My latest diagnosis is POTS.
Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS).
What the heck is it?
POTS is a form of dysautonomia (explained) that affects the flow of blood through the body, thereby causing dizziness when standing. Technically, someone has POTS if their heart rate increases by 30 beats per minute or their heart rate is greater than 120 beats per minute within 10 minutes of standing up.
What is dysautonomia?
Dysautonomia is an umbrella term used to describe several different medical conditions that cause a malfunction of the Autonomic Nervous System. The Autonomic Nervous System controls the "automatic" functions of the body that we do not consciously think about, such as heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, dilation and constriction of the pupils of the eye, kidney function, and temperature control. People living with various forms of dysautonomia have trouble regulating these systems, which can result in lightheadedness, fainting, unstable blood pressure, abnormal heart rates, malnutrition, and in severe cases, death.
I had been standing up and passing out for months. Finally, the BMT cardiologist tells me I have POTS and things begin to make sense. He starts me on medication to raise my blood pressure and another one to keep it raised once it gets there.
Solved? Sort of. The medication needs adjusting and tweaking but eventually balances out. Fluid should be increased and salt intake should be increased. If you think you have POTS there are several Facebook groups and websites that help tremendously navigate symptoms, etc.