u/salemgrray

i’ve been developing pots symptoms over the past few months. i’ve noticed i feel especially bad right before my period. I usually end up with extreme fatigue that has me sleeping for days at a time. I just learned this could be due to dropping estrogen levels causing lower blood volume. i was desperate to stop feeling awful and the electrolytes just weren’t cutting it, so i decided to eat a whole bunch of straight table salt. i’ve seen others talk about eating straight salt to reduce symptoms quickly. i ate a teaspoon of salt while making the mistake of doing so on an empty stomach. i was throwing up within minutes. i guess i still have much to learn when it comes to caring for myself with chronic illness. i just hope it starts to feel easier. i’m feeling overwhelmed with so much mixed advice about salt and electrolytes and managing symptoms.

Within the last few months I (23f) have been experiencing extreme fatigue, terrible brain fog, joint pain, muscle pain/weakness & frequent cold-like respiratory illnesses. I am also very prone to GI issues like bloating, abdominal pain & constipation. I just ended up in the ER with chest pain, tachycardia, shortness of breath & dizziness/feeling like the blood is rushing to my head. I also have been experiencing what I assumed was blood pooling in my hands. They get mottled and feel tingly. The doctor in the ER said it was hard to tell but that it could possibly be Raynauds. I then received a working diagnosis of POTS & have been wearing a heart monitor. I was suspecting something auto immune related and more labs revealed ANA titler at 1:320, >8 Centromere B antibodies and elevated sedimentation rate. Would you say these symptoms and results point towards scleroderma? I am particularly worried because my EKG results in the ER indicated potential right atrial enlargement. The doctor I saw following my ER visit told me that was nothing to worry about and tested my vitals in different positions leading to her suspecting POTS. I’m now worried given my other test results that it could be Scleroderma-associated Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. I have a pulmonary test scheduled for June 11th. Would it be wise to schedule an immediate echocardiogram as well? This is all really stressing me out.

I (23f) was screened for ANA’s due to suspecting possible autoimmune disease. I’ve been having excessive fatigue, joint pain, major brain fog and back to back cold-like respiratory illnesses. I’ve also began having tachycardia, shortness of breath, dizziness, blood rushing to my head and mottling in my hands typically accompanied by tingling sensations, that I suspected was blood pooling in my hands however the ER doctor did say it could potentially be Raynauds. They have attributed these symptoms to POTS as of right now. My ANA titer was in the negative range at 1:320, however my Centromere B was >8. From my research it seems this result is rare. My question is, is it more likely ANA is a false negative or centromere B is a false positive? And are there circumstances in which high levels of centromere B are normal and not indicative of an autoimmune condition? Additionally, do my symptoms seem as if they could be the beginning symptoms of systemic sclerosis?