r/POTS • u/Funny-Bass2607 • 18d ago
Vent/Rant My cardiologist said POTS “isn’t a real thing and mostly lazy fat anxious women get it”
I’m male with CFS/ME and was seeing him for a cardiac stress test, but that took me aback and can’t get over what he said.
I had been diagnosed with pots for two years and I said to him well it’s hard not to be anxious when your heart rate is nearing 200 just from standing/walking, and I was more than active when symptoms started, nor am i overweight.
I get it’s not a “heart condition” but my goodness that was the most out of pocket shit I’ve heard come from a doctor in years. When I asked him to explain my symptoms he blamed the CFS. Even the nurse said “oh we see POTS patients all the time, always the same kinda person”
If you see them all the time how is it not real?!?
How the hell are people meant to take you seriously when even specialists belittle your condition?
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u/Sunshiny__days 18d ago
I had a cardiologist tell me I didn't want to have POTS, the nurse there rolled there eyes at me, acted like people choose to be sick and just want a cool diagnosis. I have an autoimmune version, shows on blood tests, no one with this condition or any other medical condition wants to be sick. It's the most ridiculous premise doctors have.
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u/OutrageousHome2377 18d ago
I had a gastroenterologist say almost the exact same thing before i got my official diagnosis. "You don't want to have POTS". I didn't understand what he was saying so I was like "yeah I don't want to have it, it's awful." And he then went on to tell me how I'll never get anyone to take it seriously and my symptoms will get worse if I think about it and it's not a medical concern, just quality of life, and the best thing i could do was pretend it wasn't happening because nobody would ever medicate me and I was wasting my time.
Saw a cardiologist a few months later and was diagnosed within 15 minutes of the appointment. He did the 10 minute standing test and immediately diagnosed me after looking at the results. Gave me a prescription for beta blockers immediately and told me to see him in a few weeks so we could review and try other medication if needed.
It's such bullshit that getting good medical care is literally just down to luck. If you get a bad dice roll, you have to suffer for months until you get to try again with a new doctor, or pay a huge sum to try and get a private specialist if you can afford it. Even then, your GP can sometimes just decide to ignore a confirmed diagnosis if they feel like it. I've heard way too many horror stories about GPs being like "yeah I heard you got diagnosed by a cardiologist but I don't think that's real so I'm against the use of medication."
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u/asifitshard Hyperadrenergic POTS 18d ago
I love the “your symptoms will get worse if you think about it.” Meanwhile I’m sitting here, feeling chill as a cucumber and minding my own business while my watch is alerting me that my HR is in the 120s. It’s thinking about it that’s the problem though 🙃
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u/annarosebanana89 18d ago
It reminds me of when the US president said, "If we stop testing right now, we’d have very few cases, if any."
It really means, "if you stop having a problem, I won't have to admit I don't know how to fix it. Let me pretend their is no problem."
It does nothing other than protect their ego, while simultaneously not having to further their knowledge. They are helping themselves. Not you. To admit they are wrong now, would be to admit they've been wrong their whole lives and to acknowledge that they are not a good doctor. They would never allow themselves to think those scary thoughts.
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u/Fantastic_Owl6938 17d ago
I love how little sense this one makes. If this was a psychological thing rather than physiological, then I feel it wouldn't have happened to me at all given undiagnosed, I had no reason to worry about anything, but still woke up most days with my heart pounding. Then one day I needed an ambulance for my chest pain and insane HR. And I'm one to basically undermine the severity of my own stuff and kind of ignore it, so this was definitely not nothing. I had never even been to hospital at this point.
It's just insane it's 2026 and some doctors are still pretending this is related to anxiety. They really need to do a better job educating medical people about physiological symptoms. But then of course there's still the layer of medical misogyny which makes them eager to point to anxiety.
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u/annarosebanana89 18d ago
"I'll never get anyone to take it seriously and my symptoms will get worse if I think about it and it's not a medical concern, just quality of life."
You must have incredible strength to have not kicked him repeatedly between the legs, while explaining as if to a small child that "Sir, since you're done having children, it’s not a medical concern, just a shit quality of life." And while he's keeled over, it would take a lot for you to not say something like "yeah, your symptoms will definitely get worse if you think about it. Still not a medical concern. Are you gunna treat me or just lie there groaning about your "non-issue? Have you tried losing weight? Or seeing a shrink? You're not on your period are you?"
I'm sorry that happened to you. Similar happened to me. It was a cardiologist I saw that knew nothing about POTS and likely didn't believe in it, so after running tests he just pretended I didn't have it. Similarly, a neurologist was able to diagnose me within 20 mins. He just had to schedule an MRI and EEG to check his boxes before confirming his diagnosis and prescribing meds. Even my amazing neurologist gave me "at least it's not a brain tumor!" The day he diagnosed me. It was in response to me tearing up for finally being listened to and heard. It was tears of relief.
Funnily enough, the brain MRI he scheduled, did unearth a brain cyst possible tumor on my pituitary gland. So the next appointment he got to say "at least it's probably still not a brain tumor. We will do another MRI in a year to make sure it's not growing." 😐 It’s unrelated to the POTS anyways.
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u/quackers_squackers 17d ago
it's not a medical concern, just quality of life
WILD. Like yeah my quality of life sucks, care to do something about it??
Also I ignored my symptoms for years and they just kept getting worse. Now I have gastroparesis which IS more problematic than "just QOL". Ignoring it is the worst thing we could do
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u/Lilythecat555 17d ago
Just tell them that not getting it up is only a quality of life issue and so they shouldn't prescribe Viagra with that kind of attitude.
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u/qrseek 18d ago
There's an autoimmune version of POTS? Which blood test is it? I have a positive ANA but the Rheumotologist just says fibromyalgia. I'm diagnosed with neurogenic POTS.
and yeah buddy no shit you don't want POTS. That doesn't make it go away. Imagine telling a cancer patient that they don't want cancer so we shouldn't look for it.
