hey! i was diagnosed with POTS last april. every doctor will tell you this, but PLEASE make sure you are drinking a TON of water. it will not alleviate your symptoms but dehydration and POTS do NOT mesh well. in terms of lifestyle changes, i’d recommend buying a few pairs of compression socks and wearing them as often as possible. these move the blood from your legs up to your head so your blood pressure doesn’t go all over the place when you change positions! also, try to increase salt in your diet! i usually carry around pretzels/goldfish or even pickles in my lunch. increased salt in my diet has lessened my symptoms. i would also recommend investing in a shower seat or even just a regular stool. most of my accidents happen during hot showers, because POTS comes with the inability to manage heat, LOL listen to your body!! do not overexert urself or you will be feeling it the next day. sit or lay down when you need to! finally, remember that your POTS is not your fault. for me, i have a lot of guilt regarding not being able to do the things i used to— but it doesn’t make you less of a person, it just makes you chronically ill. you’re still you! i wish you luck on your journey! reach out if you need anything! ❤️

hey! I'm hopefully being diagnosed by my cardiologist soon too. I was also previously diagnosed with anxiety. it's super frustrating. drinking a lot of water - and I mean a lot - can help significantly as it increases blood volume, which can help with your symptoms. I have inappropriate sinus tachycardia, not POTS (on this app it changes IST to POTS) and I've found that drinking electrolytes has really helped my high heart rate upon standing, so it might help for you too. keeping moving, rather than standing still, has helped me with blood pooling in my hands and feet if you experience that too. good luck on your journey!! I hope you get a diagnosis and recognition soon.

Somebody else mentioned drinking a lot of water, I’ll add: for POTS, it isn’t just the water that’s important, it’s also the electrolytes. Especially if you have low blood pressure, which many of us do. You can get them in sports drinks like Gatorade, or there’s packets / dissolvable tablets you add to water, or capsules you swallow (but you have to take them with water). If you’re going in to see your cardiologist again soon, it’s worth asking for guidance on how much sodium / electrolytes you should be consuming. It can’t hurt to eat salty foods, but that alone probably isn’t enough sodium intake for someone with POTS.