10/07/2026
💙🦋 Could my dysautonomia have a name?
I had an appointment with my neurologist today, and she brought up POTS.
POTS, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, is a specific form of dysautonomia that affects the body's response to being upright. One of the defining features is an abnormal increase in heart rate after standing, and it can come with symptoms like lightheadedness, racing heart, fatigue, brain fog, weakness, nausea, headaches, shortness of breath, and sometimes fainting.
My neurologist suspects I may have POTS, but I don't have a diagnosis yet. She wants me to discuss it further with my cardiologist and continue the process of figuring out exactly what's happening with my autonomic system.
And honestly, this is one of the reasons I'm sharing my story this month.
Getting answers isn't always a straight line.
Sometimes it's years of having symptoms without knowing why. Sometimes it's one doctor recognizing a possibility that another hasn't considered. Sometimes it's more testing, more appointments, and more questions before you finally understand what's happening inside your own body.
So for now, I'm learning.
I'm asking questions.
And I'm advocating for myself.
This isn't me announcing a new diagnosis. It's me sharing another piece of the journey toward understanding what's going on in my body. 💙
And if you've never heard of POTS before, I hope this gives you one more piece of information to tuck away. You never know when understanding an invisible condition might help you understand someone you love.
🦋 More awareness. More understanding. A kinder tomorrow.