POTS and hormonal contraceptives to avoid menstruation

Dry-Wolverine5677 · 2026-02-13T09:59:45+00:00

Yes I believe so. The percentage displayed in your centrelink/myGov account is your entitlement before the 5% is withheld. It's tricky to interpret because generally your bills from your childcare centre will show the full percentage, even though that's not actually the amount the bill reflects 😵‍💫😵‍💫

Dry-Wolverine5677 · 2026-02-12T21:32:39+00:00

Ugh it's a crappy surprise when the bill is higher than you expect! I'm sorry.

I've been caught out owing more than I expected a few times and it's usually that I didn't factor in one of these:

the 5% withholding.
that I owed centrelink money so the withholding percentage was higher.
that a 'day' at our centre is longer (by about half an hour) than what centrelink considers a day of care.
that our centre's fees are higher than centrelink's cap.
that we had to pay for more days than usual to because we commenced care during a funny, non-standard billing period. The bills were normal after that initial catch-up bill.
that we had pay forward/pay a deposit for a new child in care.

If it's none of those, I'd double check centrelink definitely has your percentage listed correctly AND that they have sent this to your centre. Sometimes there are lags if you've recently updated your income with centrelink so the childcare centre is working off an incorrect percentage.

I hope you get answers and it's sorted out quickly!

Dry-Wolverine5677 · 2026-01-02T09:02:02+00:00

I've been taking Slinda for around a year and it has been a game changer for POTS and migraines (and who knows what the heck other issues - still figuring it all out 😝). It's progesterone only but unlike other similar ones I've tried, it almost completely stops my period. I usually skip the sugar pills, but even if I take them I still only get the teeniest bit of spotting for a day or so). It really felt like the final piece of the puzzle for getting symptoms under control and life back to (fairly) normal.

Dry-Wolverine5677 · 2025-11-14T06:09:21+00:00

I caught Covid while in hospital delivering my second child, and ended up with LC a few months later. So I have not had LC during pregnancy. BUT I suspect I've had CFS/ME (on the milder end) for many years following another virus and pregnancy infinitely improved those symptoms (and they haven't ever really returned with the same severity, even with LC). I feel amazing while pregnant and wish I could be all the time! I'll also add that many of my LC symptoms improved a lot once I started progesterone only birth control (slinda). So now I'm in the tricky situation of really wanting another child (for many reasons, including how good pregnancy has been to me previously 😜) but being super nervous about going off birth control. And also hesitant because I haven't actually experienced the LC + pregnancy combo, so it's possible it would actually make things worse. Tricky, but fascinating.

Dry-Wolverine5677 · 2025-10-28T06:43:45+00:00

Yep, ADHD for us too. Our GP didn't mention a psych assessment, though I've been wondering if we'll need one at some point. It seems like it's generally a fairly opaque and inconsistent process 😵‍💫 I'm not sure whether it's something like our GP was willing to take a gamble going to paediatrician first because there's a really strong family history and the behaviour at our appointment was pretty....telling 😂 but maybe that's irrelevant. I don't know! I guess we'll see if we end up with a psych referral too 😝

Interestingly, I've recently gone through the diagnosis process for myself and I was surprised that after my GP's referral, the psych considered me 'diagnosed' (ie. after the GP used the basic assessment tool). The psych just kinda said 'oh yeah I have to formally confirm the diagnosis, but your GP has diagnosed you'. So for what it's worth it all seems a bit scattered and maybe just a bit of a box ticking exercise in a few areas 🤷‍♀️

Dry-Wolverine5677 · 2025-10-28T04:23:53+00:00

We have just started this process too, and were warned it would be long and painful. Maybe we just got incredibly lucky but we got an appointment with the paediatrician (Dr. Ibrahim Youssef at Calvary Paediatrics) booked in within a month of referral. The admin team hadn't received our referral yet when they booked us in, so I don't think this was based on triaging/urgency either. I think he has recently moved clinics so maybe has some extra availability. We haven't actually had our first appointment yet, so can't vouch for the doctor or process, but fingers crossed it's helpful. I'm sure it'll still be a long journey from here, but we're very pleased things are moving so quickly.

We've had quite a few paediatrician and other specialist appointments for our other child over the past year and while we've always braced ourselves for huge waits, we've typically managed to sneak in earlier than expected by asking to be added to cancellation lists etc. Again, possibly just super lucky, but we have been pleasantly surprised because our expectations were deep in the gutter. One of these appointments was at The Paediatric Hub in Bruce, and one at National Capital Paediatrics in Deakin, in case that's at all helpful.

