Laura

My name is Laura, and I am 32 years old. I hope that in sharing my story I can give others just starting their PoTS journey some hope for the future!

I first started suffering from fatigue and pain when I was 18 years old and halfway through my Accountancy degree at university. I struggled to keep up with a social life and I wrote most of my dissertation from my bed! Despite this, after graduating I landed my dream job with one of the best accountancy firms and bought my very first flat in the city. However, things rapidly started to get worse, I was passing out, slurring my words when speaking and really just struggling to think straight.

When I was 22 years old, I had to give up my career, sell my flat and move back home with my parents. I was housebound for almost a year, while also struggling to get a diagnosis, I was heartbroken and had very little hope for the future.

I was eventually diagnosed with endometriosis and then PoTS with a tilt table test (passing out 9 minutes into the 45 minute test!) and over the next few years I tried various medications and had several surgeries for my endometriosis. But, what made the biggest difference to my health and happiness was exercise. I slowly built up my fitness, first with walking, then running, then bodyweight exercises and I now do a mix of everything, including some CrossFit. Exercise gave me some power back over my body, I felt stronger and fitter. It was also through the gym that I met my husband, and we now have two beautiful healthy children! 

I still struggle everyday with PoTS symptoms, I have to sit down in the shower and cancel plans to lie in bed with terrible headaches. I still find standing still for any longer than a minute incredibly exhausting and therefore avoid it as much as possible. However, my life is so much better and fuller than I ever thought possible. I am more grateful for the smaller things in life, I am more selective on what I choose to spend my energy on, and I have much more awareness of other people’s struggles.  

Finding the right people is key; the parents that keep your world together in your lowest moments, the friends that support you and understand when you can’t be there, the patient husband that always has a chair, salt or water to hand, the pet that loves lying next to you in bed on the days you can’t get up, and the gym where they listen to you and make you feel included regardless of your limitations. Now I can also add my two babies to my list, every single day they make the fight against my fatigue worth it.

Never give up on a bad day, keep moving (with lots of rest in-between), you never know what the future will hold!