u/candyboots99

I am diagnosed with POTS, not diagnosed with ME/CFS but wouldn’t be surprised if I do have it given how bad my PEM (post-exertional malaise) has been all month. I have been moving into a new apartment for the past couple weeks (purposely overlapped my leases so I would have more time) and it has taken truly everything out of me. I am at the point where I am just feeling so exhausted and sick every day, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to finish the move.

My question stems from one of the main symptoms I’ve been having, which is a sore throat. I thought I had a virus at first because of this, but it hasn’t gotten any better or worse and otherwise feels more like PEM than a real sickness. Is it normal to get a sore throat with PEM? It seems like a weird symptom to have if this is just caused by over-exertion. It’s possible that I also have acid reflux or something else that could be contributing. My other main symptoms have been headache, fatigue, and feeling like I have a fever even though I don’t. Would love to hear if other people have similar experiences!

Hello! After discovering I am hypermobile this past year, I have been working a lot on strength and stretching exercises. They have helped to an extent, but no matter what I do, my back (especially upper back) is always insanely tight. I have these huge knots in my back and the backs of my shoulders that hurt a lot and never seem to get better. The only thing I’ve found that helps is deep tissue massage, but it’s like $150 a session so I can’t afford to do it regularly. Does anyone have tips for back tightness or knots?

Sometimes I feel like my heart is pounding like crazy, but when I check my heart rate it’s totally normal & not elevated. It often feels like my heart is skipping a beat when this happens too. I have heard other people talk about this, but I’m never quite sure what to do when this happens (apart from just doing my best to relax and wait it out). It is definitely exacerbated by stress/anxiety, but I don’t understand why sometimes I get actual tachycardia when this happens, vs. other times it feels similar but my heart rate is normal. Would love tips for how to ease this feeling because it is quite unpleasant!!