My Story with POTS

I love playing the violin. I've been playing for about seven years. I spend most of my time either practicing or in a rehearsal. I love school and being in Student Government. I truly found an incredible and supportive family at school. When I'm not at school or playing violin, I love to read. My favorite subject is English, particularly AP seminar.

I started my journey with chronic illness when I was twelve. I began to get sick frequently and it became more frequent until I was sick all the time. About two and a half years later, I was diagnosed with congenital sucrase-isomaltase deficiency (CSID), a rare genetic condition that affects my digestive system. It causes me to have an extremely restricted diet.

But my story with POTS started when I was fifteen. I'd been experiencing mild symptoms for a couple years but then they started getting worse. I started experiencing intense symptoms every day and passing out. My symptoms began to interfere with everyday life. I was having frequent POTS episodes at school and passing out. Originally, we blamed it on stress and anxiety. I had an EKG, echocardiogram, and got tested for POTS. I got diagnosed with POTS in July of 2024, about five months after I passed out for the first time. Managing my POTS can be rather difficult, especially at school. I still have frequent episodes at school but I have very kind and supportive teachers who have been so helpful.