As I begin writing this post on a nearly 90 degrees spring day in Upstate New York, I am reminded again how much the heat and humidity are POTS triggers that worsen my symptoms. My blood feels thick. I’m lethargic. I can see the discoloration in my feet from the…
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…
If you have POTS, chances are, you need to eat more salt! If you’re anything like me, you may have been wary of eating too much salt because we are constantly warned of the health dangers that come with consuming high sodium diets. While this is true for most people,…