POTS is caused by so many illnesses. Mine is Autonomic Neuropathy. I was so happy to find out so my doctor and I could work to help me heal the nerves. Supplements, nutrient dense foods, no sugar or bad carbs have been wonderful.

lindsayjane, do you have POTS? It is terrible.

I don't know if I have it. I am having tests done by a cardiologist because I began having severe heart palipatations. I checked the symptoms of POTS and I have many of them. I have done a stress test and have a echo cardiogram scheduled later this week. How was your POTS diagnosed? What kind of tests did your doctor do?
Thank you,
Lindsay

The test that most people get is the Tilt Table test. A neurologist will do that. I was MUCH too ill for that. They put you on a table and tilt it so you are up and I was mostly bedridden and in my w.chair. No possiblity of that test. My doctor gave me other tests, but I can't remember the names. I was so ill.

One of my tests was like the tilt. Lying down, sitting and standing. BP was taken at each one and my heart was tested also. Several times. I can't remember the other test. I had already been to the cardio doc. They knew nothing about Dysautonomia. I saw two different cardiologists.

The diagnosis for POTS is when the heart rate is more than 30 beats per minute when standing.

Like Sally said, the tilt table is the most common test. Don't worry about falling off or problems with the test...you are strapped to the table and the tilting is not fast. It's similar to just checking BP & heart rate while laying down, sitting, then standing...just in a more controlled way since you are strapped to the table and have monitors, etc. Pretty easy test.

In some (but NOT all) patients they give a medicine to try to induce the symtpoms. I never needed that because my dysautonomia was so profound and always detected immediately.

Last Christmas, I suddenly noticed that I was having heart palpitations, frequently in the evening, but other times too. Went to PCP who referred me to the cardiologist. I took a stress test which seemed to go ok, but that is only 6 minutes or so. So they put a traveling EKG machine on me to monitor my heart for 24 hours. The end result is that I was having a mild form of heart palpitations. We adjusted my blood pressure meds (Accupril) and lowered my gabapentin and had me eat a banana a day. Seemed my potassium levels were low, caused by taking too much accupril. I'm much better heart wise now, but I'm still suffering some incon issues that is AN or PN or diabetes related. Drs. don't seem to want to look further if it isn't a major problem. I guess they think wetting your pants is not life threatening, which it isn't, but my heart goes nuts every time it happens. I hope you get some resolution to your problems. I think Drs. sometimes pigeon hole patients and don't listen to what we want.