I've had GERD for 12 years. As of November 2024 I've experienced intermittent air hunger, typical throat burning and now it feels like my nose is constantly plugged/making me feel short of breath. I just had an EGD which was clear. I'm starting to look into the cause for the air hunger and I found LPR. Anyone have similar symptoms or what other symptoms do others have?
Long post...sorry. New to POTS and new to reddit - looking for some insight and reassurance! Here's my story.
I have always been a long distance runner/pretty active. At the end of October of 2024 I began to notice I had random air hunger. In November 2024 I almost passed out while driving, went to ER, everything was normal. I began to notice palpitations and that my heart rate got high in the morning and walking up stairs (120-140). Heart monitor in Dec showed nothing abnormal and the symptoms seemed to go away (minus the air hunger, but I wrote that off because I also have GERD). I gave birth in July 2025.
Then, in September of 2025 I became very anxious, the palpitations were back and so was the increased heart rate. I developed intermittent chest pain and I was also getting dizzy, nauseous, and fatigued. By December 2025, I could barely walk without needing to lie down for an hour to recover. My fitness seemed to decline rapidly with no explanation.
I was finally diagnosed in March 2026 with POTS after a positive tilt table test. Symptoms have been improving with consistent exercise. But I still have high HR in the morning and going up stairs. Also air hunger, randomly, sometimes just sitting. And chest discomfort, usually on my sternum sometimes upper chest. Usually feels tight or burning.
I'd love to try and find the root cause for the POTS or at least rule things out. My cardiologist basically just gave me management guidelines and ordered an echo for the air hunger.
I'd love to hear others experiences and any insight offered!
Thanks for reading!