The Moth - POTS Story by Sarah Dionna

[@kathyharris3746]

❤good for you!!! You've helped me to keep on trying!!

[@sarahdionna]

❤️ Each day is a new day! Celebrate every win and keep going! ❤️

[@wordzmyth]

The army doesn't believe you until you rearrange the furniture with your head on the way down 😂😅 It's amazing you didn't get concussion. Thanks for sharing your story.

[@sarahdionna]

Yeah it was tough back then. Thank you for listening!

[@StarDeSoul]

Did they ever test you for Epstein bar virus? I've had POTS & Dysautonomia since puberty started at age 11, but i didn't meet others with it until i was an adult and got diagnosed with EDS; everyone I've met with it has EDS or got it post-virally. Were you ever at Camp before your symptoms started? I've seen commercials about the water being contaminated there and am curious if that could be linked to POTS at all.

[@sarahdionna]

I am familiar with Epstein-Barr Virus from online forums, but that’s not the root cause for me. I was stationed at Camp Lejeune, but that was right after my symptoms started. The Navy said their best guess was being exposed to toxins performing my duties as an ammunition technician. They likened it to Gulf War Syndrome. Many years after I was medically retired, I was diagnosed with benign joint hypermobility syndrome and then later Ehlers Danlos Syndrome at a Dysautonomia International Conference when I was a part of a study. EDS doesn’t cause POTS, but it can be a risk factor.