Demmi

Hi,

My name is Demmi and I’m 24 years old.

I’ve been on a journey with chronic illness since I was 14 years old. I was first diagnosed with hypothyroidism, and suffer from other conditions such as asthma and various food allergies of which I have had since I was a baby.

When I was 17 I started to attend the gym where I would lift weights and do cardio. One day I was lightly jogging on the treadmill and started to feel lightheaded and nauseous. My ears started ringing and my vision went black. I fainted. My heart rate had reached 190 according to my fitness watch. The doctor put it down to me not having breakfast that morning.

Then came covid. In 2020, I had covid pretty bad. I was floored for 2 weeks. And just as I started to feel better, I then developed shingles. Following multiple infections and illnesses, things became increasingly difficult for me. My heart rate would skyrocket doing day to day tasks and I would feel exhausted easily.

‘It’s anxiety’

I was back and forth to the doctors, had every blood test carried out under the sun, had a few trips to A and E due to chest pain and palpitations, but all they could tell me is ‘it’s anxiety’.

Yes, I was anxious about my health and why it was deteriorating. I was sad that I can’t do the things I want to do like other people my age. I felt like I was constantly being let down by health professionals. Of course it was taking a toll on my mental health. But I knew that there was something else. So I kept pushing for answers.

I finally got referred to cardiology for further tests where I was diagnosed with PoTS. The relief I now feel that it’s not ‘all in my head’ is huge. The PoTS UK website has been really helpful in offering advice/lifestyle changes to manage my condition. Some days I feel great. But most of my days consist of symptoms such as tachycardia, nausea, blurry vision, brain fog, blood pooling, exercise intolerance and fatigue.

‘I feel more hopeful about the future’

After diagnosis, I feel more hopeful about the future and want others to know that you are not alone if you are experiencing the same symptoms/pushbacks from professionals. If you feel in your gut that something isn’t quite right then please advocate for yourself. You know your own body best.

General awareness of PoTS is scarce. So if I can do anything to raise awareness to help others like myself then I will!