Living With POTS

My name is Zoe and my children, and I all have POTS.

My oldest child was 13 when she started experiencing continuous headaches, extreme fatigue, dizziness, fainting, stomach and pain issues. We were in and out of the hospital and our experience was not an easy one. A number of times we were told that it was in her head. We even got told once that she just had to learn to “live with it”. She was so unwell that she had to home school for a year and it felt like her whole future was being ripped away from her.

It took over a year for me to research and find what I thought may be wrong with her and then a few more months before a doctor diagnosed her with POTS. Fast forward to my youngest child turning 13 and her health deteriorated quickly but at least this time we knew what was wrong.

Caring for children who have chronic health can be all-consuming and so exhausting.  I find I am constantly second-guessing myself. I find must advocate hard for my children but at the same time I’m also grieving for my children’s ability to do the things every normal teen should be doing.  It definitely takes its toll on me.

We were lucky enough to hear about a wonderful cardiologist and a clinical nurse in Adelaide who understood POTS and who have really changed my children’s lives. While going through the process of diagnosis I started to realise that my diagnosis of chronic fatigue at 13 was probably not right and subsequently with further testing I was also diagnosed as having POTS. Suddenly so many parts of my life started to make sense. We have since learnt a lot about POTS and the many conditions that go along with it. It sounds terrible but it has been great to finally put all the pieces of the puzzle together and learn about ourselves.

In our house, we have a ‘no victim mentality’ rule. We are allowed to get angry, upset, frustrated and sad but we always focus on what we can do. We are resilient but tired. For anyone who has just been diagnosed please look after yourself, seek help if you need it and know that there is a way of managing POTS and that life may not return to normal, but you will find a new normal. You’ve got this.

Growing up, Alexa was a happy, healthy child. She loved school and enjoyed many extra-curricular activities. At 15, she had a severe bout of Epstein Barr virus that landed her in bed for weeks. Recovery was slow; and while most of the initial symptoms eventually resolved, fatigue was ongoing and relentless. There were many days when she was simply too tired to get up. In addition, she suffered with headaches, debilitating brain fog, and feelings of anxiety with nausea when upright. My once active, rosy-cheek child had turned into a pale, listless shell of her former self – and despite multiple consultations with a number of doctors, no-one had any answers.

By 16, it became clear that Alexa remained too unwell to attend school full time. Thankfully, her teachers were supportive and the decision was made for her to complete her senior schooling over three years instead of two. But, even though she now had a reduced subject load, attendance remained a daily struggle; and she missed more classes than she was able to attend.

The future looked bleak; Alexa felt she could no longer make plans to pursue her dreams – she could barely function, let alone study, work or travel. She dropped all extra activities and gave up on her music studies. Her once busy social life became non-existent, and her peers celebrated their graduation without her.

As a parent, it was heartbreaking to witness. I felt helpless and extremely frustrated at the lack of understanding and care available; looking for answers and chasing treatment options for a condition with no name was both expensive and very time-consuming. Alexa needed daily support and as a single parent, I could no longer work full time.

It was after another prolonged episode of brain fog, heart palpitations and severe nausea that our paediatrician suggested Alexa, then 17, may have POTS. We were referred to a specialist cardiology clinic and that day, I did cry – finally, we had an answer! Finally, there were treatment options available. We were also very excited to learn that vital research was underway.

While life is nowhere near normal yet, Alexa’s health and quality of life have improved under care of her POTS clinicians. She has had some success with medication, and she has taken the suggested lifestyle adaptations in her stride – salt, water and compression tights are her constant companions. Postgraduate studies are back on the cards; and, under guidance from our fantastic POTS team, we are both looking forward to the future.

My name is Kimberly, and I am 43 years old.
I remember the day my world changed (06/09/19).

I came down with severe right sided abdominal pain, and just presumed it was my endometriosis playing up for the first time in years. I thought I would wait out the pain but by the end of the week I was sent to hospital with suspected appendicitis.

Multiple hospital admissions followed an don one occasion my heart rate became rapid while I was showering and I felt like jelly, so I hit the emergency button. Despite a heart rate of 186bpm I was then told it was a panic attack. I had never had a history of anxiety or panic attacks and I felt completely dismissed. I had several trips to the ER, blood tests, kidney function tests, stress tests, ECG’s, Holter monitors. I saw approximately 11 different specialists, including 3 heart specialists, and was told there was nothing wrong with me and to see a psychologist. It was so hard knowing that there was something really wrong and no one believing you.

14 months after all other medical investigations failed, I was lucky enough to find a POTS specialist. I was diagnosed and treated with medication that completely changed my quality of life. Although it is still not that of an ‘average’ person, I am able to cook, shop and perform small activities whereas before it was impossible.

Through all this I still believe I am one of the lucky ones, although I am still unable to work and rely completely on my husband. I feel very blessed to have his support. He never once doubted me. He held me through the tears of frustration, and always said ‘never mind the cost’ we will get through this. I call this journey ‘my own personal hell’ because even now it’s hard for people to see me look like I do on this photo, and next minute I cancel plans and am bed ridden. I constantly get asked why I don’t work. It’s not because I don’t want to. It’s because I can’t, and I wish there was more recognition of how seriously POTS affects people’s lives.

My biggest hope is in the future is to get back to work, have POTs recognised as a condition that entitles people to government support, but most of all, to find a cause, and prevent it from happening to other people. It effects so many other aspects of your life including friendships, marriages, parenting, your children, mental health, self-worth, social life, work life, to name a few. I live life to my fullest on my good days, and endure the bad. I have become very skilled at being still, and finding out who I really am inside. I reflect a lot. I look forward to more improvements and milestones now I have started my 12-month rehabilitation programme with an exercise physiologist.

As a family we have experienced firsthand the benefits that POTS research & information provides.

Adeline (aged 19) has been suffering since the age of 15, and took us 3 years of searching to find a diagnosis, and explanation of her conditions. It was a very frustrating search, involving many weeks in hospital, over 200 tests & multiple specialist appointments each week.

We had to keep searching for answers as you cannot fight the battle when you don’t know who/what you are fighting against. Adeline went from a typical 15 year old student, to someone who couldn’t function, socialise or attend school, basically overnight.

Her sister Sophie (aged 16) had a very similar onset of the condition. At the age of 15 her first symptoms were pre-blackouts, multiple times per day, and a racing heart rate. Because we knew the signs of POTS, and the appropriate medical specialists, her diagnosis was much quicker. Sophie recently experienced a POTS flare whilst playing football, requiring an ambulance.

The paramedic knew all about POTS, which made getting the appropriate treatment quick and easy. Adeline spent weeks in hospital while doctors tried to work out what was going on, after her many attacks. In contrast Sophie received the treatment & medication she required, and was discharged within hours. This is the power of knowledge and information, based on quality research.