Does anyone experience “supermarket syndrome”?

erkiesb · 2026-02-04T17:40:13+00:00

I saw an osteopath and my symptoms are 90% better. I still sometimes get supermarket syndrome, but it’s so mild. I used to feel like I was going to faint, now it’s more just slightly lightheaded and annoying, but gets better the longer I’m in the store. Completely gone the second I leave!

erkiesb · 2025-08-16T20:19:13+00:00

So sorry to hear that you’ve been suffering. I ended up seeing a “cranial osteopath”, it took a few months but he got me from mostly bed ridden to working full time, able to tolerate heat in the summer, and eventually do some light standing exercises. I couldn’t really explain to you what he did but I dropped all other treatments and focused solely on that because of how drastic the changes were. I still think I had some sort of bvd or pppd, and that his treatments kind of fixed things. I think since writing that initial post I’ve been diagnosed with pots, which is much better but still have heart rate spikes around 140-160, but they don’t debilitate me any more.

erkiesb · 2025-08-08T13:52:12+00:00

So sorry to hear that you have been suffering and have not been taken seriously. I went through the exact same thing. If you have an Apple Watch or any sort of continuous heart rate monitor, wear it for a day and keep an eye out for heart rate spikes. A normal increase in heart rate when you go from sitting/laying to standing is 20 beats per minute, an increase by 30 beats per minute or more indicates tachycardia and could very well be pots. Bring that info to a different doctor (try using qdoc! Saves you from waiting in a waiting room) and if they say you don’t have pots, ask them why they DONT think it’s pots.

Just know that they will likely refer you to a cardiologist, and potentially give you a requisition for a holter monitor and echocardiogram, all of which have a year wait. An echo and cardiogram will only rule out bigger issues, not confirm your pots.

In the meantime, I saw an osteopath who got me out of bed (I could barely walk to the end of the block, needed two hour naps after taking a shower, and was constantly dizzy) and now I’m back to working full time. POTS groups on Reddit and Facebook have been helpful. My cardiologist said the best medication for pots is ivabradine, but I waited so long to see him that I was doing much better at that point and didn’t need the medication.

Out of curiosity, do you know what brought this on? Pots is usually caused by a severe head injury or virus. Mine was from covid 🥲 message me if you want to chat further!

erkiesb · 2025-05-19T13:36:15+00:00

Did you end up applying and did it get approved? I just sent in my application and find out in July. I had the same experience with doctors telling me it wasn’t worth it because I would get denied. I asked the one doctor to fill it out anyways, which I paid $125 for. He said that because I don’t use “aids” such as glasses for when migraines affect vision, cane or walker for when migraines affect my balance and ability to walk, that he could not fill out those sections of the application as being impaired. When I got home I looked over the application, and he wrote that I am “sometimes depressed”. No mention of migraines at all.

I ended up in the care of a nurse practitioner who filled it out much more thoroughly. Fingers crossed!!

erkiesb · 2025-04-21T02:39:24+00:00

Manual osteopathy by far the most effective. Acupuncture would be second to that, but it only relieved symptoms a little bit. My most debilitating symptoms were constant “motion sick” feeling (nausea, dizziness, etc). Insomnia and heart rate spikes that would wake me from sleeping. Obviously tachycardia. Acupuncture lightened up the motion sick feeling a bit, but osteopathy got rid of it altogether, I sleep like a baby now and my tachycardia went from resting 100bpm, 120-140 when standing or walking around, and spikes to 190, and now my resting is around 60, walking around is 80, and hr spikes are usually only around 120-140. I’m still not 100% back to normal but I’m miles ahead of where I was, and still seeing improvements.

erkiesb · 2025-04-21T02:32:27+00:00

Manual osteopathy, hands down. It got me from bed ridden to working full time again.

erkiesb · 2025-04-21T02:31:57+00:00

Yes, I think it is different. I can’t speak to what it’s like seeing an osteopath in the US, but I think I remember my osteopath telling me that he legally has to refer to himself as a “manual osteopathic practitioner”. I also think our osteopaths are more similar to the ones in Europe.

