The latest research has shown that many people with POTS have specific anti-bodies that most healthy people do not have. However there still needs to be larger studies done with a greater number of people to confirm this. And if it's true that there are "POTS antibodies", then they still have to figure out how to use this information to better treat POTS. Maybe in the future that could mean filtering the antibodies out of your blood stream? Or medication that specifically targets those antibodies?
Dr. Raj was awesome. He had no miracle cure of course, but he did have some suggestions of different medication combinations/dosages to try. He said that POTS is always the result of something else going on in your body, it doesn't just occur on its own. However most of the time we don't know what that something else is. The latest research has shown that many people with POTS have specific anti-bodies that most healthy people do not have. However there still needs to be larger studies done with a greater number of people to confirm this. And if it's true that there are "POTS antibodies", then they still have to figure out how to use this information to better treat POTS. Maybe in the future that could mean filtering the antibodies out of your blood stream? Or medication that specifically targets those antibodies? Dr. Raj is currently studying these POTS antibodies and he asked if I'd like to participate in his current study. It would involve going back to Calgary three more times, and I'd have to go off of one of my medications, so I haven't decided if it's something I want to do yet. And finally, here are me and Zivah (my friend's dog) doing what we do best. Zivah and I weren't always the most exciting passengers during the 11 hour drive to Calgary. I also have a really amazing friend who not only drove me but arranged for us to stay with her family in Calgary and came with me to both appointments.
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I've not been great with this blogging thing lately. But I figured I should probably write about my visit to Dr. Raj this week!
The first day in Calgary I had Autonomic Function Testing (AFT) done at the Cardiovascular Diagnostics of Calgary's South Health Campus. The AFTs involved six parts:
You have to fast 6 hours before the tests and stop medications before hand. After the 10 hour car ride the day before, plus fasting and being off medications, I was already feeling pretty bad before the tests started. I started passing out during the tests where you blow into a device and at the end of the Tilt Table Test. My blood pressure was around 60/40 at that point, which is a new record for me. The staff there are super nice though and they even gave me lunch once it was all over! Tomorrow I get to meet Dr Raj for the first time so I'm looking forward to hearing what he has to say.
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AuthorMy name is Lisa and this is my life with POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) Categories
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