170 pulse when I walking up stairs - please help

[SunsetRunner]

Hello,

I am a 25 years old male. I am 182 cm and 90 kg, my BMI is 27,2. My resting pulse ist where between 61-70. I have a problem. I cannot go up stairs, I could go upstairs without a problem but not anymore. I can breath but my heart rate spikes up. When I go 1 floor stairs up, then I have 170 pulse and my heart pounding and in a minute it decreases until 110-120. It is 145 pulse with a half of floor. I have a very big friend, who has 42 bmi and he outwalk me.

My heart rate is 100-115 (125 - 135 uphill with my backpack) bpm when I walk.

When I cycle in hard mode for 30 minutes, I get 135-140 heart beat.

My blood pressure is normal, 6 months ago I was with a cardiologist, he make 24hr ecg and he said I am very healthy.

Do you guys any idea? Am I just out of shape?

[Lindslou]

The stair thing is something I don’t do often... so I think I’m not conditioned to do stairs. But I have noticed that my heart goes crazy with stairs when I do them quickly. Even just a flight or 2 going to the doctor.

Yes, I do get palpitations. And sometimes irregular beats that are noticeable while lying down.

I try and do the elliptical / long walks / biking about every other day or every 2... and yoga or Pilates home practice on the other days.

I was a professional dancer and Pilates teacher, but about 6 years ago began struggling with body temperature regulation, serious fatigue, palpitations, weakness, low stamina... I had to quit my job and focus on health.

I will say, when I am exercising regularly, my symptoms are a bit less. But to go from one day at 10 miles to suddenly faint the next day after 5 flights of stairs : that is unpredictable and I definitely want to figure out what might be setting it off.

Sent from my iPhone

[profrich]

I get the palps when lying on my back. How old are you? Have you tried
taurine?

[Lindslou]

I am 37 and I have never heard of taurine until this thread - I’m quite curious!

Sent from my iPhone

[profrich]

It is an amino acid that you can only get from meat. So, if you are a
vegetarian all you are getting is what your body produces. It seems to
have helped a lot of people with arythmia. I think I am a little better,
but I am still at only 750 mg.

Google it, and let me know what you think.

Another thing is anxiety. When I think about the stairs causing a
problem, they usually do.

[smash92]

Hi there. Not sure if you’re still having this problem but I was diagnosed with something called POTS two months ago, which is a syndrome where I get tachycardia every time I stand up or do minimal amount of exertion. I can go from resting at 60bpm to 130bpm when standing for a few seconds. I was really fit before being diagnosed, might be worth looking into. 

[Mememox · Accepted solution]

Hello, you have similar symptoms to mine. I'm 100% sure you have POTS( postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome). You need to ask your doctor about a tilt table test. Sometimes other conditions cause it sometimes it's pure dysoutonomia. Try drinking more water too. People with POTS get dehydrated easily. 

[Mememox]

Look into POTS ( postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome). 

[Lindslou]

I’m really glad you mentioned it.  I came across POTS 2 years ago and went to see an electro cardiologist to be evaluated.  I felt it was exactly what I had been going through.  I’m still working with him and it was my 90% POTS diagnosis (he never ordered tilt table and doesn’t think i 100% fit diagnosis, but feels POTS is the closest).

2.5 years ago, I could not exercise at all.  Serious fatigue for 4-12 hours afterward.  So as a former dancer and Pilates teacher, this was so foreign to me.  I couldn’t walk for a period of 3-4 weeks.  I didn’t yet know what POTS was.  3 months later I read about it and pursued the diagnosis.

I just saw him in November because the stairs episodes we’re horrible to the point of ER.  I still have a 90% POTS diagnosis, but I feel it is 100%, though flare only, instead of all the time 2.5 years back.

