@amyashling Your symptoms sound VERY similar to what my symptoms were before I got diagnosed with POTS. The way you describe your lightheadness/floating/dizziness is exactly how I felt (and still feel sometimes). Also, going up stairs was a huge trigger for me too. My heart rate would hit 160 easily just to go up one flight of stairs. The fact that laying down helps makes me think POTS as well. My understanding of POTS is that our blood pools in our legs when we're on our feet. Laying down means that the blood pooling down there can "drain" back into your heart and brain - making you less dizzy/symptomatic. Personally, I wear a fitbit with a heart rate tracker (I have the charge version, as I can also take ECGs on it). I appreciate the fact that I can see my heart rate at any moment. My cardiologist also checked and I was severely anemic. They said this can make these symptoms worse, so I've been on iron supplements for over 9 months now too.

When you see the cardiologist, I would specifically ask about POTS. Thankfully, my cardiologist was the one to suggest it based on my symptoms, but I know that for many people, getting a diagnosis can be hard - so I would ask. I had a table tilt test done and it was positive (I was told if your heart rate jumped >30 beats per minute when they tilted you from laying to standing then it was POTS, mine jumped 47). Since getting the diagnosis, I've made a lot of lifestyle changes that have made my symptoms more manageable. I consume a lot of salt. I was told to start at 5g/day initially, but we have since increased my goal to 10g/day (nearly 2tsp). I have a little kitchen scale and weigh 3g into my 1.5L water bottle. It took me a bit to get the tolerance to drink that much salt in my water, but I now can't stand the taste of plain water. I would try to increase your salt to see if that helps - but also be aware that if you don't have POTS, too much salt can be bad for you, so I wouldn't go as far as my 10g+/day to start. I also drink so much water. I typically drink 3-6L depending on what I'm doing that day. Having the salt in the water itself helps me retain the water, which increases my blood volume, and therefore makes me less dizzy. Another lifesaver has been compression socks. I wear thigh high ones. I just got mine off Amazon (I use Truform brand). I put them on when I get dressed in the morning and don't take them off until I go to bed. On a few occasions that I didn't wear them all day because I wanted photos without them on (i.e. graduation photos, etc), I felt way worse that day/night and the next day, so I try to avoid not wearing them. I am also really aware of trying to not stand as much as I can. Unfortunately, my job requires me to stand frequently. I have found however, I do better when I'm moving. If I can be walking, wiggling, crossing and uncrossing my legs, etc, while I'm standing there, the muscles in my legs compress my vessels more so I am less symptomatic.

If you get a diagnosis, I did physical therapy for POTS. The place where I went essentially took all POTS patients for our community. There was a lot of exercises done laying down, then sitting, and eventually even helping with the transition to standing and moving upright, all while monitoring my heart rate. I went for about 6 months. My cardiologist wanted me to go for 6-12 months at least, but unfortunately I moved and my new cardiologist says there is no place like that in my new community. However, if you have access to something like that, it may seem silly, but it is so worth it and I credit them for helping get me somewhat stabilized. I also take a low dose of metoprolol (25mg) once a day. We tried to increase to 50mg, but my blood pressure runs as low as 90/60 and metoprolol decreases it, so we can't increase it any more.

I know that's a lot, but I hope it helps! If you have other questions, please feel free to ask - I wish there was someone who helped explain some of these things to me when I was so sick and was waiting for answers! Best of luck