About This Blog

So why name my blog "Taking My Pretty Back?" Let me explain...

I became symptomatic in October 2009, while suffering from bronchitis. At first my doctor thought I was having an allergic reaction to the steroid medication I had been given, but after discontinuing the meds, my symptoms continued. My heart would race, I couldn’t catch my breath, my face would flush, and I often felt dizzy upon standing. There was no rhyme or reason to when these symptoms occurred or how long they would last.

It took seven months of emergency room visits, medical testing, 28 days of wearing a heart monitor, numerous cardiologists, and more medications and adverse reactions than I can count before I was finally diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). Then the trial and error of treatment began. My doctors and I finally found a cocktail of medications, supplements, and ridiculously large amounts of water that somewhat controlled my symptoms. But then I was diagnosed with uncontrolled high blood pressure, and my symptoms came back with a vengeance.

After one too many frustrating appointments with multiple cardiologists who knew little to nothing about POTS, I had finally had enough. In the spring of this year, I returned to the first electrophysiologist that had mentioned the possibility of POTS. (Why I ever quit seeing him in the first place, I honestly can’t remember, but I can tell you, I seriously regret that decision!) He diagnosed me with HyperPOTS, and he quickly realized that some of the medications we thought were helping were actually doing more harm than good. We are now, again, working on finding just the right combination of medications, supplements, and insanely large amounts of water necessary to manage my chronic illness and to help me find some semblance of a normal life.

During this almost four year journey, I have spent more days sick than not, and I can honestly say that when I look in the mirror, I don’t even recognize myself. Many of the medications I am taking as well as the inability to exercise have caused me to gain weight. And I don’t mean just a little. During this four year ordeal, I have gained about fifty five pounds. I have also been diagnosed with hypothyroidism which has only made the weight issue worse. Insomnia, also a symptom of POTS, has created circle under my eyes so dark, it looks like I have two black eyes, and thanks to all the lovely symptoms POTS has to offer, I rarely feel like making the effort to cover them with a full face of makeup. Additionally, one of the medications I take causes hair loss, and my formerly thick, luxurious head of long hair is now kept in a granny bun on a daily basis. Chronic dehydration has dried out my skin, and my chest, neck, and face flush bright red whenever they feel like it giving my pale skin the appearance of a ruddy-faced drunk or an overly angry leprechaun.

So, I have decided, for the sake of my sanity and my self esteem, to take back my pretty. POTS and now HyperPOTS have stolen many things from me, but this is one thing I won’t let it have. Until my thyroid issue as well as my HyperPOTS symptoms are under control, there’s not a lot I can do about my weight (believe me, I’ve tried!!!), but I can and will address the other issues as my health allows.

I’m starting this blog because I know this issue affects other POTS sufferers or POTSies, as we often refer to one another. I’m hoping that here, we can share our ideas, our frustrations, our failures, and our triumphs, and also encourage one another to make the best of a perpetually bad situation. So, please join me in this fight against POTS and in the journey to take the pretty back!