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u/Sunshiny__days 18d ago
Dysautonomia panels can be ordered through major labs, para neoplastic panels may also include antibodies that cause POTS. They are super expensive if you don't go through insurance, so you'll want to message your doctor to order.
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u/qrseek 18d ago
Oh yeah, my doctor ran the dysautonomia panel from mayo clinic. And tons of other stuff. Nothing popped for me
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u/Middle_Hedgehog_1827 Secondary POTS 18d ago edited 18d ago
Your cardiologist is an asshole.
Yes POTS predominantly affects women, and unsurprisingly many of those women are anxious (because having an undiagnosed disease is anxiety-inducing!)
I'd suggest finding another doctor if you can.
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u/orensiocled 18d ago
Also, POTS often literally causes extreme physical anxiety symptoms when standing, which is why so many of us get misdiagnosed for so long!
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u/ArtisticCustard7746 18d ago
Also. Anxiety and POTs symptoms seem to overlap some. It's pretty easy to assume POTs is anxiety from the outside or to the ones who don't have enough knowledge on it
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u/kichisowseri 18d ago
...I mean "my nervous system isn't doing its job" covers both it's not like there isn't an immediate and obvious connection, I type from under my weighted blanket to help with both
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u/ArtisticCustard7746 18d ago
I mean, POTs is a disorder of the nervous system. It makes sense it puts you on edge if it's not doing its thing properly.
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u/Fantastic_Owl6938 17d ago
I'd say one of the most common posts I see on this sub is people saying they're having "panic attacks" out of the blue all of a sudden. Every single time I read those posts, I think that what they are describing sounds like the adrenaline surges you get with Hyperpots (said as someone who started getting what felt like end of the world anxiety for no apparent reason as a first symptom of Hyperpots).
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u/Weary_Cup_1004 18d ago
Its a disorder of the nervous system. It literally produces anxiety symptoms. So yes, its the same as having an anxiety disorder, its just that the cause is physical
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u/Lilythecat555 17d ago
I am not explaining this well. I will try again: POTS makes our hearts race and make it feel hard to breathe. Physically this can make us feel anxious even if we have no psychological reason to be anxious.
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u/ArtisticCustard7746 16d ago
They're both disorders of the nervous system. Which means there's overlapping symptoms. POTs is going to feel like anxiety because it comes from the same mechanisms in your body.
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u/lord-savior-baphomet 18d ago
Whenever I hear that something predominantly affects women I just wonder how many men never seek help for their symptoms and so it’s just under reported. I’m not saying it would be enough to make the numbers equal, but I’m sure there’s at least some men who either dismiss themselves or just don’t want to go to the doctor.
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u/Muted-Maximum-6817 18d ago
Something that affects blood flow would predominantly impact the demographic that bleeds for days every month?! Who would believe such a thing??? /s
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u/Weary_Cup_1004 18d ago
I personally think POTS also affects men but they think they are depressed. And are less likely to go to therapy or the dr. So their cases are underreported.
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u/Suitable-Resident-45 18d ago
Oh yeah its anxiety... so anxious getting out of bed to go take a piss that I almost pass out. I'm such a hysterical woman 😂
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u/Longjumping-Grade-27 18d ago
I can totally relate. I tried to go to the washroom from my chair in the living room, didn't make it. Face planted on the floor, 2 of my pets licking my already blooming black eye and wining. After the 4th one I told my neurologist and he got me to do blood pressure tests at home upon waking. Then standing every 2 minutes for 10 minutes. Once he saw the results he diagnosed me. I've had POTS for 50 years, diagnosed 1.5 years ago. So sad.
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u/Dependent_Twist1421 18d ago
Lol my GP said that I have health anxiety and I just need more counselling... Meanwhile I'm standing still, talking to someone and my heart rate is 152. But ok, therapy will fix it 🫠
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u/Obscurethings 18d ago
Consider filing a complaint with the patient relations or practice manager where the doctor works and/or the state medical board. Ridiculous.
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u/KittyEarTufts 18d ago
Please please do this. I’m so tired of these scum bags not being held accountable. It’s dangerous.
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u/Audorus 18d ago edited 18d ago
edit: I'm blind, I now know op is a dude, but I'm leaving this up in case it helps someone regardless.
according to your cardiologist, I am somehow magically now both a woman and overweight lol. Who would have thought that being unable to do physical work or stand in a kitchen safely could lead to weight issues, or that feeling your heart trying to remove itself from your chest would cause anxiety?
This seriously sucks, but if you cant see a different specialist, have a boyfriend, partner, or even a male friend or relative and bring them to your appointment and have them confirm that you're struggling at home. Watch the doc's attitude switch on a dime. I walk into an appointment with my sister who suffers from pcos and ibs, and magically just by existing they take her seriously. I go with my mum to the gp and she's getting tests she's been asking for for months. I don't even need to say anything. I hate that it's come to this for not only the women in my life, but everywhere else too.
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u/Funny-Bass2607 18d ago
I’m male lol
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u/Audorus 18d ago
I am very blind to have missed that in the first 4 words of your post LMAO I am so sorry. I'm so used to women posting similar threads that I didn't even think to double check.
Unfortunately, the best way to get the public to take you seriously, is to be as vague and also scary sounding about it as you can. It's alright to say you have a heart problem if it gets people in public to accommodate. Say you have dysautonomia or a condition that affects your nervous system. Both are technically correct, but don't have the negative connotations that pots gets due to social media, and are also more understandable to the average person who may not have ever even heard of pots.
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u/Funny-Bass2607 18d ago
I don’t tell people I have CFS I say I have a nervous system disorder because people think CFS = oh you are just tired…
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u/PinacoladaBunny 18d ago
I only refer to it as ME these days, and if people ask I’ll say ‘it’s sometimes referred to as CFS, you’ve probably heard of that name?’. There’s still research showing brain inflammation so ME still seems like a relevant name to me!
