Weight Gain Struggles
Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. I can only speak to my own experience and hope that gives you some insight into what POTS is and how it can affect you or the people around you.
What it feels like: Not gaining weight and being frustrated that you’re not gaining weight because it is making you weak and unable to take medications that might help you.
What causes it
A few things cause the weight loss and struggle of gaining weight actually. Number one is stomach problems, if you are not hungry and always nauseous you don’t want to eat which means that you’re putting less food into you already. Number two is that your heart rate is going too fast all of the time and your body is working so hard to keep you standing that it is highly likely you are already burning more calories than the average person just by living your life.
My solutions
Small meals help with stomach problems and feeling weak. If you can’t eat, can you drink something? Try to eat healthy as much as you can but it’s fine to substitute a healthy meal that you might not be able to eat with an ice cream sundae every once in a while. It might not have the nutritional value that you need but it will have the calories and taste good.
Further Reading
Anjum, Ibrar. “Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome and Its Unusual Presenting Complaints in Women: A Literature Minireview.” NCBI, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5988200/. Accessed 2 April 2023.
“The POTS (Postural Tachycardia Syndrome) Epidemic: Hydration and Nutrition Issues.” Practical Gastro, 14 October 2019, https://practicalgastro.com/2019/10/14/the-pots-postural-tachycardia-syndrome-epidemic-hydration-and-nutrition-issues/. Accessed 2 April 2023.
“The POTS (Postural Tachycardia Syndrome) Epidemic: Hydration and Nutrition Issues.” UVA School of Medicine, https://med.virginia.edu/ginutrition/wp-content/uploads/sites/199/2019/06/POTS-June-2019.pdf. Accessed 2 April 2023.
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