Here are a few things I have listed that doctors may not realize with POTS patients:
-The symptoms of POTS do NOT occur ONLY while standing.
-Not everyone with POTS faints.
-Most doctors are not competent in treating POTS patients.
-People with POTS do NOT get it because they are lazy or deconditioned.
-For women with POTS, it is helpful to be on birth control to assist with the lack of blood flow in the body, and many POTS patients have irregular menstrual cycles too.
-Sitting or resting all day is NOT an option! Moving around and doing some less strenuous exercise daily greatly helps with symptom management.
-The pain POTS patients experience is NOT due to orthopedic or noticeable physical problems. It is also NOT all in their heads. It is real, just as the pain experienced by people suffering from fibromyalgia.
-The symptoms of POTS may come and go, vary in severity, and vary from person to person.
-There is not a cure for POTS, but many patients do outgrow it or have lessened symptoms as time goes on.
-There is NOT one "right" way to diagnose and treat patients. Actually, doctors are still learning about POTS every day!
-There is hope for people who have POTS. There are people who also experience strange symptoms and seemingly no help from doctors because of the lack of knowledge about the condition. There are doctors out there who truly do know a great deal about the condition. There are ways to help POTS patients. And, there are always people who want to help. Check out Facebook and other social networking sites for groups to join.
