Hi, friends! Guess what? You don’t need to sacrifice traveling with a chronic illness like POTS. While traveling may trigger symptoms, I have POTS travel tips that you can try for reducing symptoms and traveling safely and comfortably. For example, you should pack a bag of essentials with everything you…
Ever stand up too fast and feel like a blackout or fainting episode is imminent? As someone with POTS, I get this all the time. Although, I consider myself lucky that I don’t faint (usually!). But for others with POTS, vasovagal syncope, or other forms of orthostatic intolerance, fainting happens…
I talk so much about Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) on this blog, but I haven’t yet dedicated a post to explaining what this syndrome is. Maybe you’ve just received a diagnosis, or maybe you’re asking yourself why your heart races when standing all of a sudden. Or perhaps you…
If you have POTS, then you know how awful it feels to be in a POTS flare up. You’ll want to try anything to potentially relieve your symptoms and get back to feeling like yourself. Whether it’s just one day long, persists more than a week, or is seemingly constant,…
Self-monitoring blood pressure and heart rate is an important factor in monitoring multiple aspects of your health. It’s even more important if you have a chronic illness that affects either of these values or if you already have high or low blood pressure. Even training athletes can benefit from self-monitoring…
Exercising with POTS is another lifestyle change you can make to improve your symptoms. You may be groaning, or you may be cheering, depending on how you view exercise. If you’re cheering — woo-hoo! I don’t need to convince you to exercise. But, if you’re groaning, hear me out. Exercise…
I’ve gone over why you need a diet high in salt, and I’ve touched on the importance of water. Now I’m going to talk about the benefits of compression for POTS treatment and how this basic lifestyle change can lessen your symptoms. Whether it’s stockings, socks, or leggings, compression helps…
It’s official: I’ve been living with a POTS diagnosis for about six months now. So, naturally, I went to Cleveland Clinic for my six-month check-up last week. The last time I was in Cleveland was in November for a Shared Medical Appointment (SMA), which is basically a supportive and educational…
Along with salt, fluids are your new best friends. Why you may ask? Because with POTS it’s essential to increase fluid intake to stay hydrated and treat symptoms. In fact, it’s another basic POTS lifestyle change I’m going to share with you! Since you need to increase your salt intake,…
Bad days are bound to happen with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) and other chronic illnesses, no matter where you are in treatment. It’s hard to accept bad days when you’re amid a slew of them. It’s even harder, in my experience, to get through bad days after a long…