Today marks my three year anniversary with the infamous POTS. Believe it or not, I almost forgot about this day until earlier today when someone asked me how long I had been sick, and then it dawned on me: exactly three years. It was the day before September 11, 2007. For me, POTS struck suddenly and without much warning. After my surgery I was a changed person. Or at least my body was. Although I have gotten much better since then, this pesky condition still lingers.
What did I do on my POTSiversary? Well, nothing too out of the ordinary for a POTS patient. It was gray and drizzly here in the beautifully gloomy Pacific Northwest. I awakened early in the morning after finally falling asleep at about 2 a.m. the night before. Then came downstairs to prepare myself a lovely breakfast consisting of Trader Joe's chicken strips and Lays potato chips (for extra salt of course). Feeling relaxed after a large breakfast, I tried to fall back asleep, but to no avail. For some reason my phone was overwhelmed with calls and text messages this morning, although most were unaware of the significance of today, myself included at that point. I responded to some emails and finished writing a resume for a friend. Then had some dinner at home and went to a local coffee shop with an old friend from work. Although she does not have POTS, she does suffer from celiac disease and a thyroid problem, so she "gets" me. She asked how long I had been like this. And bam. Something to celebrate. Or rather, reflect upon. The only thing to celebrate is the fact that I have made progress against POTS. I have not let it completely overtake my life. And I believe I am getting better. Slowly but surely.
So here I sit writing this, eating a pan of ridiculously decadent brownies to commemorate the occasion. To sum up my anniversary with POTS: what could have been a dreary day was transformed into something more tolerable by gathering inspiration from good friends, consuming copious amounts of chocolate, and engaging in some intense introspection.
The song "Under the Weather" comes to mind today:
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