cary42891

Hi, my name is Caroline, and I was diagnosed with POTS at around 15 (I'm now 19). I take a beta blocker (propanolol) and get IV fluids at home. I have had different times of worsening symptoms, but I finished high school, and travel internationally to volunteer a few times a year since I was 14. I did my first semester of college this year after taking a gap year, but am still finishing the work as I was in the hospital at the end of the semester. I am taking this coming semester off, and plan to start nursing school next fall!

I was in the hospital for almost a month this fall, and was given my first PICC in the hospital because IVs weren't working. I was getting 200 mL an hour for about a month and a half, then went down to 175 an hour for a week, then now I am at 125. We are trying to wean down to nothing, but I'm guessing I will end up getting a few liters a week in the long run. I went through a PICC in one week (it clotted and looked infected), then a mid-line in two weeks before getting my tunneled catheter in my chest. I get two 12 hour infusions a day, and my home nurse comes once a week to change the dressing and check my vitals. The high doses of fluids seemed to help, but now I'm not seeing as much of a difference. Most other POTS people I know just get a couple liters a week.