I.D

POTS is an invisible disease (I.D.)

IDs aren't very well known and, as the name says, they are invisible. There are many different IDs, POTS is only one. Some others are; Fibromyalgia, Lyme Disease, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Crohns Disease, Autism, Lupus, Depression, Migraines, Arthritis, Asthma, etc... The list goes on and on.

From the outside we look normal (although I must admit, I am anything but normal) we have symptoms that aren't noticeable, not to say that they aren't real and a right pain.

POTS symptoms; (information gathered from wikipedia and http://www.dinet.org/symptoms.htm)

• Lightheadedness
• Easily over stimulated
• Fainting or near fainting (syncope)
• Palpitations
• Generalized weakness
• Tremulousness
• Shortness of breath
• Dyspnea (difficulty breathing)
• Chest discomfort and/or pain
• Loss of sweating
• Excessive sweating
• Loss of sweating and Excessive sweating are more common in patients with elevated norepinephrine levels
• Delayed gastris emptying some patients report gastrointestinal complaints, including bloating
• Bloating after meals
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Abdominal pain
• Diarrhea (sometimes with alternating constipation)
• Constipation
• Bladder dysfunction (this may include Polyuria [excessive urination])
• Pupillary dysfunction (Pupillary dysfunction may or may not be responsible for some other reported symptoms, such as: Blurred vision and Tunnel vision
• Fatigue (which can be disabling)
• Sleep disorders (can cause unrefreshing sleep and an increased need for sleep)
• Headache/migraine
• Myofascial pain
• Neuropathic pain
• Dizziness
• Tachycardia
• Exercise intolerance
• Clamminess
• Anxiety
• Flushing
• Postprandial hypotension (low blood pressure after meals)
• Blood pooling in limbs (can make legs feel heavy and appear mottled and purple in colour)
• Intolerance to heat
• Overheating (flushing)
• Feeling cold all over (chills)
• Low blood pressure upon standing (some physicians feel orthostatic hypotension is a separate entity from POTS)
• Cognitive impairment (may include difficulties with concentration, brain fog, disorientation, memory and/or word recall)
• Narrowing of upright pulse pressure
• Depression
• Cold extremities (hands, feet and often nose)
• Hypovolemia (low blood volume)
• High blood pressure
• Hyperventilation
• Numbness or tingling sensations
• Reduced pulse pressure upon standing
• Low back pain
• Aching neck and shoulders
• Noise sensitivity
• Light sensitivity
• Disequalibrium
• Arrhythmias (irregular heart beats)
• Chemical sensitivities (may have multiple chemical sensitivities and can be very sensitive to medications - may only need small doses)
• Feeling full quickly
• Feeling wired
• Food allergies/sensitivities (some foods seem to make symptoms worse)
• Hyperreflexia
• Irregular menstrual cycles
• Loss of appetite
• Loss of sex drive
• Muscle aches and/or joint pains
• Muscle weakness
• Swollen nodules/lymph nodes
• Polydipsia (excessive thirst)
• Weight loss or gain
• Feeling detached from surroundings
• Restless leg syndrome
• Tinnitus
• Feelings of fear
• Feelings of nervousness
• Burnout

POTS can be misdiagnosed very easily.

POTS is a vicious cycle because we are told to move around more but the more we move around the more we find it hard to and the more we want to lie down.

Conditions that can be associated with POTS;

• Vasovagal syncope AKA neurally mediated hypotension (NMH) or neurocardiogenic syncope (NCS). This is where the blood pressure drops and the blood starts pooling so fainting occurs.
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Fibromyalgia
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
• Hypermobility; really bendy and flexible
• Restless leg syndrome
• In rare, paediatric, cases - moderate to severe memory loss

Having POTS doesn't necessarily mean that you would have all the symptoms; you could have a mix and match situation like a lot of POTS people... Like me.

I want people to understand that just because you can't see it doesn't mean it's not there.

IT IS THERE.

*huggle* for everyone