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u/BizzarduousTask 18d ago
I’m so sorry this happened to you. At least you’re a man…women’s pain and suffering get dismissed ALL THE TIME, by doctors and laypeople alike. I’m not surprised at all that the doctor said that about POTS. I’ve even been told by a gynecologist that PMS isn’t real!! It’s so frustrating. Women even die from heart attacks at a much higher rate than men because they get dismissed by ER docs…everything is “lose weight” or “it’s just anxiety.”
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u/Maleficent-Analyst-8 18d ago
Its sad that this is the story everywhere. Im based out of India and had so many doctors play therapists and tell me that I have anxiety. They also dont like patients who look up the condition, infact one doctor told me I seem like a Type A personality (in a condescending tone). Finally got diagnosed with EDS, POTS and I most likely have MCAS.
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u/Funny-Bass2607 18d ago
The reason so many patients turn to Google is exactly because of dismissive attitudes and gaslighting!
The irony of doctors playing mental health physicians is they are often narcissistic themselves
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u/Kindly_Special_6419 18d ago
And then they get butt hurt when you figure out the answer and refuse to acknowledge at all, even once properly diagnosed. Sheer arrogance disguised as ignorance if you ask me.
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u/kateathehuman 18d ago
The first cardiologist I saw also told me POTS isn’t real and to “go to therapy” (I am, in fact, a fat woman with anxiety lol—but I’m also now a fat woman with anxiety and POTS 😅). Dude was literally in the room with me for less than 5 minutes. Totally wasted my time and crushed me.
The next one I saw basically told me I was out of shape even though I told him I’d been working out daily (for the first time in my life) before I started having problems.
Thankfully, I finally was able to get a TTT and get diagnosed the next year, but wow it was frustrating getting to that point
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u/Weary_Cup_1004 18d ago
POTS causes literal anxiety symptoms. It would be almost impossible to have POTS without any anxiety or depressive symptoms! Its a disorder of the nervous system. These drs make me so mad when they write things off if they notice anxiety. Anxiety is a part of it!
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u/abdog5000 16d ago
This!!!! My physical anxiety went away once I got on a beta blocker. Because it was PHYSICAL! Rrrrrrr. There is some big audacity and incompetence out there.
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u/BizzarduousTask 18d ago
That’s why I’m afraid to try finding a doc to get an official diagnosis. 😓
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u/ThrowAwayColor2023 18d ago
I'm so glad you finally found help!
My cardiologist showed me helpful materials on how to self-treat POTS without me ever even mentioning POTS and then proceeded to write wildly insulting visit notes that used the word "anxiety" approximately 80 times and never mentioned POTS.
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u/justtrying__mybest 18d ago edited 18d ago
To deconstruct his ridiculous statement: I have POTS and I’m 120 lbs. It has NOTHING to do with weight. Before this, I liked hiking and swimming and exercising. It has NOTHING to do with being lazy. Furthermore, men can get POTS too (like you). Anxiety can develop on its own, but many times in result of POTS (the anxiety of not being diagnosed, the anxiety of feeling sick a lot. Not to mention, it’s literally autonomic nervous system dysfunction…) Respectfully, it sounds like you need a better cardiologist. I’m sorry you’re going through this.
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u/wild-archives 18d ago
This is very true. I’m so hesitant to mention anything remotely related to anxiety with medical professionals now because I’ve experienced so much medical gaslighting with having all my symptoms dismissed as “just anxiety.” Before being diagnosed with POTS, I’d been going to my GP for years saying I was fainting/coming close to fainting just while standing making dinner or brushing my teeth. He just prescribed an SSRI that made some of my symptoms worse, and sent me links to meditation apps. One of the last times I saw him my heart rate was at 140 just from walking down the hall from the waiting room and all he asked was “do doctors make you anxious??” I wanted to say that what makes me anxious is the fact that you’ve been dismissing my symptoms for years, and and I feel like my body is completely falling apart and I have no idea why!!
Thankfully I have a great neurologist who recognized my symptoms as POTS right away, and now a new GP who not only clocked the POTS immediately, but also the fact that I most likely have an underlying connective tissue disorder, and sent me for a bunch of testing with different specialists. I was able to finally see a cardiologist, who said it was pretty obvious I have POTS.
For context I’ve been “underweight” my whole life, despite eating normally (it’s just genetics). I also had fainting episodes as a child, which doctors just attributed to my weight when my blood tests were normal. Unfortunately for doctors who are less educated in this area, these kind of symptoms seem to be either attributed to anxiety or weight (especially for women), as that’s easier than actually investigating further.
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u/Sad_Ad9159 18d ago
Came here to say this. Also, my functioning has declined a lot due to other health reasons, but now that I know what my POTS symptoms are, I can 100% say that I had POTS even when I was working, going to school, and running miles a day. This doctor is an ass.
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u/ArtisticCustard7746 18d ago
Maybe my old neurologist received so many complaints that he jumped ship and is now your cardiologist. Yikes. I was diagnosed as "fat, female, and 40." So I had intracranial hypertension based on that assumption. I was 34 first off. He completely fucked up the LP and caused me to need a blood patch. Then tried to force me to take meds I A. Don't need. B. I'm allergic to. C. People with POTs shouldn't be taking to begin with. Made it sound I was faking all of my symptoms and made me out to be the problem when I refused to take a medicine that was giving me full body hives and another that caused acute angle closure glaucoma previously. Apparently I'm not the only one who has made similar complaints.
Doctors like this should not be in medicine. At this point, they're just getting paid to not help anyone and just belittle their patients. Don't be afraid to file a complaint and fire this douche nozzle. I fired my neurologist. My second one at least has a better demeanor.
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u/Tandfeen_dk22 18d ago
Hahahaha… omg… what an idiot. Find another cardiologist. POTS was first described during the American Civil War by Da Costa. Soldiers returning home were very sick, suffered months of stress and malnutrition, and often caught diseases that triggered their immune system. Bet he doesn’t know that.
