Guide to POTS

Hoping this makes a confusing chronic illness diagnosis easier

Showering Tips

I have to say showering is one of the hardest things for me, by the time I get out of the shower I feel terrible. Here are things I’ve found to improve my health after the shower.

Drink a Lot of Water Before

I drink a whole glass of water before shower and then I drink a glass of Liquid IV to make sure I am hydrated.

Shower at Night

I tend to feel the worst in the morning so showering at night helps me but also if I’m sick afterwards I can just go to bed and not ruin my whole day.

Make Sure to Eat

If I eat right before a shower I struggle with feeling nauseous but if I don’t eat then I feel dizzy and weak. I find that eating dinner and showering an hour or so later works best for me. Also a lighter meal works better, something heavy like lasagna will just make life worse for me versus say grilled chicken and rice.

Short Showers

I try to keep my showers under ten minutes long, the longer version of All Too Well helps me with that. Doing this I find it puts less strain on my body and allows me a higher chance of feeling well after.

Cooler Showers

I love burn-your-skin-off hot showers but they’re really awful for my POTS. I find that by lowering the temperature so the shower is more warm than hot I do much better.

Spray Legs with Cold Water

I’m not sure why this works but my assumption is that it tightens the vessels in my legs? I don’t have a medical degree and have no idea if the vessels in my legs tighten through my skin with cold water but I do find that it helps me at the end of my shower when I’m about to get out.

Sit Down When You Need To

I have never owned a shower bench, maybe when I own a house I will, but I do find that there have been times when I have needed to sit on the floor of the shower to finish doing my hair or whatever. It might be worth investing in a shower bench if this is something you need but it’s better to sit in the shower than faint in it.

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