Allergies and Shenanigans

I’m pretty sure that plant was strategically placed above the cabinets to make the patients feel more comfortable…

So a few days ago I went in for my dreaded allergy test…and I have to admit it wasn’t that bad.  (But it was still pretty bad 😉 ).  The medical assistant called my name in the waiting room and led me to the creepy room pictured above.  The sight of the room wasn’t exactly comforting.  The table that was located dead center in the room, along with the bright lights overhead, made me feel like I was entering a tortue chamber of some-sort.

I laid down belly-first on that cold blue table and let this stranger poke me with 60 needles containing various allergens all down my back.  Oddly, this part wasn’t that bad.  It was the minutes that followed that I don’t wish to experience again any time soon.

Minute by minute the itching and discomfort grew worse.  There was one spot in particular on my back that was so horrible that I could pinpoint in my mind exactly where it was, and it took my mind off of the other 59 itchy places.  Sort of.

15 minutes FINALLY passed, and the MA came back in to measure the reactions I had.  No surprise that I was allergic to over half of the allergens.

She took out some anti itch cream and put it on my back with a Q-Tip.  This was my favorite part of the whole test.  She then gave me Benedryl and I sat in a chair, (wiggling to scratch my back against the course material), awaiting my doctor.

In case any of you were wondering what my back looked like…I have pictures!  I apologize if this is gross in any way, shape, or form.

I will be writing tomorrow to update you guys about my past few weeks, POTs-wise!  I truly hope you are all doing well!

-Jenna 🙂

Brain Fog

I probably should apologize now if this whole blog post sounds jumbled and has tons of errors in it.  Normally I try to be meticulous with that kind of stuff, but my brain feels so ..foggy right now.

I had a fun day today.  I went to a football game and talked with old friends whom lately I have been too exhausted to keep in touch with.  I also went shopping with my two best friends.  It’s no wonder that with such a full day that I am completely and utterly exhausted now.

I haven’t been feeling my POTs symptoms recently, but tonight they hit me once again.  As I was standing cheering on my friend as he was being crowned homecoming king, I got dizzy, weak, and nauseous.  I had to excuse myself to the bathroom and hold on to the sink for a little while.  I also think I’m starting to get a symptom I hear a lot of POTsies call “brain fog”?  I’m not really sure exactly what this entails, but I have been feeling kind of foggy, spacey, and forgetful lately.

I have an allergy test this week to help figure out what caused my Chronic Sinusitis.  I’m a tad bit nervous, but I figure it can’t be too bad!  Before I have the allergy test, I have to stop taking a lot of my medications that might interfere with the test.  I stopped taking my Cingulair and Allegra everyday.  These two medications are extremely helpful with my allergies, fatigue, and migraines.  I think today, the effects of not taking these medications hit me.  My head is killing me right now.  I can’t even think straight.

So much for feeling well…

-Jenna

P.S.  If anyone could tell me what brain fog exactly is, or how it affects them specifically, please comment and let me know below!

That Sparkle is Coming Back!

Last week was stressful.

I am pretty much caught up in school now, but between schoolwork, studying for SATS, and my attempt to have a social life; I couldn’t help but feel slightly overwhelmed.

But last week is over, and I was rewarded with a very fun filled weekend. 🙂 I finally am starting to feel somewhat better POTs-wise.. I’m crossing my fingers that this lasts! Over the weekend I was able to get out and do a ton of things without feeling too exhausted! My mom and I spent time together, I went to the gym, and I caught up with some of my friends! Then on Saturday, my boyfriend took me out to see The Bachelorette, get frozen yogurt, and go for a night-walk. By the end of the night, my cheeks were hurting from smiling so much. That night was much needed.

I feel so happy lately… like everything is just falling into place.

I remember last year, one of my teachers used to always tell me that she could tell when I wasn’t feeling well because I didn’t have that “sparkle” in my eyes that I usually have.

My mom says that sparkle is coming back… 🙂

Hope everyone is doing well.

Xoxo,

Jenna

A Late Night Thought…

I’ve been thinking about how much I have gone through this year, and it really makes me wonder how much everyone else who has POTs has gone through.

This illness isn’t something that’s easy to diagnose, in fact, most doctors don’t even know about it.  It took me several months to get a diagnosis, but I have heard of people going on for years trying to find out what was wrong with them.

How many people are suffering from this out in the world, but can’t get the help they need because there isn’t enough awareness about POTs?

These people are probably desperately hopping from doctor to doctor seeking answers for what they’re feeling.  These people are probably being brushed off and called crazy, just like I was.  To the point where they actually begin to think that maybe they are crazy.

It’s understandable that the general public doesn’t know much about POTs…  but Doctors really need to be taught about it.  It’s debilitating, and it’s awful, and it’s just as real of a disease as any other illness out there.

It’s been ten years since POTs was really discovered.  Yet the vast majority of doctors still don’t know about it.

It’s rather unsettling isn’t it?

Goodnight my fellow POTsies.