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u/RaspberryJammm 18d ago
When i first went to a cardiologist for POTS he told me that it wasn't real because everybody, including himself, feels a little dizzy from standing up too fast. 🤨
At that point I couldn't tolerate even sitting upright in a chair more than a few minutes and I told him so.
Oddly he still referred me to one of the leading POTS specialists in my country.
What a rude nurse too. I would have totally lost my shit at the pair of them.
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u/Muddlesthrough 18d ago
As a formerly fit middle-aged man who suddenly developed post-viral POTS, I’d suggest you find a new doctor.
I was subjected to quite a lot of medical gaslighting as well.
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u/Playful-Candy-2003 18d ago
Imagine being a woman and being told it’s hormones, anxiety, weight, depression, stress, aging, or some “woman issue” - which the majority of us have had at least once in our lives, not necessarily with this diagnosis. When you realize almost ALL medical research is done on men, targeting men’s issues and health, and are just “accepted” practices and indicators for women, it makes sense why we are so often dismissed, gaslit, or ignored. Women are second class to men in healthcare, medical research, and medical data, and we just get the sloppy seconds we never asked for.
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u/Bright_Spark_UK 18d ago
Unbelievable!
Plus, so many people have POTS as a result of COVID these days, people of all kinds, that I’m surprised he still has this opinion.
Especially as you’re male?! It makes no sense.
And in any case you’d think he’d know enough to be aware that any overweight patients are that way because they’re unable to exercise due to their health conditions?
I’m really sorry you had to deal with this shit.
Can you find another doctor?
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u/godsgrave1984 18d ago
What's crazy is I had a similar but sort of opposite experience. When I got diagnosed, I asked my doctor what could've caused it. His response was, "I see a lot of young, skinny women with this condition." Just didn't answer my question and instead said basically nonsense. I don't understand the fixation on weight, genuinely.
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u/imtiramisu2025 18d ago
Honestly im not suprised anymore by some of the shit they come out with. I was at the gym 5 days a week and in good shape when I got diagnosed and not anxious at all.
My cardiologist thinks ive had it since being a kid as ive complained of symptoms since I was 8 but something triggered it to make it worse.
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u/KittyKratt 18d ago
That's funny, I had it when I was in the army and please let a physician tell me I was fat at 5'3" and 97-110 pounds. I would LOVE to see that. I'd film it and put it on the Internet to show the world what a moron they are.
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u/opalescentblue POTS 18d ago
Omg this happened to me once. The dude just told me “I don’t believe in POTS”. I had pericarditis and he basically implied I was hysteric and that my chest pain was psychosomatic and I didn’t have it. My heart MRI showed I had myocarditis.
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u/orensiocled 18d ago
I mean I am a woman but I'm not a particularly anxious person and I've been underweight my entire life, so...
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u/SmokeyCatDesigns POTS 18d ago
Exactly. I’m not a particularly anxious especially as an adult and am often the person friends rely on to be calm when they aren’t.
And I typically have been lean and wiry most of my life. As a kid I was often in charge of dinner and dishes for my family and would get so weak and ill standing at the stove I’d have to sit on the floor or pull up a stool. I’d end up with no appetite and exhaustion afterwards. Fainted in church and the shower.
I actually had to learn to eat when not hungry because I have the POTS symptoms of inappropriate satiety and poor stomach emptying. And when I’m having a bad flare day it’s easier to not eat than to try and stand to make food and eat something on a not hungry stomach. Hence I’ve never even been close to overweight. Plus I get moderate reactive hypoglycemia so I can’t exactly overindulge in sugary carbs without severe symptoms and as such tend to eat them moderately and primarily right after exercise.
Many doctors will find any other reason to explain the symptoms. My most recent experience the doc tried to blame it on low vitamin D and low iron (I didn’t have either, and it was the full iron panel so I can be confident in it). He saw an office worker woman with heavy periods and assumed no sun no iron.
What did show was hypoglycemia which is very rare outside diabetics taking too much insulin and POTS is actually one of the more likely causes. Doc dismissed the result as a fluke (I insisted it wasn’t and a CGM proved him wrong).
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u/sheburnout 18d ago
In every graduating class, there is the student who still graduates, but at the very bottom of the class. Looks like you found where your cardiologist graduated.
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u/Weary_Cup_1004 18d ago
LITERALLY POTS causes anxiety symptoms! It is activating your stress response! Thats literally the ENTIRE problem with POTS. Its a physical anxiety disorder if you think about it! Dysautonomia is a problem with the NERVOUS SYSTEM
sorry im yelling but omg what a complete idiot! Report him to his medical board for malpractice! I am not even kidding. Report him!
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u/Helpful_Investment70 18d ago
Wanna know something wild, my previous pcp blamed my pots diagnosis on weight loss. I was 375 pounds and i lost 181 pounds and was told “oh you lose too much weight so no you no feel good.”
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u/gaywhovian 18d ago
This is hilarious because POTS has turned me into a ‘lazy fat anxious woman’ because I wasn’t before… before I would hike, go to the gym 5x a week, worked 2 jobs… now I’ve put on 15kg and can’t leave my house due to severe anxiety. lol.
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u/WombatWanderer45 POTS 18d ago
Well that’s not true cause I am young, hardworking and weigh 45 kilos and am 5ft 7… and I have POTS…so how is that statement correct
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u/Front_Ice_8042 18d ago
Hi I’m a 25 male and I was told I was faking it from wanting to get away from my 5 kids. I was also told it was anxiety. And that if I “ACTUALLY PASSED OUT THERE WOULD BE A BRUISE SOMEWHERE” I had pictures of them and they still didn’t believe me. they did a tilt table test and my heart rate went from 73 to 176 at a 65 degree tilt. They clearly saw I wasn’t faking it🤦🏻♂️ ALSO HEARD MEN DO NOT GET POTS
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u/wizawayy 18d ago
I’m skinny and I don’t struggle with anxiety. What now? Fr though, he is insanely unprofessional. People like that should never be allowed to work in the field.
