leea190

Hello everyone! I am getting tested for addison's and hypothyroidism. I've gained a lot of weight and I've been freezing in the middle of summer. The family members with addison's also have thyroid issues also. The doctor wants to cover all of his bases now. He's thinking its more thyroid now because I've gained 40 pounds in 3 months. 15 pounds in 2 weeks even with going to the gym 4 times a week and eating healthy with no processed foods.

Hello, Has anyone been tested for Addison's disease also? I have a family member with Addison's who thinks I have it. Many of the symptoms are the same to POTS. All on my dad's family I have 2 distant cousins and an aunt who has addison's, an aunt who has MS, my sister and 2 first cousins have IBS, and my uncle who has tremors. I read that MS and IBS is common in families with POTS but I don't know about Addison's disease. I asked a few years ago to get tested but they never did it. Last February I had extreme abdominal pain for the whole month. That's a big symptom to Addison's. At first I blamed it on my period because it felt like period cramps. So I was tested for ovarian cancer but it came back negative. I was tested positive for HPV and had some cells removed. But could it have been something to do with my POTS or addison's? I still get the severe cramping every once in a while but not as much as I used to.

Thank you everyone! I have talked to more people who have been sick a lot since the snovemeber storm. I just hope we don't have another one next winter. I've actually noticed that every time I get sick it's the same week of my period. So it's a double whammy for my POTS. I'm on a very high dose of birth control already to help with my POTS during my period. So this week I'm upping my vitamins and so far I'm okay. I feel a bit of a sore throat and a little stuffy but not a super bad cold like the months previous. I hoping doubling on some vitamins work. Also, Sarah could you let me know about any allergy/immunology doctors in Buffalo? I don't know who to go to. I do prefer someone in the south towns but I will travel to the north towns if they're good. I live and work in Hamburg so it's a lot easier for me to make appointments in that area also.

I called her office for an appointment and I was told she's only doing appointments over the phone even though I live in the Buffalo area. I'm hoping she does in office appointments soon.

I work in a bank. It can be tough because of the AC that's constantly on and I do stand a lot. I only sit when I'm opening accounts. I would like to try and start my own business in grant writing and research marketing so I can have those flexible hours and work at my own pace. I work 10 hour days so when I get home I go right to bed. I have 2 degrees in Marketing and Anthropology. So starting my consulting work in grant writing and research marketing would be great. It's just getting the energy after my day job to do it.

Thank you! I appreciate the comments. I do drink a lot of tea (mostly to stay warm at work). I'm just so worried because since I've been so sick my POTS has been getting a lot worse. Definitely a lot more passing out and blacking out has occurred but like I said I can deal with the passing and blacking out but I can't deal with colds with everything. I've been passing out every day for 11 years so I'm used to that by now. I've talked to my primary but they told me that it's been a rough winter for many people (I live in Buffalo NY and I was one of the ones stuck inside for 4 days in a massive blizzard). So they said that people who got sick in the beginning of the season will keep getting sick. I've heard that from some clients but I think that's just my doctor blowing me off. I'm going to a new electrophysiologist so I'm hoping he helps more than my last electrophysiologist.

I have POTS and I have the tingling in the hands and feet. I have TMJ so I have jaw pain and it does lock up on me. I also have the chest squeezing and nausea. Very common in POTS patients unfortunately. I sadly don't know how to battle all of these symptoms. The TMJ I go to a specialist at the University at Buffalo and take a lot of pain medication. The nausea I usually get with horrible abdominal pain. I take a sodium pill and drink a lot of water and that seems to help with that.

I have POTS and in the past few months I have had no energy. Since January I've been getting a cold every month. Regular cold with the sore throat and all stuffed up. Literally I've only been cold free maybe one week a month. I don't know if its my POTS or I really have no immune system. I work at a bank as a banker so I'm always working with the public. It's getting annoying with summer here and I'm trying to start my own business. But between the cold and no energy its becoming impossible. Does anyone have a good way to up your immune system and energy? I take a multivitamin and 1000m of vitamin C (my obgyn told me to take the vitamin c). Customers are starting to complain along with my coworkers. I can take the passing out and blacking out and even the being freezing all the time. But I can't take being all stuffed up and coughing with no energy. I can only take so much.

I understand this very much! I work in a bank and my coworkers love putting the AC on even in the winter (and I live in Buffalo NY). Every day my hands and my nose are ice cubes! I thought it was just me but its nice to know that its because of my POTS. But it could be the middle of summer and I'm in jeans and a long sleeve because I get way too cold and then I can't think and it effects how I do my job and interact with my clients as a banker. Does anyone else get tingles and does your hands go numb sometimes? My hands tingle more than go numb especially when I'm cold. Its a very weird sensation.