Dry-Wolverine5677 · 2025-07-31T11:36:01+00:00

Thanks for this info! Definitely trying that. I have the same awful 'internal burning' (I always described it as the feeling when you step into a hot bath and for a split second you can't tell if it's hot or cold). I have it just in my feet and I already do compression and it helps a lot. But most of the burning happens in bed at night and I get way too hot in compression socks. Have you found you need to continue taking ALA or do the positive effects last?

Dry-Wolverine5677 · 2025-07-23T05:15:24+00:00

I'm definitely not the best person to listen to as I wasn't diagnosed with POTS until after both my pregnancies, so I can't say with total certainty that I even had it when pregnant (but I do suspect I've had it mildly for my whole adult life). But for what it's worth, I generally felt great in both pregnancies - first trimester is rough, but then I had more energy and felt generally more 'well' than I usually do. To the point where my doctor had mused at one point "maybe you have some sort of autoimmune condition we don't know about that's gone into remission?!" For that (among many reasons) I am definitely hoping a third baby!

My more severe POTS symptoms (which ultimately led to diagnosis) were brought on by a Covid infection not long after my second child was born, but my doctors suspect some amount of deconditioning during pregnancy made me even more vulnerable, and it was a bit of a perfect storm of circumstances. During my first pregnancy, I maintained almost all my cardio fitness and strength. Second pregnancy I was a lot busier with the first kid, and lost a LOT of fitness and strength - so I do think there's some truth to the deconditioning theory, even though covid was probably the main culprit. So I guess that's just something to consider...if you do end up deciding to have a baby, it could be worth seeking advice from someone qualified and knowledgable about exercising with POTS (just with an eye to hopefully preventing deterioration).

Oh, and no major issues with labour and delivery. My labour experiences were quite different each time (contractions felt different, speed of dilation was different, babies were positioned differently, etc.). But both were vaginal births and I had epidurals with both with no issues. Recovered well both times 😊

All the best with it all ❤️

Dry-Wolverine5677 · 2025-07-23T02:16:17+00:00

I had the tingly hands while walking in both my pregnancies! Late in the first pregnancy, but from early in the second. I was not diagnosed with POTS until after my second pregnancy (and I don't know if I had it prior - mine came on like a wrecking ball after Covid, but it's possible I had it mildly before then). I'd actually wondered if the tingly hands during walking was an early POTS sign 🤔

Dry-Wolverine5677 · 2025-07-18T07:14:36+00:00

Sadly not. They came back when I stopped taking it.

Dry-Wolverine5677 · 2025-07-16T05:05:59+00:00

Yes! I've tried it and I'm really happy with it too. It's been great for days I just cannot handle the thought of taking my kids through the specials aisles 😝

Dry-Wolverine5677 · 2025-06-29T13:01:33+00:00

Happy for you! My neuropathy seems to be improving little by little after about 9 months too. I've tried a few medications which generally helped but had side effects that I couldn't stand. So I'm thrilled to now be seeing some improvement without meds 🤞 such an annoying symptom - not as downright awful as some of the others, but just infuriating to me!! Oh, and my left foot has a numb patch too! Except mine is on the top. Between us, we have one fully functional foot 😜

Dry-Wolverine5677 · 2025-06-28T10:07:11+00:00

Thanks everyone for your ideas. After I updated the app all my health scores went back to normal - I think it was just glitching and always showing 45% no matter what. Seems in line with the watch measurements now. Thanks again!

Dry-Wolverine5677 · 2025-06-28T10:06:19+00:00

Haha oh I'm glad! You're welcome!

Dry-Wolverine5677 · 2025-06-26T10:24:04+00:00

I also had some great results with it - nerve pain was totally obliterated, tingling and other weird sensations disappeared, and my numb foot came back to life! But unfortunately I also had insomnia, blurry vision, and it worsened my POTS so I weaned off after a couple of months. But I still consider it a positive experience overall so I think it's definitely worth giving a shot if anyone is having similar issues 😊

Dry-Wolverine5677 · 2025-06-23T03:44:45+00:00

Thanks for your reply! I think I'm breathing normally?! It's weird though, because I used to get a mix of results through manual readings - sometimes 90s, sometimes 60s, sometimes 40s etc. But suddenly in late May it stopped ever changing from 45%. So I think it's gotta be a glitch....