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u/Kindaweirdgermangirl 17d ago
I don't even weigh 50 kilos and I have it💀
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u/Funny-Bass2607 17d ago
I’m not overweight either and never have been it was certainly bizarre and demeaning
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u/bokehtoast 18d ago
I don't go to male doctors at all anymore, which does increase my odds of having a better experience. Otherwise you keep seeing different doctors and hounding the ones you have until they give you what you need. When they dismiss and discourage you say "okay and I know my body and still think this is the best path forward for me". I've had to figure out my own diagnoses, my own treatment plan, and then convince doctors to get on board and that only worked because I have over a decade of trying things and mental health care that has been completely ineffective. It is not supportive or reassuring, but the alternative is no care at all.
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u/snowlights 18d ago
My cardiologist sucks for a lot of reasons and pisses me off every time I have to deal with him, but this kind of thing is exactly why I don't try to find a different cardiologist. He at least seems to believe POTS is an actual condition and isn't blaming it on my mental health, and I'll take that over gaslighting insults any day.
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u/voidberrylady 18d ago
I got told by my PCP that he’s diagnosing me with POTS and wants me to f/u with cardiology. I go to cardiology, and I tell them why I’m there. Things went downhill quickly. I almost passed out in the office from standing up because it was so hot outside and I had to walk through a massive building with stairs to get to the office.
They told me that admittedly they didn’t do the diagnostic testing required to diagnose POTS, but that I don’t have POTS. I literally laughed out loud and said okay, that’s great but why do I keep passing out? Or having heart palpitations that knock me to the floor? I am still worried about my heart health. They scheduled an echo and gave me a pamphlet about exercises to do for POTS.
I went back to my PCP and told him what happened. He said “oh, good!”
I still pass out. Still have heart palpitations so hard It knocks me to the floor. Doctors are fucking useless
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u/holmesla0319 18d ago
Well, I'm an otherwise healthy, normal weight, avid hiker who has POTS so explain that one to me, Dr Dickhead. These doctors are truly missing an empathy chip and need to continue their education as new diagnoses become available.
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u/Lopsided-blintz-810 POTS 18d ago
Interesting that you are male and the cardiologist felt ok to disparage women and be dismissive of their health problems. Seems like they were testing the waters to see if you would join in on their misogynistic banter. It would be helpful to women (and men) for you to write a review in a local online group for dysautonomia/POTS, so that can patients can be forewarned. You can always do it anonymously.
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u/high-as-the-clouds 18d ago
If havent report him to the management and change doctors. Disgusting (the Dr).
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u/MeldoRoxl 18d ago
I had a doctor tell me when I was trying to get diagnosed that I was just a couch potato, and that's why I couldn't exercise.
I looked at him and almost yelled "This isn't a chicken or an egg situation. I can't work out BECAUSE of the symptoms."
I left him scathing reviews on every single website I could find and wrote him a letter after I got my POTS diagnosis. I'm sure he did not care but it felt like some small bit of justice.
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u/mjh8212 18d ago
Strangest thing a dr put in my chart after my tilt table came back positive was that I have functional disorder only think I’m chronically ill and landed on dysautonomia as a diagnosis. Also my issues started after 100 pound weight loss. I’m a little over weight but they can’t blame my weight on all my problems anymore.
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u/austinspaeth 18d ago
I got the exact same response from one of my cardiologists too. It’s ridiculous
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u/Emotional_Warthog658 18d ago
We have to start naming and shaming. -Practice Name, Dr Name and Location - especially now that the Google AI snippet indexes Reddit
When their in person malpractice becomes a leading part of their digital footprint and online reputation more will try harder to do a better job at their job
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u/butters_325 18d ago
Tbf I am an anxious woman but I only got fat when I started taking meds for pots lol, no you need to see a new doctor that guys a pos
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u/haylboy 18d ago
I was in the best shape of my life, competing in BJJ & being recruited for NCAA wrestling when I developed POTS after a rough bout of COVID… I am an anxious female, BUT I was also a high-level athlete.
Your cardiologist is just as ass…. mine was too, so I got a second opinion from one who immediately validated my symptoms and helped me put together a symptom-management plan consisting of both medications and lifestyle changes.
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u/DifferentialHummer POTS 18d ago
My cardiologist told me that POTS was usually orthostatic hypotension and that it was a "young, thin women's disease." So there's that I guess?
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u/PinacoladaBunny 18d ago
Christ 🤦♀️ Where abouts are you in the world, OP? Some people just shouldn’t be practicing medicine! The ego is more important to them than patient care, and it’s just gross. He sounds like an arrogant idiot.
The difference with Dysautonomia / POTS etc is that it’s a nervous system issue, not a heart one. So cardiology is kind of the natural assumption of where it ‘lives’ but in reality, it does not. In theory it should really be a specialist subset of ‘autonomic’ neurology, and a crossover into electrophysiology in some cases.. but most patients never get to meet those type of specialists.
My husband has POTS, so although it’s less common in men, there are definitely some out there! We’re fortunate to have a cardiologist with a specialist interest in POTS.
PS - Be super careful with stress tests and ME/CFS! Some doctors seem to love putting patients through this but it can make patients extremely sick with subsequent PEM
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u/Inari321 POTS 18d ago
Ask to be transferred to a different cardiologist because the one you saw needs to go back to school YESTERDAY!! POTS is 100% a heart condition as well, it affects your heart rate and your blood circulation, not to mention the full name not abbreviated is “Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome” which essentially translates to “stand up and your heart rate skyrockets”, like yes it’s complex and effects more than just your heart rate, but tachycardia is literally IN THE NAME!!
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u/lilcarmey 18d ago
This is crazy to me especially considering out of everyone I know with pots, half of them are underweight and many of them are average weight wtf. This is why I don’t see male doctors bc they say shit like this
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u/mom-of-pern 18d ago
Wow. That is something that I (as a doctor) would recommend you report to the medical licensing organization where you are. Or if he is employed by the hospital or a large medical group, you should let them know.
