Postural Tachycardia Syndrome is what the Cardiologist told me I have.
I have been struggling with fatigue since the beginning of the summer. At first it was between my training sessions, then it was while I working with the kids, then it was on my off days and then it started to affect my training as well. I was so busy I figured that the fatigue would end when I had a little break between programs and a rest week of training. It didn't!
I couldn't figure out what was going on and, I was way too busy to see it coming, but once it did I knew I had to do something. After a few days off and a number of easy sessions I started to feel better and shrugged it off as just a period of too much going on in my life. I started the next week feeling alright but by the end I knew something was up. I entered a local 5k and was 1-1/2 minutes off my usual pace for this time of year! I immediately began to review and rethink what I had done leading up to these feelings.
I couldn't figure it out. Nothing was different from a typical summer of training for me. As I proceeded with a cautious attitude I focused on my training zones and other daily routines. I thought it was hydration so I started drinking more sports drink, I thought it was hunger so I started eating a bigger breakfast, and I stayed very low in my training zones at all times. Then one day out of the blue I was lifting at the gym and after a set of squats I felt the world begin to spin beneath me.
I quickly removed myself from the gym and put my feet above my head. I managed to avoid passing out and got a ride from my boyfriend to the ER. After a lot of tests I was sent to see a cardiologist. What! How could there be something going on with my heart?
The Cardiologist preformed a number of tests as well and determined that my heart was showing signs of Orthostatic Intolerance, which means that when I stand up my pulse jumps over 30 beats but my blood pressure also drops significantly! It is this drop in blood pressure that causes me to feel light headed and pass out!
I told him it was probably just over-training! Unfortunately he shook his head and told me it wasn't. He said no one knows for sure what POTS is from but it wasn't from training. I have few more tests this week, one is on a tilt table where they will try to make me pass out (or come close anyway) and a few other tests to rule out anything else more serious.
So for now I have the all clear to train as usual and just ignore my heart rate. I have taken a number of days off now and I am feeling really fresh. I went for a fun urban rollerski with Jojo Winters and Brian Gregg today and although the pace was very easy my heart rate was easily 150+. I have to learn to train by feel and leave the monitor at home for a while. I did some lactate testing with a coach and sure enough I am in the right zones just not the right heart rates. This is so strange and after years of hearing about the importance of heart rates for training it will take some time to get used to.
From what I have been told POTS often develops after an illness or trauma and will progress for months getting worse and worse before it suddenly begins to subside. The last time I was really sick was at US Nationals and if I have been through the fainting period and other symptoms I should be in the clear! Right? I am keeping my fingers crossed and spirit high. I have to admit that this would be a lot harder if I didn't have other team members and ITA members who have faced adversity and set backs and climbed right back up to keep me inspired and optomistic! So I guess now it is my turn to just stay positive and focus on the process.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
POTS
Posted by Caitlin Compton at 7:47 PM
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4 comments:
Did your doctor say anything about getting POTS from overtraining? In January, I started to have symptoms while I was working out. I'd very suddenly feel my chest get squeezed, couldn't breathe, get woozy, and feel my heart race and pound. All heart tests checked out fine, but the symptoms started to come with lighter workouts. By June, I had it come on while walking around and went to the hospital.
My cardiologist told me I'd overtrained and to take two months off. I did and tried to get back into a workout routine. I went for a walk a month ago and had those same symptoms come on very suddenly. I sat down and waited for it to go away, but it came back as soon as I stood up. Each time I stood, my pulse went from 60 to 140 within 10 seconds.
I spent the next 8 days in bed, crawling to and from the bathroom, because every time I would stand I thought I would pass out. I saw an electrophysiologist who diagnosed me with POTS. He didn't think overtraining caused it, but it's the only cause I can think of.
I started taking Midodrine (constricts your veins to keep blood pressure up) and Pindolol (keeps the heart rate down) and I've been able to go back to work and school. I'm still not allowed to workout, but so far the medicine's been a big help. I'm seeing a Naturopathic doctor to try to figure out a better long-term solution.
April,
Not sure you will get this memo but just curious what happened to you? My daughter has been diagnosed with pots and its terrible. I think it was from overtraining too! If you get this could you please let me know what happened?
April,
Not sure you will get this memo but just curious what happened to you? My daughter has been diagnosed with pots and its terrible. I think it was from overtraining too! If you get this could you please let me know what happened?
Hi Jen,
I'm doing much better now. I strongly believe that over training and suddenly not exercising at all was what caused my symptoms to be so severe. Eventually my doctor said that the advice doctors had been giving (don't exercise) was doing more harm than good and so I should start exercising again. He said to start with bikes and swimming where I wouldn't be standing. I tried these (swimming is terrifying when you're prone to passing out), but had much better results with yoga. The trick is that you have to come up from a pose incredibly slowly so your body has time to adjust to standing again. It's tough at first, but really reconditioned my body to standing up again. I think it was from all of the positional changes and keeping controlled breathing through it. I improved a lot and even went off my meds.
Now that I have the advantage of hindsight, I'm pretty sure I've always had POTS. I can recall many times as a child and teenager when I would stand for too long and things would go black. I even passed out in the shower once. One of the causes of POTS is deconditioning and I'm sure that's what brought it on so severely for me. If I could go back in time, I would have switched to yoga instead of not working out. My autonomic system was fried and needed to recharge.
Since then, I have very few times where POTS is an issue. It was bad for a couple days after I had each of my kids (big change in blood volume) and it acts up at the start of the summer (I live in Phoenix). I'm able to adjust to summer temps after a few weeks, though, and it's not a problem. I don't get to exercise as often now that I have kids, but I still eat a high salt diet and drink lots of water. That helps a lot.
I hope that your daughter is doing alright. I know I was terrified going through this. It's great that she's got you looking out for her. :)
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