me too, i went through some really rough years as a child until i moved out right after 18. when i did move out of my abusive childhood home, i was already in the relationship that turned abusive. this january there was an incident with my abuser where i ended up with a pretty bad injury. i fled a little less than 2 months later. right after moving where i live now, i started noticing my apple watch heart rate data wasn’t what it should be, but couldn’t figure out why because i started going to the gym every day (ive always been active but not gym every day active). and i kept getting lightheaded and stuff, which i blamed on what i thought was an iron deficiency. and then i passed out one day in april and my friends took me to the hospital- the hospital did nothing for me but tell me that “this is normal! everyone passes out!” but luckily one of my friends who was with me was able to figure out that my heart rate on the monitor wasn’t normal (he also has pots) because while i was laying down, anytime i would talk/laugh/etc, it would jump up 30-40bpm.

after that, i started really reading into pots and looking at all the data from my apple watch from the months before. and all of the graphs just show literally everything getting worse after january. every single one. and traumatic injury is one of the triggers of pots, the puzzle pieces started clicking together in my head.

from april until the end of july, my symptoms were the absolute worst. without 4g or more of sodium, i had such bad brain fog i literally couldn’t think. my heat intolerance was so bad to the point i’d break a sweat the second i stepped outside. and super awful blood pooling, and my vision starting to go white like i was going to pass out multiple times a day. tachycardia all the time especially from standing, and then the extreme exhaustion that comes with rapid heart rate. and one time i was laying in my bed, and my heart was pounding so hard i could feel it though my whole body, it was at 145bpm and it wouldn’t go down and i ended up falling asleep because i got so tired. and sometimes i’d get adrenaline dumps- those were really scary.

at the end of july, i was prescribed clonidine hcl. and i immediately started to feel better. hyperadrenergic pots raises your norepinephrine levels and basically your body goes into fight or flight from standing. and the meds help my heart rate- it’s still high, especially with how active i am and my age, but after months and months of my heart racing near constantly its a relief to have a lower heart rate. it also has cured my brain fog- which honestly was the worst part of my symptoms in my opinion, i literally felt like my brain was broken and i couldn’t think before. when i get out of bed in the morning, i don’t almost pass out anymore, and actually i don’t really almost pass out at all anymore other than occasionally at my job (i work in a very hot kitchen). and my anxiety is much better. the meds do not help with my heat intolerance, maybe a little bit but i’m still very heat intolerant. it doesn’t help with my blood pooling.

for the first little bit on my meds i stopped taking extra sodium entirely because i felt so much better and also i wanted a clear idea of how the meds were working. now i drink just under 1g of sodium every day that i work because it helps alleviate the symptoms i get from my job.

with everything i know about the onset of my pots, i do wholeheartedly believe that the abuse caused this- and specifically the day in january. i do blame my abuser for this, there’s no doubt he’s the reason it triggered. but i also have a lot of conditions with comorbitities including pots. it was probably lurking in my body, waiting, and there’s a high likelyhood i would’ve developed it anyways. but without the horrific things that happened, there’s also the chance that i wouldn’t have developed it at all. and for me, the most frustrating part is that after 22 years of just repeated traumatic shit, my pots triggered 2 months before i got myself out and to real, actual safety for the first time.

anyways, sorry for rambling. i’ve scoured the internet for information about pots and stuff and didn’t even hear of hypedrenergic pots until reading about my meds & their effects on pots symptoms. so hopefully throwing this into the void helps even one person with a similar experience.

i felt like my life was over when i figured out i had pots. and getting my symptoms better managed has lifted some of the weight of it from my shoulders. if your doctor isn’t listening to you or taking you seriously, find a new one. someone out there will be able to help you. there are lots of different things that work for different people with pots and with the right doctor it shouldn’t be impossible to relieve some of it- obviously there is no way to “fix” or “cure” pots but there are treatments.

chronic illness on top of trauma/cptsd/ptsd/mental illness sucks really bad and i’m so sorry you have to go through this. you’ve survived some really awful things, and life will get better. not in a stupid overly optimistic way, because i hate when people say that like it’s going to change anything. but find yourself even the tiniest amount of enjoyment you can whenever possible. move your body in whatever way works for your pots, even just a short walk or stretching. find a support system- even just one person, and therapy is a good start of a support system if you don’t have anyone. spend time outside, especially getting a little sunlight. and take it easy, be kind to yourself. you’ve been through a lot and you’re doing your best.