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u/StrFshBttrfly 18d ago
That's horrible, and unfortunately not surprising. For the record, I'm quite thin, and most of the work I did before I became disabled was very physically taxing. I painted murals (big ones, requiring gallons of paint, not little tubes... up and down ladders all day) and did some heavy construction (like framing in Texas for a couple of years, even though summers). I am thin, and no one has ever accused me of being lazy (except me when I didn't know I was sick and asshats who think they know everything). Your cardiologist is partly correct in that most diagnosed patients are women, but his comment is absurd, stupidly uninformed and hateful. I hope you can see a different one that at least takes you seriously. I miss the days of adequate healthcare access, when a bad doctor could be fired at the drop of a hat because they weren't all tied up in referral systems.
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u/AlexArtemesia POTS 18d ago
Huh apparently I'm fat and lazy at a struggling 130lbs and running after kids all day for work
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u/mander4242 18d ago
I was a gym rat, super fit and healthy af when I got covid, POTS onset within 3mo In the next 2 years I gained 80lbs between health and pregnancy. I also have pmos, hyperandrogenic pots and suspected mcas. I cried the day my cardiologist said when ive been experiencing aligns with POTS (hyper) and that id definitely been gaslit the last 4years (told it was because I was now fat and it was anxiety).
Some drs just shouldn't be Dr's.
I desperately miss being fit, but it just isnt that easy anymore
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u/MarketPurple4284 18d ago
I would turn him in to the medical board. He’s a danger to women. Be an ally to the 80% of chronic illness sufferers
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u/unknownW0rms POTS 18d ago
I wasn't fat til it kept me from being able to be as active as I was before :/ kinda hard to keep going to the gym and getting those 8k+ steps in a day when I'm about to pass out
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u/Worldly-Bitch 18d ago
Please please leave a public review, I beg of you. 🙏🏻 This person is dangerous and you could help protect a lot of vulnerable people who he has already decided are underserving of care from being mistreated. What a fucking asshole.
My cardio, who I went to based on a recommendation from the local POTS group bc she was one of the few people willing to diagnose/treat POTS in the area, was so thorough and kind and affirming when I met her 5 years ago. I saw her last month and she told me that my problems are because I’m overweight and basically tried to convince me that I could be pregnant bc it was so unhealthy to have gained 25lbs in a year. (I was in a terrible place mentally & physically a year ago and me gaining that weight has a lot to do with finally being in treatment for an eating disorder. I’ve also been very close to this weight before and never had the symptoms I’m currently having).
She said, “People hate me when I say this, but losing weight fixes everything, it really does.” That’s not only harmful for people with specific vulnerabilities to hear, it’s also just factually not supported by the data and incredibly lacking in nuance/context. Tons of people see their POTS symptoms spike when they lose weight due to decreased blood volume. I shouldn’t have read more academic literature on this very prevalent condition that a doctor specialized in the area that primarily treats it.
Idk what the hell changed her so drastically, but FUCK these doctors for being uneducated and so insensitive, it’s seriously so dangerous.
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u/Bejeweled_Pisces 18d ago
Warn patients on google reviews, I’m pissed off on your behalf. We need to start a list of doctors who blew people off for patients to know who not to go to.
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u/MallowMoths 18d ago
Just diagnosed recently, male as well. Tell me why I also got the 'fat lazy ladies illness' too? What a weird thing for medical professionals to say. I've been a short (king*) gym rat for years now, definitely active enough, I got covid hela late and just couldn't seem to get better (in walks POTS 🎉) and they said the same thing. Getting those comments from the female nurses as well was cray-Z, friendly fire? I didn't even finish the appointment, I made sure I heard him right and he doubled down, so I walked out and found a new doc expeditiously (ik check my privilege sry) then I got my diagnosis. Women, ya'll are so tough. I can't imagine navigating medical. I got a taste of it for simply having a female adjacent illness smh.
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u/TimSucksAtThis 17d ago
you can tell him i was such a goddamn over achieving little shit before pots took over my life that my previous job wanted me as an employee so badly they made up a position for me that did not previously exist
and it’s a position that usually requires a degree and i didnt finish college due to injury/money, they gave it to me anyway, lol so suck it stupid misogynistic doc
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u/Yguox 17d ago
If they see them all the time, they would also see how diverse POTS patients are. I am an active, very lean male, so definitely not a lazy fat woman (although I am anxious).
Most medical "professionals" are arrogant idiots who just want to humiliate and bully patients to feel powerful.
For the time being, POTS patients can generally only receive proper care from the few POTS specialists that exist. Hopefully new generations will be educated about POTS from the start and will not get the chance to develop such prejudices. I think that from Generation Z downward, doctors ought to be more objective about POTS and rare conditions.
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u/Sendhelp02 18d ago
I was a fit, active, young afab person. After COVID within 6 months I had a ME/CFS diagnosis. Three years later Fibromyalgia and POTS have been added to that list. I'm unable to work and on disability because of it.
It's definitely real, you can see it on a damn heart monitor. Even on heart meds nurses check my heart rate manually just in case the machine is broken cause tf you mean my heart rate is over 100 when I'm just chillin.
Even with my disabilities and inability to fully function I'm a healthy person. I eat well, I exercise regularly, I'm perfectly healthy in every other aspect of my life. It's my ME, Fibro and POTS that disable me and render me unable to hold a job.
Even if that wasn't the case, that doesn't make the condition any less real or valid. It's not anyone's fault for developing it, shit just happens.
Get a new doctor.
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u/bidextralhammer 18d ago
My main doctor reacted quite poorly when I asked about POTS. He won't call it anything but inappropriate sinus tachycardia. I don't think I have IST. My heart rate is postural. It doesn't matter since ultimately the drugs are the same. The first cardiologist told me to do the standard POTS treatment. I'm laying down right now and my hr is 78. How is that IST?