[Mememox]

Checkout this link pretty helpful. https://www.potsuk.org/news/98
I also feel much better when I don't eat heavy meals. Small frequent meals
are a big help. Heavy meals will leave me in bed sometimes. Eating breads
and pasta as and high sugary food bring up flare ups. You can also look
into biofeedback it helped me alot. I went 3 years without walking and
making lifestyle changes has given me an almost normal life again

[SunsetRunner]

Hi, I tested myself. I was lying down and my HR was 60-65 than I suddenly stand up any my HR jump to 130 than it went slowly to 70 while I was up.

I notice it also that I get very easily dehydrated and I feel terrible after big lunches. What helps me is salty foods and hydration then I have almost 0 problems like getting lighthead but my HR still spikes up.

I don't think I want to use medicine to feel better so I won't go to a doctor.

But thank you very much.

[Elise416]

Hey Bigbadalek - i just read this thread - it's 2021. I hope you followed the advice about POTS.

That sounds like exactly what you are experiencing. 

Yes- eating salt and drinking lots of water helps with POTS. Many people with POTS actually take salt pills or drink homemade electrolyte lemonade (water plus lemon juice plus sugar plus lots of salt) instead of plain water. I drink 2 litres of this a day.

Don't listen to the people who say it is your fitness level or your weight. POTS just means postural (when you change your posture from lying down or sitting to standing up) orthopedic (standing) tachycardia (heart racing). 

I bike 500k a month but heart rate soars when i get up from sitting and walk slowly up one flight of stairs. It's because your veins are not able to pump the blood back to your heart fast enough when you stand up or go up stairs. This is made worse when you are dehydrated due to low blood volume.

Even if you don't want to go to see a doctor, check out POTS and dysautonomia help groups or facebook groups for suggestions on how to make it better.

But it's clear that you have some form of POTS/dysautonomia.

Also, you should know that a lot of people with POTS also have EDS (loose joints) or MCAD (like having a lot of allergies that affect skin rashes, digestion problems, swelling, and many other symptoms you might think are just allergies). If you have any of those other kinds of issues, you could be the unlucky person who has the trifecta of POTS/EDS/MCAD.

[Dara_Mageean]

I'm 16 and have been suffering from panic attacks/anxiety for 2 months. I started school in September and have been struggling with walking up stairs. To get to one particular class I have to walk up 3 or 4 flights and every time my heart goes crazy (heart races and thumps) . My heart flutters on occasion but my heart only seems to play up when going up stairs. I've seen PoTS mentioned, could this be a symptom?

[Lindslou]

I do think that POTS testing and other Dysautonomia testing might be a good
idea. Make sure to find doctors already familiar with it, as many are
not. POTS is defined as an increase in HR from lying down to standing
which is 30 bpm or more sustained upon standing. Stairs can be a trigger,
especially when deconditioned, in my case. There are ways to gain stamina
for tolerating stairs. It takes patience, time and physical therapy or a
regular exercise regimen. There is a protocol called CHOPS to help those
with POTS.


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[Therese12634]

What type of beta blocker do you take? I just recently seen a cardiologist and trying to get my problem figured out. I have random spikes with my heart rate going up to 175, with that comes chest pain, overall body fatigue etc. I’m currently taking propanorol but my cardiologist wants to start me on a different one that’s longer lasting 

[Nadz3194]

Hi,

Please do this test at home called Orthostatic Vital Signs/ the 10 minute NASA Lean test at home and see if your positive, my daughter had the same symptoms and she was positive for this test- later on she was diagnosed with POTS-

Thanks 

[Nadz3194]

My daughter had the same symptoms for one year after all the tests she was positive for pots we just found that out few days ago do you have POTS? Does this go away with age? It’s so new I just need to know how I can help her. Waiting to see her pediatrician

[Therese12634]

Hi!
I was diagnosed with pots as well. It typically does not go away with age unless the patient is diagnosed at a very young age! I would suggest being an ear to listen, seeing if she needs any mobility aids to make her quality of life better, start with small recumbent exercises (chop/Levine protocol), make sure she’s getting adequate amounts of salt daily, hydrating( lover hydrating) and compressions! Some days are better for me, some days are hard. But I believe the more she gets used to her new body and ways to accommodate the better she’ll be! I hope things get better for her, pots is awful and depilating.

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