Potentially POTS or some kind of Dysautonomia? Something Else?

Hi! 27 F

Known Conditions: Childhood Epilepsy, ADHD, CPTSD

Medications: Adderall XR (6months)

Possible Symptoms Age: (I've had many of these symptoms Ebb and Flow since I was a kid/preteen/teen, as well as prior to Medication). The biggest reason why I've been researching POTS was my curiosity about my salt and water intake habits.

1.) Salt Cravings: I've had salt cravings since I was a kid. My salting habits have always been very intense. I always over-salt things, and would just keep adding more and more salt - so I learned to not add salt while I'm cooking because I make everything extremely salty. I always chose/still choose anything salty over a desert.

2.) Fainting: I've had near fainting experiences, especially in the shower - since I was a preteen/teen. Seems like showers may be a trigger, but not always. My most recent one was before I entered a shower, and the only thing that would help (as was the case whenever this happened) was lying down - however I started my period, and it seems like these symptoms usually get worse around that time. I've almost blacked out a few times. I don't experience this daily! However it did happen quite a lot in my adolescence, and I never did or said anything about it, I just assumed everyone had this experience once in a while. I would always end up lying on my bed to let these pass.

3.) Temperature Regulation: I have always had /extremely/ poor temperature regulation, this summer I had to wear layers during summer, because I could never feel warm. My hands and feet are perpetually cold. When I was younger I thought I may have raynauds syndrome (unconfirmed) that doesn't happen as often, but my body temperature regulations issues are pretty bad.

4.) Sweating: Sweating is generally something I don't do, and if I do very very lightly. When I was a kid I played sports, and barley sweat and as a kid wondered why I wasn't able to seem to sweat.

5.) Thirst: My Thirst levels have always been insane. My trips to the bathroom constant. Many a night I am awake simply because of the amount of times I need to urinate (even if it seems like I haven't even drank that much water?). As a kid my grandmother commented on my frequent bathroom trips. I just drink water like its no tomorrow.

6.) When I would play sports, at some point I would get such horrible charlie horses during games, that it was expected I would be out at some point in the game, because of the severe charlie horses.

---

Things that May not be connected

1.) Constantly feeling short of breath, as if I never have enough air (comes and goes but pretty consistent) although this may be the result of a unconfirmed by pretty obvious thing that I probably have (I can't burp have only burped 2-3 times in my life, my symptoms are pretty much 100% consistent with R-CPD)

2.) My sister had many instances of fainting spells during school

3.) While Nausea/Motion Sickness isn't a symptom I experience on the regular (although I have during the near-fainting experiences) I have a few things that I constantly feel nauseas around (reading in the car, pretty normal, but I can't play many video games because I start feeling like I want to throw up, and I can't swing on swings or feel like throwing up - clearly some kind of motion sickness but can't really tell if that just motion sickness or something else)

----Things that could be caused by something else (but not sure if 100%)

Brain/Fog Forgetfullness (CPTSD and ADHD, of course lessened by therapy for CPTSD and medication/therapy for ADHD)

Sensitivity to Noise/Light (could be ADHD/CPTSD)

Inexplicable Tiredness/Fatigue (obviously could be connected to ADHD/CPTSD, but sometimes it feels a little "different" as does the Brain Fog from my ADHD/CPTSD brain fog...I've found "junk food", meaning very salty foods weirdly seems to help with this sometimes)

0 likes, 0 replies