Darly

Hello Kathy, I am a nurse, ( RN, CCRN, BSN, MSN), with 37 years experience and I had to suggest to my neuropsychiatric specialist and family doctor that I had P.O.T.S. They thought I was just a drug seeking nut looking for Benzos ! I finally, ( after 30+ years of being treated for individual symptoms of POTS but no specialist nor doctor knowing what it was), found a Electrophysiologist/ Cardiologist who took a full history from early childhood to age 57. He did a deep dive of every childhood virus /illness, vaccines, traumas, stressors, symptoms and gave me a thorough physical assessment, blood work and stress test before exuberantly proclaiming," You have been right all along ! It IS POTS, no doubts." For decades I was put on depression ,anxiety, cardiac and other meds and often told I was "just over sensitive" or it was all in my head. Trust me when I say, most nurses and, more sadly, many doctors have never been taught about POTS. Their ignorance creates a long delay in proper treatments and creates undue stress & trauma to the suffering patient which, in turn, only worsens POTS, can create true emotional problems & PTSD and lower self esteem and self worth. Had I not worked in Critical Care Areas and Neuro ICU, I would not have learned about POTS myself as with all my degrees, it was never taught in university. Awareness is crucial. Your sisters need only look to the NIH, New England Journal of Medicine or PUBMED to educate themselves, cure their ignorance ,then apologize and support you.