Ok.... so I was mistaken...

I was just really dehydrated. Once I drank some water, I felt well enough to add another post.

• How does POTS affect me?

I've already mentioned one way... I get really dehydrated very easily, which makes my symptoms worse. Today I drank over 96 oz. of fluid, and I still feel like I could drink that amount again. I am afraid to walk across the road or a large parking lot by myself because, though I have not fainted with POTS yet, I have come very close. I can't stand, sit, and kneel with the rest of the Catholics at church... not so much that I'm afraid of fainting in itself, I don't want to scare the crap out of everyone around me if I do. I have to learn how to pace myself and ration my energy, because if I do what is a normal amount of energy for non-affected people, I will be paying, and very dearly, for at least the next 3 days, since I will barely be able to leave the bed, much less get showered, dressed and leave the house. Stairs also scare the crap out of me because they exert me way too much, and I'm afraid that I'm going to fall down them.

On a positive note, I am learning some patience with myself, and hopefully that will translate into patience with others. I am drawing closer with God, using my sufferings to join with those that Christ suffered on the cross. My pride isn't so puffed up, because I have to ask for help since I can't do all that I want to do by myself. My prayer life has never been this strong, and I don't think that I have ever been this close to the Triune God. I value the times I feel well much more now and don't take them for granted. On a less serious note, I now get the best parking spots thanks to my shiny blue and white placard on my rearview mirror. I wish that I didn't have to have it.

• Is there a cure/treatment for POTS?

Unfortunately, there isn't a cure for POTS, nor is there even a treatment for the disease itself. The best that I can hope for is that some medications will manage the symptoms, and that I will learn how to live with this disease. I am determined that I will not be dictated to by this... that I will be doing the dictating. That hasn't happened so far, but it helps me push a bit more through the exhaustion and the feeling of nearing passing out. I have accepted that I will be limited in what I do.... I WILL NOT accept that my life is over and that I should just give up.

• Do you always have the same symptoms?

Not nessicarily. Though I always feel the effects of POTS, I don't always have the same symptoms(thank God, because constant chest pain would really get to me after awhile). Some days, I have more energy (and I have to really fight the urge to do everything I want to do on those days) and I don't feel as faint, and there are other days that I can barely make it out of bed.

If anyone has a question about POTS, please post it either to my facebook page or on the comments section here, and I'll be happy to answer it.

What is POTS?

POTS, or Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, is caused by an autonomic dysfunction. The hallmark symptom is a heart rate that raises over 30 or more beats per minutes and/or exceeds 120 bpm upon standing. Other symptoms are of presyncope (near fainting), blood pooling to the legs when someone with POTS stands for too long (causing them to be mottled, purple, and sometimes swollen), excessive fatigue, and chest pains. Because POTS is caused by a disorder of the autonomic system, other bodily systems controlled by the autonomic system (such as digestion, respiration rate, perspiration, urination, thirst, pupil diameter, and sleep cycles) can be affected. Delayed gastric emptying, nausea, vomiting, diarhea and constipation (some people are affected cyclically with both), lack of or excess sweating, excessive urination and thirst, and vision problems, at time with uneven pupils. Also, excessive sleeping or insomnia are common to those who are suffering with POTS

Sometimes POTS is a primary disorder (meaning that there is no underlying disease that is causing the symptoms), but it can be secondary to Lyme disease, Ehler-danlos syndrome, can be activated by a trauma (such as surgery or a car accident), pregnancy, or severe illness (such as mono, influenza, or a bad cold). Teenagers, especially during growth spurts, may develop POTS, though most will outgrow their symptoms by the time they reach their early 20's.

There is so much more that I could write about POTS, but being affected with POTS myself, I have no more energy to write more at this time. Be looking for future posts.