“You should exercise more.” A brutal statement. One I had tried to fulfill on my own, and time and time again, had failed. It was a frustrating piece of advice from my doctor, and felt so out of reach as I navigated my bouquet of...
I am so excited to report that after graduating from the 3-week Pain/Symptom Rehabilitation Center at Mayo Clinic in Rochester and continuing the program at home, I am nearly 100% recovered!...
The Valsalva maneuver is EASILY the most fascinating thing I’ve gotten to do in this entire medical adventure. On the surface, it’s a fairly quick and easy part of autonomic testing, but underneath, it’s one of the coolest and most complicated mechanisms of the human...
With postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (or POTS), life is already a bit of a balancing act to keep all systems running smoothly, so as I prepared for surgery this fall, I was a bit nervous about how my body might handle it. The combination of...
My sister is a rockstar. I know I write a lot about my own journey with chronic illness, and I can often focus on the ways that I am able to manage my own symptoms and challenges. But what I don’t talk much about is the...
Without a doubt, midodrine has been crucial to the management of my postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. Now that I have been on it for 2 months, I can confidently say that I experience significant benefits, minimal (if any) lasting side effects, and am overall pleased...
Living out the lifestyle changes that are recommended for postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) can be easier said than done. Having POTS is hard. It’s inconvenient. It is not fun. And yet in the midst of daily limitations and hourly coping, finding small yet meaningful...
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...