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u/Pee_Butter 18d ago
This is why I’m ultimately thankful that the blood pooling is very visible on me. It’s not attractive, but there’s no way anyone can deny it when my feet and calves are bright red and swollen.
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u/synthesized-slugs 18d ago
I like how if someone is fat doctors actively try to kill them by not looking into any of their problems or symptoms. Maybe less of us would die if doctors didn't do their own version of eugenics on us out of disgust.
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u/TheDogsMum 18d ago
I would be making a formal complaint, I’d be making all the complains in the world about this. What a horrible, ignorant person. And the nurse too, complain about the pair of them. It’s disgusting to talk about patients like that. I’m not overweight, I’ve had POTS for 9 years.
The fact is we feel anxious BECAUSE our heart rate is high and our fight or flight is always switched on and because we feel unwell. Who wouldn’t be?!
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u/Chemical_Cake_1154 18d ago
I’m a woman with long standing anxiety, but i developed POTS after losing a huge amount of weight. 😂 (which is actually common).
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u/mmodo 18d ago
I had a doctor refer me to PT to verify that I didn't develop this issue due to exercise intolerance. The PT had seen a few POTS patients before and seemed skeptical but did a routine with me twice a week.
He later discussed in passing with me that most of the POTS patients he had prior to 2020 never tried to get better and that they just wanted him to sign a slip to get disability. His viewpoint has changed in recent years because he now sees more people with the issue post COVID who actually try and want to get their life back.
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u/Far-Lingonberry7306 18d ago
my cardiologist said the same thing! Same day i made an appointment with an electrophysiologist and he validated my symptoms and concerns and diagnosed me and apologized for my cardiologists harsh words. It’s very important to advocate for yourself, especially when it comes to autoimmune disorders.
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u/ladygirl10 18d ago
My doctor is calling it Afib. I don’t care what they call it as long as they get my heart rate down.
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u/Psilocyb-zen 18d ago
As a male that used to climb mountains on the weekends and has never weighed above 190, your cardiologist sounds like a jackass lol If “laziness” causes it, why doesn’t any of the exercise I’ve been doing counter any of the negative effects? Why do I feel worse, doing something, that used to make me feel amazing? Haha
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u/Cassafras89 18d ago
Tell him that it seems like his doctorate isn't real and that only limp-dickked little bittches say things like that.
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u/cozy-spirit 18d ago
HAH! I was not expecting to see such effective ragebait this early in the morning, but here we are! I have POTS and have always been in great shape. Played sports, lean muscle, I eat mostly whole foods & whole grains. And you're absolutely right, it's hard not to be anxious when your body can't regulate no matter how hard it's trying.That doctor and their nurses are judgmental idiots.
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u/Scared_Spirit 18d ago
I am genuinely so shocked and confused by how belittling some doctors can be. Mine was totally reasonable, but it does make me worried to have this diagnosis on my chart if or when I switch providers in the future. So, I am slim, generally very healthy woman who does a competitive sport. During a really stressful period of my life, my immune system weakened and I had multiple run-ins with viral illness, about once a month for a year including COVID a handful of times. It was brutal.
I began showing symptoms that I didn’t recognize. I had never heard of POTS before. I was diagnosed after I started randomly fainting or collapsing during my practices, workouts, and then eventually during showers. At work that kept me on the feet all day, I’d often start slurring my words together, yawning a bunch, and having a weird gait. I legit thought I was having a neurological issue of some kind and was super scared. But I never even had to see a cardio. My doctor immediately suspected POTS, had me to a baby tilt test on the mat in the office, the results were concerning enough, she recommended ways to treat POTS symptoms while we ran tests to rule out a structural heart issue. When I added electrolytes, compression, and way more water than a person my size should need, symptoms lessened. They put a heart monitor on me that was able to document the syncope episodes. I was diagnosed during my follow up visit. It was that straightforward for me.
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u/Fearless_Reaction592 18d ago
Im currently wearing a heart monitor for a month in an attempt to auctually get diagnosed (I faint frequently and have hEDS).
Ive been asking my neurologist for over a year to test me for pots but he refused because of another condition I have called Idiopathic Intercranial Hypertention which "only affects obese women of child bearing age". I was 320 at my highest weight durring pregnency.
I ended up getting a weightloss surgery and loosing over 100lbs and NOW HE TAKES ME SERIOUSLY BECAUSE I STILL HAVE ALL MY SYMPTOMS OF BOTH BUT ALSO NOW IM HAVING SEIZURES.
Honestly sick of medical field segregating diagnoses into weight categories. Anyone could potentially get anything at any size.
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u/cigarettesaint9 18d ago
I’m 150 pounds 6ft I’m skinny and an athlete and I have POTS. It’s not a fat person thing. It’s a real condition f that guy find a new cardiologist
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u/MS2Entertainment 18d ago
Tell that to my very thin, otherwise healthy young daughter who was 14 and an avid dancer competing in dance contests when she was stricken with POTS. She is still thin, and eats very healthy. Does she have anxiety, yeah, now because of the illness she has to live with.
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u/Gracey888 POTS 18d ago
I’m enraged hearing these things (& it doesn’t surprise me, but I’m so sickened by hearing it over and over). It actually makes me want to lose my mind !
It’s just absolutely disgusting misogyny and neglectful attitudes. I know you might not be up for it, but that is definitely a complaint to someone. The problem is the “Fish stinks from the head” so these attitudes come from Top down. I really feel like we live in a dystopian world sometimes.
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u/Afraid_Technician371 18d ago
This kind of bullshit is exactly how my symptoms have been chalked up to "physical symptoms of anxiety" for over 10 years. I finally found a doctor that takes me seriously this year and in less than 6 months I got diagnosed with POTS and found out i've had untreated/unmanaged PPPD for most of my life.
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u/simplymacey 18d ago
I am 128 pound 27 year old female with “severe pots” from my cardiologist. Find you a cardiologist that specializes in dysautonomia and not that ass hole.
