This morning I had a pre-op appointment with my Dr. to discuss this Friday's surgery. No matter how comfortable I am with my Docs, my adrenaline starts flowing and my heart starts racing and I get really potsy. When we were done, I had started to get this really tight band of pressure around my head like my head was bursting from the inside. This has been happening to me alot lately. It doesn't really hurt but I get dizzy and the pressure is almost unbearable. I had to get home and get right to bed. My heartrate had calmed down but I was still a bit loopy feeling because I had been walking a bit to the office and back to my mom's car. Just wondering if maybe this awful pressure/weird feeling could be a form of silent migraine? I know we've discussed them before. I've really been getting this a lot since I've been more symptomatic. I was thinking it also might just be a POTS reaction to all the activity.

I had "silent migraines" for many years before I came down with POTS. I think they were probably a precursor or early stage of my ANS dysfunction as a large componant to migraine is vascular. I still have them but they tend to get lost in the rest of the symptomology. I can tell they are still around because I get flashing light auras before they hit.

What you are describing sounds a bit more like an anxiety type of reaction to me, which is also really common with us and happens to many when they are tachycardic. My anxiety problems seem to be growing (while my tachycardia events are less frequent) and any kind of stress really makes me feel pretty nasty. I don't get the pressure in my head but I do need to lie down to wait for it to pass.

Could be mcaimless. I know I am concerned about surgery Friday so that doesn't help. And, I just went to my neighbors house to talk about some things and it started up again. The tachy and the head pressure. Talking to people just seems to set me off. Pathetic - I love to talk! But the adrenaline just goes crazy. Since I've been off the beta blockers I am so more symptomatic from a pots standpoint and also much more prone to anxiety issues (including those panic attacks when I'm not panicked but sitting quietly doing something assuming I'm calm). I hate this feeling. My head feels like it's going to explode from pressure. I want to try to get control over it without going on anti-anxiety drugs. I know when I see the Dr. next month I am going to discuss going back on the beta blocker without the anti-arrythmic. Maybe that will help calm some of these symptoms.

i get really strong feelings of pressure and loopiness in my head when i am anxious. i could somewhat describe it as dizziness too, but it's quite a bit loopier than that. the pressure can be strong, but i can also get the spins. the feeling often makes me feel like i will pass out. it only happens when i am anxious. in fact, ironically, it seems worse when i get really anxious but i can feel the beta blocker taking effect.
anyways, it is very uncomfortable. like mccaimless, my anxiety issues are growing while my tachycardia issues are lessening. there's nothing like an episode of three hours at 200 bpm though to make me fear life!!!

i have migraine that goes up and down the scale of severity.

Sometimes however, it feels like my head is going to burst. That my brain has become to big for my skull and it's going to burst open. It's not a painful feeling. But uncomfortable, disconcerting and I'm glad when it passes.

Last time it happened was two nights ago and I was sitting peacefully on the couch watching some tv. I just had to go with it and eventually it passed.

Maybe it is another form of migraine? I'd never thought about this before.

I was told once I was having silent migraines (by an ENT) that was causing my severe dizziness and vertigo although this Dr. wasn't familiar with POTS. The way you described it blue is right on target. Like my brain is too big for my skull but it really doesn't hurt. Just very uncomfortable and I have to be quiet and close my eyes. Just another more frequent symptoms to talk to the doc about I suppose. Sigh.....

Hi trebleclef,

I have never mentioned this symptom to a doc. I know why -- for nearly 2 decades I was misdiganosed with Panic Disorder and I just it was another 'scary symptom' that I had bought on myself. Old 'conditioning' dies hard.

And in the past nearly 2 years since diagnosis of POTS whenever it happens I've just never remembered to speak to any doc about it. I get really p*ssed off these days when docs refer to me having panic disorder (as it still is on my records) -- God, I wish I'd shut my mouth and kept that misdiagnosis between me and my string of psychiatrists over the years. If I had none of the docs I now have to see nor would emergency have this misdiagnosis available to them to write me off. Now it's all over my medical records and I know many medical people don't take me seriously because of that. Yet when they are talking to me I'm as calm as can be. How can they read one thing in my records in front of them and yet be talking to me and see me being calm and NOT think something is wrong with the records, for god's sake?

I've only spoken about it to one doctor, my pain specialist and I was obviously having a pots episode at the time but I was pretty damn calm and I asked him if I looked like I was having a panic attack to him and he gently smiled and said that no, I was not having a panic attack. Wish other docs ould be so observant.

But I will bring up this bursting head thing with some doc. Not sure who though. Apart from my POTS doc (who is out of town at the moment) and my allergist/immunlogist) and my psychiatrist (LOL) none of them seem to take me seriously -- and 'SHAME on them.'

blue,
It never ceases to amaze me what morons some doctors can be. Your story reminded me of something that happened during one of my hospital admissions. My primary care doc ordered a psych consult. He actually knew there was something else going on but wanted to get me help in dealing with the emotional toll my health issues were taking. He never labeled my problems as being in my head but because he ordered that consult any nurse or resident that came to my room after that pretty much blew me off as a nut case. I was infuriated. The psychiatrist came and spoke with me and actually wrote that I had no reason for a psych consult and was fine but they didn't care. It wasn't long after that I got to the right EP cardio and got the POTS/afib/IST diagnosis.

When I see my Dr. next month I am definitely going to bring up this head pressure thing. I was searching on the forum for it and someone described a sensation like having a blood pressure cuff wrapped around our head. I thought that was a good description too. Anyway, I'll let you know what I find out and if you get to talk to anyone, let us know as well.

I'm still not convinced it's not a type of migraine maybe triggered by anxiety and stressful situations???