POTS Syndrome and Celiac Disease

When I was around 7 years-old, I was diagnosed with paroxysmal tachycardia. This is a condition that results in my heart having an irregular heartbeat. This resulted in many visits with cardiologists and tracking of each heartbeat with my heart monitor. 

This condition was not something that I ever grew out of, it was an underlying issue that didn't act up for years. Until ... it came back last year ... worse. I was having heart rates ranging from 60-167 beats/minute. My heart rate would go from 56 beats/minute to 160 in only 2 minutes. I tracked this information with my Apple Watch and wrote it in my notes for my doctor. When I decided to ask my pediatrician about this, she took my blood and then never said anything about it again. Therefore, I ignored it too. 

About two weeks ago, I went to the doctors office at my school for something unrelated to my heart. When they took my blood pressure, the doctor said that it was abnormally high. She took it for a second time at the end of my appointment and said it is still too high. What I did not expect was the doctor who took my blood pressure is a cardiologist at the hospital near by. This was shocking to me because after trying to advocate for myself at my own doctors and being ignored, these two women found my issue after only three visits. 

They asked if I could return two more times to get my heart rate / blood pressure checked a couple more times. I agreed. On my third visit, they found that my results were still a bit too high so they did some tests. They first gave me an EKG which came back normal, I then got four vials of blood taken. But, there was one test that changed it all for them. They gave me the "Stand Test" which consisted of my heart rate being taken as soon as I laid down (which came back normal), then I laid down for two minutes and stood up (came back normal), but the last test is standing up for two minutes then getting my bp taken again. This is where my test came back abnormally. 

After all these tests, they explained to me how that was the test to diagnose "POTS Syndrome", I failed it. Therefore, this all suggests that I have POTS. After finding this out, I was told that I need to see a cardiologist ASAP and I will be going on a heart monitor for two weeks. 

POTS stands for Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. After doing some research, I have almost all of the symptoms but have never been diagnosed. This syndrome is mostly diagnosed in women between the ages of 15-50 and very common in people with autoimmune deficiencies. (Me, a 20 year old, with an autoimmune deficiency). Some symptoms include nausea, irregular heartbeats and palpitations, tremors, dizzy, fainting, etc. I have all of those symptoms, including fainting, which have increased lately. Prolonged periods of standing worsen this syndrome which would make sense why I have always been so lightheaded after standing for long periods of time. 

This is an extremely confusing syndrome that I am still trying to learn about since it is so new to me. This just proves how much more comes from having an autoimmune disease. Yes I can't eat wheat because of Celiac, but my body is also fighting off every new disease and syndrome that tries to attack me due to my autoimmune deficiency. "If POTS is autoimmune, it may be more common in people with other autoimmune diseases such as celiac disease." (theceliacmd). 

​I will explain more when I know more <3. 

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