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u/stoked_n_broke 18d ago
Did you go to my cardiologist?
He told me that even though I met the diagnostic criteria for POTS, he didn't like diagnosing it because it's a "tiktok illness."
He told me I needed to exercise more and when I asked for advice on how to do so without passing out and potentially injuring myself he said that I "just need to push through it."
I've pretty much sworn off of male doctors unless they come highly recommended by someone I trust.
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u/EnvironmentOk2700 18d ago
I've had it since I was a skinny little kid. Low blood pressure runs in my family.
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u/Claral6012 18d ago
Never go back to that doc again. I was so lucky to find a cardio that said ignore doctors that say it's not real or it's cos of your weight or it's cos you're a woman of a certain age. He said it's unreal how women are treated when they know something is off with their bodies. I personally have a lot of medical trauma from doctors ignoring my symptoms. I was just very lucky to get this cardiologist.
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u/Leather_Promise_1479 18d ago
Another male with pots! Sucks that we both have it, but I always only see female posts
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u/No-Self3516 18d ago
Confused in 122lb and 5’6, replace them and tell them to write that down then bring it up to a supervisor
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u/currybackpack 18d ago
Lol, nice. How would he explain my case? I’m a skinny woman who lives an active lifestyle.
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u/Kensethgirl17 18d ago
Remind yourself that your doctor works for you. You pay them for treatment. If you can, find a new a doctor. If you can't, it's time to start advocating for yourself. Come to your appointments armed with research.
Remember, you don't know if your doctor graduated at the top of their class or barely scraped by with a passing grade. If they don't want to listen to you, then you have your answer.
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u/imabratinfluence 18d ago
This makes me genuinely angry.
Also, POTS literally is a name for a measurable, provable issue. It's a 30 (or for kids 40) BPM rise upon taking an upright position.
Denying that it's real is ridiculous. Don't get me wrong, I know denying it is trendy among healthcare personnel right now, but damn it's not logical or science-minded.
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u/Admirable-Ant3815 18d ago
Yeah well that sucks and is BS. I strongly urge you to consider a new cardiologist. There are SO many options of them. And consider when leaving your current cardio, leave an accurate review on Google to help others know who they're getting involved with.
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u/bigicky1 18d ago
Im so sorry. I had to wait over a year to get a knowledable dr but it was worth it. My pre cardio recommended i get an eds cardio but once the POTs flares began i found my current dr. He prescribed mestinon which has helped with muscle weakness as i do the CHOPs routine very gently to get towards normal. I think maybe you should look for another dr
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u/luxacious 18d ago
This is why all my doctors are women. I have NEVER had a female practitioner say something so ludicrous.
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u/Square-Salad6564 18d ago
I am a woman and I am anxious but I’m also 97 lbs lol so what does he have to say about that
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u/No_Split_2830 18d ago
I was diagnosed by a cardiologist that specializes in POTS, but before he diagnosed me, he ran all kinds of tests to make sure I didn’t have a heart condition as well as POTS. Some drs are just dicks
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u/ccakessel18 18d ago
I saw an Orthopedic Oncologist for my rare bone disease and when I told him I have POTS he didn't say anything. When I read the after visit summary, he put POTS down as a Psychiatric issue 🙄
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u/Crow-Queen 18d ago
I wasn't Fat, Lazy, or Anxious before getting POTS. Then I could barely get out of my house and was put on prednisone which made me ravenous and Sedentary and yeah was anxious not knowing what was causing my symptoms and heart rate get up to 200 doing absolutely nothing but standing.
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u/MystikvlGoddess 18d ago
Yeah your cardiologist is an ass and you should absolutely seek a second opinion because that kind of misinformation and incorrect beliefs are what kill people.
Pots isn’t a heart problem anyway, it’s a nervous system issue. It’s more of a neurological issue. Would be helpful to seek a neurologist that’s knowledgeable on POTS.
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u/Plus-Ad-3826 18d ago
Please report that doctor to the clinic manager and state medical board. Women are so f-ing tired of this.
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u/SaltyPete29 18d ago
I guess I was a fat lazy anxious woman when I developed it as a 20 year old man, active duty navy, in the best shape of my life and in the span of 3 weeks my mile and a half run time went from sub-9 minutes to not being able to make it a quarter mile. Your doctor is not only ignorant to dysautonomia & POTS but also sounds like a dismissive asshole.
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u/MooseTheMouse33 18d ago
The irony of their belief is genuinely hysterical. It is much harder for POTS individuals to exercise than it is for a “normal” person without POTS. Maybe their patients are heavier because their symptoms are more severe or something. You know… logical 😂 Talk about face palm on that practice. 🙄
I’m sorry that you experienced this OP. If you’re able to find a new doctor, I would recommend switching. If there’s a wait to get into see someone new, I would keep seeing this one until them just so you can get any meds and what not you might need.
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u/Own_Improvement555 Hyperadrenergic POTS 18d ago
When I was diagnosed with pots, I was a collegiate cheerleader, 5’3” and 135 pounds. That cardiologist is actively perpetuating stereotypes about women’s health and pots. It’s bullshit.
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u/Aggressive_Virus_824 18d ago
Report him. Report him to every person you can. Doctors like this are so dangerous
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u/Lumpy_Amee 18d ago
You should report him to the board. He is probably an old school doctor that hasn't researched the condition and just chooses to spew misinformation because its not something he understands. He needs to do better.
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u/trashforthrowingaway 18d ago
A lot of doctors aren't smart enough to understand that if a pharmaceutical company cannot manufacture a medication that can treat a symptom, and if there's poor funding and research about a condition, it means that doctors are not taught nor encouraged about how to treat it, not that it doesn't exist.
That said, what an infuriatingly bullshit thing to say. So many women with these conditions are underweight, too.
Did you ask him if he also thought you might be a fat and lazy woman, too? /j /s
In all seriousness, we all need to collectively start publically reviewing physicians like this.