bad chest pain

[clala]

I've had two episodes of bad chest pain once on Christmas and one today after a long day of walking around the mall. Im shaking, sweating, hot and cold, fell like Im going to puke, and my chest hurts bad along with it feeling like the muscles have been working to hard or something ( I dont really know how to describe it) Should I go to the ER next time this happens or is it just the natural course of POTS?

[clala]

Thank you so much! that helps ALOT!! :)

[Heiferly]

Because there is no one particular etiology (cause) for POTS, it's impossible to give a definitive answer as to whether POTS can get worse or not.  Some cases of POTS are "secondary POTS" which means that the POTS is secondary to another underlying condition.  The prognosis of the POTS is then dependent upon the prognosis of the primary condition.  In this example, if the underlying condition is or can be progressive, then yes the POTS can definitely get worse.  

In cases of primary POTS, the answer is less clear.  For patients who have a slow onset, there often does seem to be anecdotal evidence that the onset is slow, long, and progressive but that once full onset is complete there is a leveling off of symptoms/severity.  Patients with sudden onset seem to experience a more steady level of severity rather than the slow, progressive type of onset and can often identify exactly when their symptoms began.

If you don't know the cause of your POTS, don't feel bad.  Many patients with dysautonomia go years, decades, or their entire lifetime without identifying the underlying cause of their autonomic dysfunction.  Which is not to say that one should give up on pursuing that answer, but just that viewing it as a long-term goal is probably the most realistic and least-frustrating way to tackle it.  

Oh, and by all means, YES, if you have chest pains that are abnormal for you, call your on-call cardiologist and/or get yourself to the emergency department right away (call a squad; NEVER try to drive yourself whilst having chest pains, NEVER).

[LivingInHope]

I was diagnosed more than 7 years ago myself.  I read it can sometimes go into remission, but I don't think mine ever has really left.

I think mine has got a little worse between the holtor monitor results of 2009 and the ones in 2011.  However, they generally believe P.O.T.S. isn't fatal and it's rare if it goes onto become pure autonomic failure (PAF).  It's good to find a doctor that is at least sympathetic to your condition, even if you are like me and he doesn't find any medicine that helps/you want to take.

[clala]

Thank you so much for you're response! I have a question...I have had pots for about 5 years now and it has been the same for about 4 years and the past 8 months it has gotten a lot worse. Can pots get worse or should I push my doctor to do more tests? My doctor doesn't take pots seriously and Im working on finding a new one right now

[LivingInHope]

I'm so glad you are still with us and feeling better.  But I hope you get a same day appointment tomorrow all the same, to check your cardiac enzymes, do an EKG, etc. and don't wait until it happens again.

[CHRISTYDRAKE]

That happened to my son while on vacation last summer.  We took him to the urgent care there and the doctor actually knew what POTS was.  He gave my son a shot of prednisone and it calmed everything down within 1/2 hour.  My son was having the most severe chest pain he had ever had, it was scary.

Christy  

[clala]

I fell asleep finally last night and woke up this morning completely better. I will go next time this happens!!

[LivingInHope]

I hope you were taken to the emergency room, because that's where you belonged hours ago now with those symptoms.  You don't want to take a chance when it is that bad with all those symptoms.  Please let us know if you are still alive and kicking?