I was diagnosed with ‘Features of POTS’ not particularly confirmed with the tilt table test (as I think the dizziness I had during that, was leaning more towards a vestibular cause), so not typical POTS, just features of POTS. I had purple leg (with searing pain), tachycardia, dynamic blood pressure, arrhythmias, waking with sweats, inability to stand for long, so all the typical symptoms.
I had more general dysautonomia showing up when climbing the stairs and, in retrospect, having subsequently found out I have cranio-cervical instability, I personally think it was the head movement causing it.
However, first thing on a morning I definately had the medical criteria for blatant POTS, getting out of bed could shoot my pulse up by as much as 55 beats per minute but as the day progressed my POTS would calm down, yet I still suffered from the symptoms of Dysautonomia. One thing that was common was, when I had the symptoms of dysautonomia (chest tightness, chest pains, arrhythmias, sweating, light headedness), I noticed my Diastolic blood pressure (the lower of the 2 readings) was always 90 or above.
Now, many years on, I rarely have the signature symptom of POTS (an increase of >30 heart beats per minute when standing) but I still have some form of Dysautonomia. I would say that what I have is more like Neurally Mediated Hypertension (the longer I stand up, the higher my blood pressure gets), so this is how my body deals with it now.
I think it has many ‘flavours’, Dysautonomia, it’s basically anything that interrupts, or interferes with the Autonomic Nervous System. Whether it’s classed as POTS or not, it’s still something that’s happening to me, that shouldn’t be.
Barbara
(UK)