Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. I can only speak to my own experience and hope that gives you some insight into what POTS is and how it can affect you or the people around you.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n It can be very hard to get a POTS diagnosis, commonly POTS is misdiagnosed as anxiety or panic disorder. On average it takes years to get a diagnosis and most people see multiple doctors. I think with the recent uptake in POTS cases that getting a diagnosis would be quicker as more and more doctors and medical personnel become more aware of the disorder. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you suspect you have POTS you can test yourself at home. You’ll need to get a heart monitor\/ blood pressure monitor and check your blood pressure and heart rate while you’re laying down, sitting and standing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n First you should first lay down for 15 minutes then take your blood pressure \/ heart rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then stand and take your blood pressure \/ heart rate immediately, stay standing for 15 minutes and retake your blood pressure and heart rate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What you are looking for is an increase of 30 beats per minute going from laying down to standing or a total of 120 after the 15 minutes of standing. There should also be a drop in blood pressure when standing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Please remember that POTS is not just a change in heart rate but also a myriad of symptoms, this is just a way you can test yourself at home. To get an official diagnosis you do need to see a doctor who will run either a tilt table test or the test I just described above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A tilt table test is when you get strapped to a medical table and get rotated around, up and down and up and down. While this is happening you will be hooked up to a blood pressure and heart rate monitor and possibly an EKG. Your doctor will collect this information and make an official diagnosis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A diagnosis will help to find the correct medication, get your treatments on the right track and give you some answers. It will not be a fix or a cure and in the end might even be a burden at times but it will be a massive part of your life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow is POTS syndrome diagnosed?\u201d London Heart Clinic<\/em>, https:\/\/theheartclinic.london\/conditions\/postural-orthostatic-tachycardia-syndrome-pots\/answerpack\/postural-orthostatic-tachycardia-syndrome-pots\/postural-orthostatic-tachycardia-syndrome-pots-faq\/how-is-pots-syndrome-diagnosed\/<\/a>. Accessed 26 June 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPostural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS).\u201d Johns Hopkins Medicine<\/em>, https:\/\/www.hopkinsmedicine.org\/health\/conditions-and-diseases\/postural-orthostatic-tachycardia-syndrome-pots<\/a>. Accessed 26 June 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\nDifficulty Getting a Diagnosis<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Test at home<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
How will a diagnosis help?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Further Reading<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
How long did it take you to get a diagnosis? How many doctors did you see?<\/h4>\n\n\n\t
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