to go over the results tomorrow.
I have been researching, and really think I have POTS. My Fitbit shows my HR going from around 80 while sitting to up to 137 while walking at a slow pace and down to 60 when sitting back down. I don't always have symptoms though. When I do have symptoms, they include palpitations, throbbing in my head, nausea, vomiting, shaky legs. Many times I sneeze and that makes me feel better.