What is the QSART? The QSART (Also known as the QSWEAT) is short for the “Quantitative Sudomotor Axon Reflex Test”. The goal of this test is to get a better understanding of a person’s nerve/sweat function, which can be tested by stimulating their body with electricity...
Waiting sucks. Especially when it comes to waiting for medical answers that could very dramatically impact your life, your perspective, and everything about the future. While waiting for a full evaluation at Mayo Clinic for the constellation of symptoms I was experiencing, I often found...
It finally happened y'all! I have officially received a comprehensive evaluation on my symptoms of autonomic dysfunction and the miscellaneous health issues that have been so debilitating. I was especially jazzed about this opportunity, because Mayo Clinic is known for their work with people who have...
When my postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) first started escalating, the most concerning symptoms included things like chest pain, palpitations (like my heart was flopping), and tachycardia (racing heart). Not knowing what was happening, my doctor ordered an echocardiogram, which is an ultrasound of the...
I am driven by striving. In one conversation with a Christian mentor, the words blurted out before I could properly weigh them: “Striving is what makes life worth living.” I wasn’t completely wrong, but I definitely wasn’t right either. A more appropriate statement might have been...
It blew my mind that our understanding of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) as a recognized condition is only about 30 years old. While there have been a few labels used to describe similar symptoms/conditions observed, such as “soldier’s heart,” “irritable heart syndrome,” or “orthostatic...
Driving is just sitting, so it’s fine - right? It’s a hard question to actually acknowledge for someone doing their best to live a normal life despite having postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). The condition primarily impacts women between the ages of 15-25, and certainly,...
If only I had a limp. I’m kidding of course, but in the day-to-day of living postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a part of me wishes there was some sort of external manifestation of the craziness happening inside my body. When I first started familiarizing myself...
Mental health isn’t something that is solved with 7 quick tips from a young person on the internet. I get that. The complexity of a person’s story and the depths of the needed healing are not concepts that are lost on me, and the more...
Memes are one of my favorite ways to express the humor, frustration, and experience of POTS. Check out my previous batch here. Enjoy!...