POTS and EDS
pOTS And eDS
At POTS Care, our Clinical Director (Diana Driscoll, OD) was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) as were her two children. She was told that POTS was secondary to EDS. She was told that POTS in EDS patients was likely due to a gradual laxity of vessels over time.
Although this sounded plausible to her, Dr. Driscoll became ill merely weeks after a virus – and she was 46 at the time! There was nothing gradual about the development of POTS in her case. And when her son developed POTS after a series of three viruses at the age of eight, she knew this theory was likely incorrect.
It was only by abandoning the current views and digging deeply she was able to get answers for her family and so many others. Now fully recovered from POTS, she works full-time at POTS Care along with the medical team to help others locate the cause of their POTS and EDS.
At POTS Care, the entire team is very familiar with EDS & the special challenges these patients face. POTS & EDS are often linked. But POTS is not a necessary consequence of EDS.
“If we had accepted the premise that POTS was due to a genetic condition and therefore untreatable, my kids and I would still be sick. After 12 years of disability, I am so happy to be helping others locate the treatable aspects of their POTS. At POTS Care, until proven otherwise, we do not presume your condition is not actionable even when genetics are involved. Instead, we look for the treatable aspects that can allow patients to recover. This paradigm shift is tremendous news for those who believe their condition is due to genetic defects, and little can be done beyond symptomatic relief. This new research indicating that the majority of patients can be treated with existing medications to address the “true” underlying condition is ground-breaking.”
– Diana Driscoll, Optometrist
meet The Patients
Kerry’s Story
“They say that words can be impactful, change one’s view of things, and help you to see in a way that maybe you haven’t before. Therefore it is so important that I get this right even knowing words will never suffice. However, I am writing down my experience to not only tell you that Dr. Driscoll has literally saved my life, but that you can feel better too and you have to be your own advocate to do so sometimes. DO NOT stop believing you can get well. I promise, you can.
I saw Dr. Driscoll and her amazing team at POTS Care only a month ago after suffering terribly for 4 1/2 very long years. I believed I had POTS (I had done enough research to know it was at least a possibility), yet I had also gone the way most of us do initially – to the doctors we know and hope to trust. Unfortunately, with this condition, most of the doctors simply don’t understand that one person could actually suffer from so much and daily. Additionally, you are shuffled from one specialist to another and they often are not communicating between each other about their findings. They check their box and send you yet again… on your way.
I spent thousands and thousands of dollars to try to get well. I was put through a blood patch procedure in my spine because my doctor “thought” I had a CSF leak. No real evidence of one, he just “thought” so. I had seen every doctor in my town and doctors at UCLA and Cedars Sinai. Cardiologists, neurologists, ophthalmologists, ENT, nephrologists, GP’s, rheumatologists, and more. Not one of them was able to help me at all. I was prescribed many beta blockers and other drugs that in the end made me much worse. Hence? I even developed a fear of taking medication.
That was 4 1/2 years ago and as I mentioned, I do in fact have that condition in conjunction with Inflammatory POTS. My life was literally taken away from me as I knew it and it could have been helped and saved that day. I was terribly ill chasing about 100 symptoms daily.
I had read about Dr. Driscoll for years and there was something special about her. Something pulled me to her. A connection, understanding, warmth. I couldn’t nail it at the time but they ALL turned out to be true once I met her.
As I mentioned earlier, I had hoped my doctors would help so I waited 2 1/2 years to reach out to her. I IMPLORE you not to do that. These are days you will never get back. One day I took the leap because I couldn’t live my life the way it was anymore and knew I no longer had anything to lose. I am so blessed and grateful that I did!
Dr. Driscoll and her team work so carefully together for YOU on YOUR case and do not shuffle any tiny piece aside. They put every symptom you have ever had, examine clearly your MRI’s, CT’s, blood work, eye exams, and put it all together in a way any one of your doctors can’t and probably will never do. Not because they don’t want to or don’t care – It is because they don’t understand the entirety of the disease and how it can be helped.
I would be remiss if I did not mention Sarah. She is a huge part of my success, extraordinary at what she does, and is always there for me during this time of recovery. Together they are literally changing people’s lives and hopefully one day, having done so enough times that the knowledge of IIH and POTS has made its way to every doctor’s office in the country, possibly the world. We as the patients who are suffering so much deserve that.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart Dr. Driscoll and the team at POTS Care! You will forever be in my debt.”
Anna Mae’s Story
Hi to everyone, I wanted to let you know that I’m happy with the help I got from you… I’m keeping on improving, it is a slow recovery, but I really appreciate all you did for me.
I’m taking my medicines every day, consistently, and I know that is important. Diamox, for one, helped so much with my high pressure. I really like the audios too. They are very informative and helpful.
Thank you so much for your help and for being available if questions arise. I’m so glad we chose POTS Care for my care!
Maria’s Story
“POTS Care is a team I learned is worthy of my trust. The most important thing for me was the genuine loving and compassionate attitude flowing from everyone.
Dr. Driscoll has gone through some of the worst things as a patient herself, and thereby blesses her patients with warmth foreign to some doctors I’ve worked with. God is constantly creating beauty out of ashes by the way He uses Dr. Driscoll to reach out to her patients.
Dr. Driscoll and her team remained smiling and caring even when I thought I threw them a curve ball. They rode the waves with us! She is very knowledgeable, having been a part of all the research.
I am so thankful Dr. Driscoll understands POTS and its underlying cause in each individual case. May all the honor be to God!”
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Just Diagnosed with POTS?
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Options For Care
Consultation: $275
Would you like to speak with Dr. Driscoll, a former POTS patient and autonomic expert?
- 30-minute phone consultation with Diana Driscoll, OD, FAAO
- Dr.Driscoll can discuss your case and offer guidance based on her decades of personal experience.
POTS Care Package™: $775
The POTS Care Package™ offers a dramatic departure from the current approach to POTS!
The latest information and education on Inflammatory POTS and how to start feeling better today!
- 30-minute phone consultation with Dr. Driscoll
- Mobile App with 3 months of audio support and education!
- Supplements valued at over $500
- Recovery workbook/journal, biofeedback device, dietary and exercise guidance — and more
Individualized POTS Treatment:
We will locate your underlying causes of POTS and provide you with. a complete treatment plan.
After seeing thousands of Inflammatory POTS patients over the last decade, the team at POTS Care is thrilled to offer educational programs for practitioners and patients (coming soon)!
