Do I have POTS?

[ffmedic111432]

I had a tilt table test done today.  I have had issues with tachycardia and more specifically postural changes affecting my heart rate.  When I started the test my heart rate was around 90 bpm, when they tilted me up my heart rate went into the 130's, they did give me 1 nitroglycerin and they said my heart rate went upto 160.  During this time they reported my blood pressure as being good and not dropping much during the test.  I have also been experiencing symptoms of heat intolerance, excessive sweating, and fatigue.  My doctor asked if I had ever heard of POTS and when I said no, he said "ok good, forget about that"...he told me that i did not experience an arrhythmia during the tilt table but instead have autonomic dysfunction that causes my heart rate to go up and my body to be more sensitive to positional changes.  I came home and looked up POTS as I was curious as to what it was...after reading about it, I feel like I meet many of the symptoms of this, not all, but many...why do you think my doctor didn't want to use the term POTS to describe what is going on?  Is it not a respected term in the medical field, or are some doctors just not aware of it?  I am currently being treated with norpace and lopressor, which after reading about POTS seems to be the correct course of treatment.  Just wondering?  Based on what I have mentioned do you think I have POTS?

[LivingInHope]

You're welcome!

I was diagnosed with P.O.T.S. back in 2004 and I have a sibling who was diagnosed with it this week.

[ffmedic111432]

Thank you very much for the information...it is very helpful :)

[LivingInHope]

Welcome!

Yes, it sounds like you do have P.O.T.S., a form of dysautonomia in which  the heart rate increases 30+ beats per minute during tilt table testing.  Your heart races to maintain blood pressure so you won't pass out. The rhythm is sinus tachycardia, so it is not an electrical conduction problem arrhythmia.  I don't know why he said to forget about it.  There is another test (one I've never had done after a tilt test positive for P.O.T.S.) that is considered a criteria for the diagnosis- a standing plasma norepinephrine test that is supposed to be yea high.  

P.O.T.S. it seems like is becoming wider known in the medical community, though there are some out there that may not know much about how to treat it and there was a disparaging title given  in an article which should not have been to people with I think it may have been P.O.T.S..

There are pages on medhelp where you can learn more about it:
http://www.medhelp.org/tags/show/24603/Dysautonomia?section=health_pages  ;