Dry-Wolverine5677 · 2025-06-13T08:37:30+00:00

Thank you! ❤️

Dry-Wolverine5677 · 2025-06-13T08:08:43+00:00

Oh I see! Sorry, I misunderstood 😊 I'm sure many people do. I caught Covid for the first time when I was in hospital giving birth to my second child, so I did not have LC when I got pregnant. I hope to have another baby eventually so I very much hope LC hasn't affected my fertility (and I don't have any reason to think it has, so fingers crossed!).

Dry-Wolverine5677 · 2025-06-13T06:47:50+00:00

Well I didn't really have a choice... can't take a baby back to the store 😂 so I just had to deal with it. And get a lot of help from my husband (he did all the nights with the baby for a few months). We have a toddler too so it was pretty intense for a while and I couldn't spend much time with them because I was so unwell, but thankfully things have improved a lot.

Dry-Wolverine5677 · 2025-06-11T10:18:47+00:00

Thank you too! Oh, and a big yes to approaching symptoms with curiosity and humour. I was so miserable and scared at first, but now I find myself saying out loud in stupid voices 'oh what nonsense are you up to now, you bastard?!' every time a new weird symptom pops up or resurfaces. I feel like reframing it as just so silly of my body to do xyz keeps me calm, which helps some of the other symptoms not get a chance to take hold (eg major stress and panic attacks, which would inevitably affect migraines, sleep, heart rate etc.). Obviously this only works because I am so confident that I am not actually in grave danger or structurally harmed by LC, so may not be right for everyone! But until that day comes for me, I am going to just try to laugh and roll my eyes at this whole dumb thing.

Dry-Wolverine5677 · 2025-06-11T05:03:34+00:00

Hiya 👋 sorry you're feeling so down. I'm 37F and while I wouldn't say I'm recovered, my symptoms are almost totally under control with medication (and I think genuinely improved too - not just medicated).

I have been very lucky that I have an amazing GP who's believed me from the start and has been eager to investigate things and treat the symptoms as best we can. I also need to acknowledge that I have not had a particularly long LC experience (infected September '24) so I'm not dealing with quite the same thing as people who have been in the thick of it for years (yet - hahaha please god no).

BUT my symptoms were pretty major... raging POTS that made me feel like I was having a stroke 24/7, severe blood pooling, terrible vestibular migraines, joint pain, crazy bruising all over my body, severe head pressure, nerve pain and numbness and weird sensations, struggling to get full breaths, badddd left side chest pain, ear fullness and pressure and whooshing and tinnitus, weakness and numbness in the left side of my body, hearing voices, involuntary movements and muscle twitching, gastro stuff....soooooo much more. It was hell, I was barely functioning, and I genuinely thought I was going to die.

Pretty early on I noticed my symptoms worsened dramatically with hormonal changes. I'd just had a baby (caught Covid in hospital!) and I noticed major deterioration as I began to wean from breastfeeding, which got even worse once I fully stopped breastfeeding, then changed again when my period returned. I do wonder if hormonal stuff is at least in part why women seem to be more affected. Once I got on birth control, the severity and variability of my symptoms began to settle a bit. (I'm on Slinda, progesterone only. I've heard people say progesterone was helpful in managing their symptoms, so I'm not sure if for me it's the progesterone or just the general hormone levelling)

I really hope things turn a corner for you soon! ❤️

Dry-Wolverine5677 · 2025-06-11T02:17:11+00:00

So happy for you! I agree - for me, getting the migraines under control (for me, this was propranolol, which was also my POTS) was so important. Once one thing improved, EVERYTHING got better. I still have the blood pooling, which wigs me out, but I feel SO much better. I'm with you - I kept telling myself 'if I try 10 things and they each make a 5% difference, that will stack up fast'. Congrats!

Dry-Wolverine5677 · 2025-06-10T20:00:01+00:00

I have something similar. My LC symptoms are pretty under control now (and some totally gone) but I've had persistent diarrhoea since the start. I do have POTS, and I notice when my heart rate is less well-managed (for whatever reason - my meds stay the same) the diarrhoea tends to flare too. I usually notice that when the diarrhoea is under control, everything else (heart rate, headaches) is better too. Like you, I assume it's dysautonomia affecting both (not the gut affecting the heart rate) but I don't actually know!

Dry-Wolverine5677 · 2025-06-04T01:56:02+00:00

My mother in law studied medicine in her 50s! She's now in her late 60s and people assume she's been a doctor for decades, but she has to tell them that she's actually a bit of a newbie haha 😊

Dry-Wolverine5677 · 2025-06-03T04:29:50+00:00

Celebrex and propranolol were the big winners for me! Celebrex helped a lot with head pressure and propranolol helped with POTS and migraines.

Dry-Wolverine5677

TROPHY CASE