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Heart Rate Monitoring and Pots / Dysautonomia questions

Messages
12
I'm pretty new here, no diagnosis - not really sure if it is CFS or not but lot of symptoms seem to match. Been to my Dr, cardiologist, and have a stress test at the end of the month. I've been having symptoms for 3+ months. Overall still pretty functional ( can see my intro post for more details)..

So I can't quite figure out average heart rate stuff. I'm all over the place. In general a higher average heart rate for a time period means I feel a bit to moderately worse ( muscle feel it, can get more of a headache / head symptoms, fever feeling without a high temp). Some examples:

I'm pretty consistent now with no major activity, but average 4000-7000 steps a day.
  • Baseline good day at home, feeling decent, no stress = ~60-70 HR average.
  • Bad sleep night ( 4 hours 5 hour aver HR at work == 93 HR average.
  • Average day at work ( 6 hours)- morning hours 70, after lunch 85
  • Overnight Sleep - around 55 average.
  • At home laying down resting 50-70. In recliner 55- 70 ( no / little stress)
Physical activity definitely raises the heart rate quickly, but so do other things (I'm 42, max HR is 178)
  • Walking up one flight of steps (130), doing that and brushing my teeth ( 150), shower/drying off - 150
  • Playing basketball ( shooting around, moderate activity - well used to be light activity 4 months ago) - 160+
  • Walking on flat surface- varies - 80-100. Usually standing causes HR jump, it will lower a bit, but walking seems to lower it even more. Slight hill - 130+
  • Dr appointment , sitting - 130-150 - ( lot of anxiety)
  • Stressful online poker hand - 130-140. (whoah! I don't do that much anymore)
  • Eating a big meal with carbs???? 110? and raised for a while afterwards.
  • From rest to bathroom to rest - 50ish to 110/120ish. back down to 50ish

What's my question? I'm not quite sure! But here it goes

  • Pots / Dysautomonia - I've read a lot, but can't quite figure out if pots/dysautomonia is what I am affected me, or if it matters much. - I'm not that symptomatic when HR is high, I feel it, and don't want to be in that state very long. The fact that both standing/activity or high stress ( while sitting) can cause my HR to go through the roof... It's almost like my body just sucks at any sort of stress - mental or physical.

  • I ask the above question because I imagine my cariologist stress test will be fine and don't expect my cardiologist to do much but send me on my way. Out of all my symptoms, my HR craziness is there and real and strong. I feel like I should be ready to push for next steps

  • I sort of hate focusing on my HR, I focus on it a bit too much. But lower HR == me feeling better ( especially later in the day). My morning HR / HRV check is pretty consistent no matter how rough a day yesterday was ( as long as I get enough sleep). Is it common to monitor heart rate throughout the day? I want to balance useful/helpful information over obsessing over it.
 
Messages
12
I have not been doing much measuring blood pressure recently, when taking standing I don't ever recall it dropping, it would usually rise. When I felt a bit worse standing, I would have readings that would be unusually narrow. I think at my first Dr appointment it I was 134/108 - and my machine it would occasionally show readings like 130/110 as well. A couple of times my machine just gave up :( At the cardio, pulse was 140-150 and blood pressure was 160/100 ( I've had reading close to that high before I started having problems though)

Typical blood pressure sitting will be 120-135 ish -80-90ish. I'll take some more readings, but I suspect it always goes up, but not in a consistent or predictable way.
 
Messages
12
Thanks for the information above.

I did have my stress test today. Just going there and getting hooked was amazingly stressful - I was easily hitting 150+ just laying there on the side getting the echo of my heart. I was on the treadmill for 10 1/2 minutes starting slow and not that steep to pretty brisk and steep. HR hit 205 or so ( 110%). I probably could of kept going, but legs didn't have a lot left in them - and didn't seem much point pushing for that long with HR that high.

Not a lot of answers, heart looks fine, rhythm is fine - Dr mentioned the HR response abnormal. Gave me prescription for metoropol and will see him in 3 months. I'll go back to my primary and discuss things as well. It would be neater to see me go from 50 at rest to 150+ just standijng and walking lightly - but I suspect since my baseline is high to begin with - going up that much higher is not that exciting.

I feel incredibly beat now. But I suspect the stress of the situation beat me down more than the 10+ minutes on the treadmill.



.
 

Sushi

Moderation Resource Albuquerque
Messages
19,935
Location
Albuquerque
Dr mentioned the HR response abnormal. Gave me prescription for metoropol and will see him in 3 months.
Metropolol (a beta blocker) would be a standard treatment choice. Just so you know, some feel more tired when taking a beta blocker--particularly at higher doses, so you might want to monitor how you feel. Having a really high heart rate for prolonged periods can enlarge the heart and lead to other problems. Another choice for lowering the heart rate is a calcium channel blocker. For some one works better and for others, the other.
 

Seven7

Seven
Messages
3,444
Location
USA
There is also a new pill ivabridine for POTs. Beta Blocker might not be ebough I take 3 pills for my POTs, Volume increasing drug (florinef), vasoconstriction (midodrine), betablocker ( propanalol) and Ivabridine now. It takes time and play with to get it under control (an electrophisiologyst is the specialist for POTs).
 
Messages
12
I just wanted to follow up and say that metropolol does an amazing job of lowering HR. I was taking 25mg and I'm easily 30 bpm standing ( walking into work I'd hit 130-140, now not over 100). I haven't been paying much attention to the low end or blood pressure, I might try to knock it down to 1/4 pill / 12.5 to see if it works.

Not sure too much else is different, although eyes have been a bit strange, but almost seemed like that started before metropolol.


Now on to figure out this dull ache in the back of my head...