Mom's Cancer "jump Started" Pots?

[puppylove]

My Mom found out she had breast cancer about two years ago (I was thirteen at the time). I had been having very mild symptoms before this, not enough to interfere with my life and I didn't even know what POTS was. During and after this time my symptoms started getting progressivley worse. We just decided it must be symptoms of anxiety from going through a difficult time. My Mom is cancer free now and perfectly healthy but I am worse than I have ever been. I was wondering if it is at all possible that this stressful experience kind of "jump started" my POTS?

[lgtaylor100]

Hi Puppylove -

I believe my POTS was started by a series of very stressful family events. One of my doctors told me that he suffered from POTS after his mother died. (He is now recovered). I would also be interested in hearing if other people feel that stressful events jump started their autonomic dysfunction.

Lynne

[lieze]

I am in communication with an anxiety type of guru.

He was a medical psychologist but has experienced debilitating anxiety himself.

He is making reference to people having a limit as to what they can take.

Also years of anxiety and stressful living can lay down pathways in the brain that instead of running through the cortex go into the autonomic centers instead so yes if what he is saying is accurate it is totally possible that stressful events could trigger us into autonomic dysfunction.

[PotsMom]

Puppylove,

Given the fact that stress has big impacts on POTS/dysautonomia symptoms, it certainly makes sense to me that it could also be the triggering factor in someone who is already predispositioned for this condition. The age at which this occurred for you is also in a very, very typical age range for dysautonomia symptoms to begin or worsen. Your scenario of severe onset with a triggering event which was preceded by much milder symptoms over months and/or years prior to that is very typical.

[abnel]

I firmly believe that a series of traumatic events in my life (a series of bereavements), genetic predisposition and a virus being the straw that broke the camel's, caused POTS in my case. I am not at all suprised that POTS happens to us after traumatic events. Sorry to hear you are dealing with this at such a young age Puppylove. It must be incredibly difficult.