Life Experiences and Advice for Living with chronically Ridiculous illnesses
Up until recently I had given up going to concerts. It just seemed impossible with POTS. A lot of times we are required to give up activities we love for our condition. I think it is important to still have a life- to have things to live for and look forward to. So here are…
People should not demand someone with a disability to look at themselves in whatever way you see fit. Don’t complain that they talk about their illness too much. My disability does not define me, but it has shaped who I am. I have to deal with it every single day; it is a part of my life and I will talk about it if I want to.
The Poor Man’s Tilt Table Test is a helpful tool to see if you should see a doctor about an official TTT or see a POTS specialist.
For how common POTS is there is some exceptionally bad information out there. As a result, people are getting the wrong ideas about POTS. Dealing with misconceptions constantly becomes frustrating.
Note: To be clear I am not saying that invisible illness is more difficult than visible illness. I am not comparing or ranking struggles, just pointing out differences so we can better understand each other better. Each brings its own specific problems, and both are incredibly difficult to deal with. It has been on my mind…
Chronic illness is not regularly represented in movies and TV shows. Only recently have movies and TV shows about chronic illness been made popular. For example, The Fault in Our Stars, a love story about two teenagers with cancer was wildly popular with nearly $125,000 in box office revenue. Any representation of chronic illness is…
When my parents dropped me off for my first day of camp when I was five they expected it to be tough. It was tough, but just for them. I was ready to leave and meet new people and to be on my own. When my dad came to visit me at lunch I even…
Dating with a chronic illness can complicate things. Here are the 7 types of people I’ve run into: 1. The One Who Ignores Your Illness A lot of people have no idea how to interact with someone with a disability. While some people may attack the issues you face head on, these people avoid the…
The decline in quality of life we experience with POTS is comparable to someone with congestive heart failure. So it isn’t surprising that our social lives, frankly, suck. Finding friends that understand when you have to cancel is incredibly difficult. Finding friends who understand to the point where they don’t insist on activities that include…
Doctors insist that POTS patients make many lifestyle changes. One of the easiest lifestyle changes you can make is wearing compression garments. Compression garments work to raise low blood pressure, prevent swelling, and minimize blood pooling. Compression garments aren’t a magic fix, but they help many POTS patients enough to use them daily. Myths Compression…