Working on your feet?
I have mild/moderate POTS, without syncope. About a year ago, I was in the worst flare up I’ve ever experienced, but also desperately broke so I took the only job I could get as a short order cook. Amazingly, the increased physical activity IMPROVED my symptoms. To the extent I considered myself cured.
I’m now the GM of the restaurant I work for. I work 60+ hours a week, and about 40 of those hours are on my feet, cooking/cleaning/putting away the truck, etc. For the past 4-5 months I’ve been experiencing profound exhaustion to the extent that if I am not working, I am sleeping. I work 10-12 hours a day and sleep 12-14 hours—and still long for more sleep. I don’t have the energy to do even basic self-care.
It’s strange that I don’t feel tired while I’m working (maybe I’m riding in adrenaline?), but as soon as I stop working, I can’t stay awake. I don’t think it’s CFS/ME because, like I said, I feel fine at work.
Started monitoring my heart rate again and it does appear that my POtS is very much active. I had not even realized (I’m experiencing heart rates that used to make me dizzy and shaken). But the only symptom I’m really experience is profound fatigue. I’m not necessarily feeling any of my previous symptoms (nausea, headaches, dizziness, etc) even though my heart rate is staying quite elevated any time I’m not sitting.
I don’t want to leave my job. I truly enjoy it and I’m making the best money of my career. I also think that being inactive made my symptoms much worse. But I’ve been on vacation for the past week and doing a lot of active rest, and after 7 days my HRV is finally showing me NOT in a state of exhaustion and high stress. And I was finally able to stay awake for a whole day yesterday. So I’m wondering if my job is simply wearing my body out in some terrible way.
My question is: has anyone with mild/moderate POTs who works an active job found a way to reduce/manage fatigue?
I have a prescription for propranolol that I stopped taking when I thought I was in remission. Would taking beta blockers to reduce my heart rate help with fatigue?
Would finding ways to adapt my job to stay out of high heart rate zones help keep energy levels more stable? (Not sure there’s much I could do on that end, though)
Thanks for any insights y’all might have.