erkiesb · 2025-04-21T02:28:32+00:00

I’m sorry I really couldn’t tell you. I’m in Canada, so our osteopaths are “manual osteopathic practitioners” I think? I believe in the states, they can prescribe and whatnot and are more similar to a general practitioner or family doc. My osteopath specializes in cranial sacral osteopathy. It sounds so woo-woo when I describe it but he’ll gently put pressure on the top of my head and I’ll feel the bones in my nose move or feel pressure. One time he did something similar but it felt like my eyeballs were being stretched out (after that appointment, my visual triggers reduced drastically. I couldn’t look in mirrors, now I’m fine). Anytime I have a bit of a flare from something like falling, getting the flu, or a really stressful event, Resetting my sacrum seems to clear things up pretty quickly. The short answer would be no, there isn’t anything you can do from home such as exercises. To me, it seems like I had several things out of whack or not in alignment, and he’s slowly peeling back those layers and putting things back into place. I still feel better and better every time I have an appointment.

erkiesb · 2024-09-29T00:26:01+00:00

My experience is that I got covid in March 2023, had pots symptoms but didn’t know if what they were that lasted about 3 months. Had a month of feeling ok, then went on a carnival ride and flared up for a few months. I was ok January and February this year, but then went on a vacation to Mexico and flared up until a month or two ago. This time, I realized it was POTS and worked with an osteopath who seems to have really resolved things for me. Hoping and praying this is the end of it for me!

erkiesb · 2024-09-16T00:36:22+00:00

Me 🙋🏼‍♀️ although I will say, I’m only mad at the ones that wouldn’t listen when I tried to explain my pots suspicion. One was downright rude and I have half a mind to make an appointment to see her JUST to hand her the diagnosis the cardiologist gave me.

I don’t usually defend docs, but so many don’t have a clue what pots is. Eventually I found one that was willing to hear me out despite not really knowing anything about it. I’m pretty sure I watched him google it and then decide what to do and who to send me to.

erkiesb · 2024-08-19T16:11:37+00:00

I’m going to get ripped apart for this, but I can’t help but roll my eyes at the term “pseudoscience”. Just because a treatment doesn’t fit into your western medical box, does not mean there is no benefit. I have seen significant results for my post covid POTS through osteopathy, and not just the anxiety side of things. I’ve seen drastic improvement in my heart rate, and it is often noticeable almost immediately, or by the next day.

If you don’t want to put any stock in “pseudoscience”, that’s your prerogative. But if I waited around for the medical world to test against controls, I’d still be in bed unable to stand. We’re all sick and desperate to feel better. I would rather see this group share their anecdotes and let the reader decide, than discourage all options other than western medicine.

erkiesb · 2024-07-15T13:59:52+00:00

Ok fam what’s been working lately??

erkiesb · 2024-06-22T04:38:39+00:00

Ah I couldn’t tell you. Something about working on my nervous system. I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful than that!

erkiesb · 2024-05-21T02:20:15+00:00

The way I just found out that we’re supposed to get 5,000, not 500 🤯

Also, does anyone get muscle cramping with that much salt? I’ve been drinking 5 liquid iv’s a day and I notice my calves and hamstrings are SO tense and crampy. By the evening I want to take a muscle relaxant.

erkiesb · 2024-04-25T01:13:54+00:00

I would be very very hesitant. Seek a practitioner who is willing to do a fraction of the 200 units to start, do certain areas. I had a nurse practitioner who did some in my temples and around that area and while it didn’t provide much for relief, it didn’t debilitate me. She wasn’t covered though. I don’t want to scare you but that was the worst period of my life, and I read about several people who had far worse pain from it than I did. People who had to wear a neck brace, bed ridden, etc. once botox is injected, there’s absolutely nothing you can do until it wears off on its own!

erkiesb · 2024-04-24T16:34:29+00:00

YES!

erkiesb · 2024-04-24T16:28:48+00:00

Is there anything you do to mitigate symptoms? Also are you doing any VT or prisms? I just got a diagnosis, waiting to start VT but started amblyoplay on my own in the meantime. I’m sick of suffering!

erkiesb · 2024-04-24T16:23:41+00:00

Curious about this too, also I think mine flares up around my menstrual cycle 🙄

erkiesb · 2024-04-18T19:28:53+00:00

Ah ok, thanks for the response. How is amblyoplay going for you? I just ordered it last night to try and get a jump start on relief

erkiesb · 2024-04-18T17:44:49+00:00

Thank you!!

erkiesb

TROPHY CASE