# I have POTS and sleep apnea



## Chicane (Oct 8, 2015)

Well I haven't posted meaningfully in some time. I suppose I was feeling disillusioned with this whole thing, like I was never going to live a normal life. I had nothing to report and no improvements or tips to share so I didn't really see the point in contributing anymore.

In any case, after suffering what felt like a heart attack yesterday afternoon, I was taken to the emergency room. My heart rate was 170+ after just a few games of bowling. My face and chest were tight and numb, and I was experiencing body-wide spasms. I was delirious and had difficulty speaking, so my girlfriend drove me to the hospital straight from the bowling alley. I had no idea what was going on, but I was terrified. It felt like a heart attack, stroke and seizure in one.

Turns out, none of those things happened, but I did get my heart into an abnormally fast rhythm and then had a panic attack because of it. Once I stabilized they ran some blood tests and did some orthostatic testing (where your heart rate is measured sitting/standing/laying). Every time, my BPM would go from 60 at rest to 100-110 immediately upon standing. This is apparently indicative of POTS, which causes these types of symptoms:










It should be noted here that numbers 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 11 (and yesterday, 12) have comprised the bulk of my symptoms over the last 4 years.

The doctor mentioned that in my case, he also suspects sleep apnea - this is when my girlfriend piped up and said she has noticed that I sometimes stop breathing and kind of convulse a little when asleep.

I now have some further cardiology-related tests scheduled, as well as a proper sleep study, but so far it's looking like these two conditions are responsible for my symptoms. It all makes a lot of sense, as most of my issues are related to DR, such as spaciness/brain fog/an unreal feeling, wooziness when standing or walking around, and basically feeling exhausted 24/7.

So despite a bad day, I feel some hope for the future, with possible treatments and hopefully some major improvements. I am hoping to get this all figured out at long last, and finally be able to put this horrible chapter of my life to bed.

I still can't believe all this was missed by previous checkups, but there you go. None of this showed on an EKG or heart ultrasound.

*To all of you still suffering - keep looking for answers, research mind and body fully, and keep consulting doctors and other professionals who you feel may be able to help. If you're not satisfied with your answers, find another doctor. Get a second or third opinion. Don't be fobbed off or told you're crazy. You may have something very real making you feel this way. *


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## Artmuzz (May 8, 2016)

I have a sneaky suspicion I have POTS and sleep apnea. When I stand up I feel dizzy and I feel a head rush and my heart beats fast.

I have abnormal sweating, feel stressed and spaced out whenever I am out walking to the town centre and back home and I suffer a lot of headaches which I put down to migraines.

At night I sometimes wake up startled because I am unable to breath but my breathing goes back to normal.

I suffer from all the symptoms on the POTS symptoms sheet.

I went to my doctor about sleep apnea and POTS but he is putting down to general anxiety disorder which I have.


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## Chicane (Oct 8, 2015)

Fair enough, but for the record, I want to state that sometimes anxiety can be brought on by a condition or syndrome - it may not exist by itself. For instance, if you have something that messes with your heart's rhythm as I do, you can also experience panic etc as a result.


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## Artmuzz (May 8, 2016)

Yeah, I agree anxiety can be caused by a condition or syndrome. For example my anxiety and panic attacks started partly from migraine symptoms I was experiencing but on a whole I have a lot of suppressed anger and emotional stress that causes migraines, muscle tension and other conditions which causes the anxiety which has resulted in panic attacks which has resulted in DPDR and the strange symptoms it causes.


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## nicewon (Aug 10, 2017)

Thanks for sharing. I needed to hear that last bit as I have givin up on doctors particularly my family doctor. There's def something up with my heart as well I've fainted a few times to and I get short of breath from doing anything.


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