Chloe, 30

Hi – my name is Chloe and I have PoTS, EDS Hypermobility, MCAS, OI. Looking back on my childhood I was always ‘different’ – clumsy, flexible, prone to illness.  I started golf and kickboxing at 8 years old and by 13 the serious injuries began.  With no answers from my GP, my parents paid for a private consultation. We got told I had lax joints and I should avoid sports.  In the end I was on over 14 tablets a day and gave up all exercise.

Fast forward into my late teens – I was very lonely as I had no energy, I was still seen as ‘different’ and I didn’t enjoy going out due to how ill I felt.  Then, when I was 23 my world got turned upside down – I had my first blackout.  It was pushed under the rug at the time but my fatigue, headaches and ill health got worse and I started to struggle in my job.  4 months later my second blackout happened and I was rushed to A & E.  I had to stop working, I lost my career, my boyfriend left, my driving license was taken away and I ended back with my parents, bed bound.  To me, my life had ended and at the time I got misdiagnosed with Reflex anoxic seizures and told to just ‘carry on’.

Going through the PoTS checklist, I noticed I ticked nearly all the boxes

I was left to wallow in this misery for over a year when I came across a few charities, PoTS UK being one of them. After going through the PoTS checklist, I noticed I ticked nearly all the boxes and eventually my GP sent me to Sheffield Hospital. After 6 months of battling, I got my diagnosis, was put on my medications and I finally started to feel better. I got sent to see a Clinical Pilates Instructor to help my EDS and PoTS and it was halfway through a session that I finally understood what I wanted to do with my life – Pilates.  I began studying to become a Clinical Pilates Instructor and Personal Trainer, all while trying to gain my health and fitness back.  Luckily, my boyfriend Chris has been my rock these past 4 years and supports me fully.

I am now 30 years old, a fully qualified Clinical Pilates Instructor, Personal Trainer and I am fitter than I have ever been. Being able to run my own business is amazing but I still have “bad” days where my symptoms aren’t great and I know I will never be 100% ‘normal’ but I love my job.  

Having PoTS is hard but I’ve learned valuable lessons. The main one being: “Never give up, keep reaching for your goals no matter how small and, when you finally reach it, set another one to keep you motivated”.