How do y’all manage to deal with isolation that this causes I’m not even much of people Person, but I just feel isolated and like I want a new change of scenery because all these symptoms and testing is messing with my head.
Friendly reminder to my fellow POTS people: please try to avoid getting sick as much as possible. Viruses, infections, and illnesses can hit us very differently compared to people without POTS, and things can spiral fast.
This goes for both people who are newly diagnosed and people who’ve had POTS for years. Take precautions when you can, stay hydrated, rest, wash your hands, mask up if needed — whatever helps lower the risk.
I’m currently sick right now, and ever since developing POTS, getting sick has become a completely different experience for me. Please be mindful that when people with POTS get an illness or infection, it can affect us dramatically differently, so protecting your health really does matter.
Hey everyone, does anyone know of any actual financial aid, grants, charities, relief funds, or organizations in the U.S. that help people with POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome)?
I’m not really talking about government disability programs or SSI. I mean actual financial assistance for medical costs, treatment, specialist visits, medications, transportation, or just support for people struggling with POTS financially.
Hey everyone, I was wondering if anyone had recommendations for beginner drawing courses that are more focused on practice and actually drawing rather than a lot of theory.
I’m trying to seriously learn how to draw from beginner all the way to advanced because eventually I want to create my own characters, stories, and projects. I use courses because I need structure to stay focused and consistent, but I tend to get overwhelmed when there’s too much lecture/theory before actually drawing. I learn a lot better by just diving in and practicing step-by-step.
For example, I’ve been doing The Ultimate Character Design Course by Jaysen Batchelor, but I’m struggling a bit because it feels more theory-heavy than I expected.
So I’m mainly looking for courses that are:
beginner friendly,
structured,
more hands-on/practice focused,
less “sit through long lectures before drawing,”
and ideally something that can help me grow long-term from beginner to advanced.
Any suggestions would be really appreciated.
For anyone who's wondering about investing in compression, here are my results from experimenting with compression. Keep in mind I have hyperadrenergic POTS. Hope this helps.
🧪 Baseline (no compression)
BP range: 108–115 / 75–79
HR resting: ~76–87
Peak HR standing/walking: ~140+
🧪 Day 0 — Shorts + Socks (messy conditions)
(food, electrolytes, movement — not controlled)
BP:
162/97 (spike after movement/food)
137/99 → 135/93 → 127/79 → 123/75 → 115/76 (full recovery)
HR:
Peaks: ~140–149
Stabilization around ~122
Symptoms:
No dizziness
Felt okay overall
Conclusion:
BP normalized fully
Spike was situational, not compression-related
🧪 Day 1 — Compression Shorts ONLY
Baseline:
115/79, HR ~82
Resting:
115/77, HR 83
113/73, HR 96 (post-meal)
113/74, HR 96 (recovery)
125/88, HR 107 (later)
Upright:
Peak HR: ~126–128
Typical: ~100–105
Symptoms:
Slight fatigue
No dizziness
Conclusion:
✔ Significant HR reduction
✔ BP stable
⚠️ Partial improvement
🧪 Day 2 — Shorts + Compression Socks
Baseline:
108/75, HR ~76–87
Resting:
119/75, HR 80
117/80, HR 80
106/78, HR 75
Activity:
Peak HR: ~132
~33 minutes upright
Post-activity:
136/85, HR 81 (not resting)
Symptoms:
Slight fatigue
No dizziness
Conclusion:
⚖️ No major difference vs shorts alone (for peak HR)
🧪 Day 3 — Shorts + Socks + Abdominal Binder
Baseline:
111/75, HR 98
Resting:
101/77, HR 76
113/79, HR 87
Final:
123/83, HR 92
121/80, HR 80
Activity:
1h 30m on feet
Peak HR: ~131
HR range: 54–131
Symptoms:
Warm
Slightly drained
No dizziness
Conclusion:
✔ Lowest resting HR
⚠️ No big reduction in peak HR
⚠️ Less comfortable
🩸 Blood Pressure — Final Verdict
No sustained elevation across any day
Always returned to normal
Even 162/97 normalized fully
👉 Compression did NOT raise my BP
❤️** Heart Rate Compariso**n
Setup
Peak HR
No compression
~140+
Shorts only
~126–128
Shorts + socks
~132
Full compression
~131
🧠 Final Takeaways
Compression shorts = biggest benefit
Socks = optional (minimal added effect for me)
Abdominal binder = situational (long standing days)
🧭 My setup going forward
Daily: shorts + socks
Long standing days: add binder
🔥 Big takeaway
Compression didn’t fix everything, but it:
lowered HR
improved stability
let me stay upright longer without crashing
🧠 If you try this yourself
Rest 5–10 min before readings
Don’t trust one spike
Look at trends, not single numbers
Test one variable at a time
Hope this helps