Yeah, it was even bad today. The practice I go to for regular appointments got all these new doctors and I haven't been there in over 2 years so when I went in today for some low blood sugar problems I had to explain what POTS was to these people.

Thanks everyone! The appointment went okay. I told them straight up I don't want to hear depression but sadly I had to explain what POTS was to this new doctor there But I'm going for some thyroid tests and another 5hr glucose test. I really hate those The stuff you have to drink the flat orange pop is gross. I barely kept it down last time but it has to be done and I have an appointment with an endocrinologist. So, we'll know in the next few weeks...hopefully

So, I've been taking my blood sugar before and after every meal for the last few days and each reading is below 60. I was diagnosed with Hypoglycemia when I was diagnosed with POTS but I got tons of info on how to stop a POTS episode but nothing about helping with my hypoglycemia and I never did a home reading till a few days ago only because I'm blacking out and shaking at work when I haven't had food for over 2hrs. I've noticed I'm even more tired than usual and even my POTS episodes are getting worse. I'm going to call my regular doctors tomorrow to see if I can get an appointment but I'm afraid to go there. The only doctor who believed me about my POTS left that practice a few months ago. I don't want to bother my cardiologist about this. During my last appointment we did talk about my growing tiredness and to talk to my regular doctors about it but when I did they told me it was depression. Don't get me wrong I was depressed around the time (had tons of job rejections after just graduating) but they didn't bother to test for anything else. I hope this appointment goes well. I can't stand sleeping for 14hrs at a time especially when I work full time and trying to establish a career

My temp reading is never low but I am always cold even if its 80 out I'll be in jeans and a long sleeve. It must just be poor circulation because of the low BP...maybe

Thank you! I hope your son finds better luck with doctors. I went to a school that was in the middle of nowhere with only 4 colleges in a 10 mile radius so doctors there were only use to typical college ailments. But yeah I've noticed it in so many people too but I feel more for these girls because they got it in their heads that they might be faking it. But I will definitely refer them here. This is an amazing site! Thank you! I can't believe how I made it to graduation. I was always so tired and no one there to understand. My doctor got many of phone calls from me my final semester haha! But I think this past summer was the worst. It was too hot where I could not at all get out of bed without having an episode and had one too many job rejections. But fall came and I'm working not in my field just a minimum wage job where I'm on my feet so much but its a paycheck. I put in for a few desk jobs in my field so I hope I get those because standing on my feet so much while not eating for 5hrs at a time (I'm also hypoglycemic ) is finally starting to get to me. I've been even more tired and I go into shaking fits and blackout almost constantly now. I can't even drive anymore. This is such a horrible problem to have. I would never wish this on anyone

I actually graduated from college. I'm still surprised I survived till the end through all the stress and no sleep. But now I'm back home and I see my cardiologist twice a year. He's so great. I wish I could go to him for everything. He's so helpful and really listens and gets it. Wish there were more doctors out there

I was 19 but I was having episodes since I was 16.

Hello everyone, So I've had POTS since I was 16 and I'm 22 now. It started after I had mono. At first I thought it was still the mono bothering me but the doctors said it wasn't and the mono was gone. So I kept everything to myself and became good at hiding my episodes and acting normal during them. The doctors just said I was faking it to get attention so I didn't want people to keep thinking that. It wasn't till the summer after my sophomore year of college. It was the day after I came home. I did my usual morning routine. I sat up in bed for a few minutes, stood up slowly, then stood there for a few minutes to make sure I was fine. Then I started walking to the bathroom and the next thing I know I'm in the hospital with a concussion. According to my mom I said "oh god" before I went down but I don't remember. That was a weird episode for me. I usually have some sort of warning but I don't remember. That's when they finally sent me to a cardiologist in my area that specializes in POTS and syncope. But I went out of town for college and the hospital there was really only use to drunken and pregnant college students. So when I ended up fainting on a set of stairs in the library and breaking my ankle the doctors blamed it on me being drunk on a Tuesday morning when I was working. I was so offended especially when it states in my records that I have POTS but when I mentioned it to these doctors they thought I was making it up because they never heard of it. Once they found out I wasn't drinking they gave me a pregnancy test thinking it was that which made me even more offended. I just wish these doctors did their research. Now, 2 of these girls I know have similar problems. They've been to tons of doctors but no one will tell them anything. I don't want to play doctor since I have no medical degree but I gave them all this information on POTS, syncope, and doctors in the area. But they're both afraid to go see anyone because these doctors keep telling them they're faking it. I feel so bad for these girls. I know how they feel. They're upset and frustrated then they start thinking maybe it is psychological and you are faking it so you won't tell anyone and then it just gets worse and worse.