POTS – Fainting and Feeling Like You Just Might Die

As a teenager, Elle began to have spells at night where she would wake up ice cold and feel like she was dying. Getting out of bed, she would sometimes fall to the floor and be unable to rise for several minutes. She turns a particular greenish grey color when it happens, her heart beats fast, and she is shaky. She has gone to the ER more than once when it occurred and it can take days for her to feel well again.

Now we know it is some form of POTS: postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. There is a good article on it on the Johns Hopkins website here. Apparently, it is fairly common in our community. I asked Elle about her experiences and this is what she advised:

A POTS episode is really scary

Elle has taught herself to know that it feels scary, that her body is expressing some really distressing signals that she needs to pay attention to and that it will end and she will be alright. Even though it is hard to keep calm while you are shaking and fainting, Elle knows she just has to ride it. For her, it is a part of life and it will be over. She has said this is a the single most important part of living with POTS. It is hard to talk yourself through the related fear and anxiety, but you are the only one who can do it. And once you own it, knowing that your body is giving you some really terrible signals but that you will be okay, POTS episodes will never be the same.

Stayed hydrated

Elle drinks at least three 32-ounce bottles of water each day. She has seen that, while not perfectly preventing all POTS episodes, she has far fewer when she drinks water all day. She also recommends having a big jug of water next to the bed and to drink during the night.

Consider Pedialyte or similar drinks

Anytime she feels a little sluggish, her personal favorite is Drip Drop, which is powdered and so easy to take places. It is also a helpful thing to take after a POTS episode to make the POTS hangover a little easier.

This information is not intended to take the place of personalized medical counseling, diagnosis and/or treatment by a trained physician. Herbs and other botanicals are presently classified by the Food and Drug Administration as foods, not as medicines.