Frequently Asked Questions
IS THIS A “ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL” APPROACH TO TREATMENT?
No! We find that traditional treatment of POTS (blood volume expansion, beta-blockers, antidepressants, and exercise) not only does nothing to treat the underlying medical cause of POTS; it presumes all patients are the same. Instead, we dig deeply to locate what others have missed, including possible abnormalities with intracranial pressure, vagus nerve problems, immune system disorders, endocrine abnormalities, vascular issues, and abnormal inflammation.
Only by treating every patient as an individual case and moving far beyond symptomatic treatment can the majority of patients recover from Idiopathic POTS. Our job is to locate these issues as quickly and as non-invasively as possible, so that patients are no longer shuffled from specialist to specialist, with no one looking at the big picture. Not only is that approach often unsuccessful, but it can also take months or years for complete evaluations.
HOW DOES THE TWO-MONTH-LONG PROGRAM WORK?
First, you will work with us at POTS Care (usually virtually) for approximately 3 days for your evaluation. At the end of that time, you will be provided with a preliminary treatment plan, prescriptions for medications and supplements needed, and dietary and exercise recommendations, beginning your road to recovery! You will also begin a 3 month series of audios chosen just for you to teach, inform, and coach you through the process. You will be provided with an HRV monitor (wearable technology) to help with anxiety and surges of adrenaline that can be common in this condition. This is the latest in biofeedback devices that although not a cure, can assist you with some symptoms.
Over the next three weeks, we evaluate your new blood work as it is available and your response to treatment thus far and make adjustments to your treatment plan based on these results.
Three weeks later, we will have a telephone or Skype meeting to cover your detailed final treatment plan with you. At the time of this final summary, you will have copies of your record, your blood work, and your final summary. We will make sure you have all of your questions answered, and we will contact you weekly for another month to help you on your road to recovery.
This arrangement gives us the necessary time with you, yet allows you and your friends or family to support you without travel. We know how difficult it can be to travel, to be away from home, and to ask others to interrupt their schedules for long periods of time. We hope this arrangement eliminates some of the frustration of multiple doctor visits with large gaps of time in between. We’d like to shorten your journey for answers to your POTS!
WHO ARE YOUR DOCTORS? ARE THEY FAMILIAR WITH POTS, CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME/M.E., OR EHLERS-DANLOS SYNDROME?
Dr. Diana Driscoll, Optometrist and Clinical Director, is an EDS patient who recovered from POTS, as have her children. Dr. Derek Lang, DO is the clinic’s Medical Director, and Dr. Stephanie Cudjoe, MD is integral in patient care.
Dr. Diana Driscoll began studying POTS and running numerous clinical trials when traditional treatment for POTS failed her and her children, and she was convinced there were medical reasons for their illness. Dr. Driscoll established Genetic Disease Investigators, LLC to conduct studies and began finding answers via unique ocular testing. You may know Dr. Driscoll from her site www.Prettyill.com where she provides informational videos concerning EDS (Ehlers-Danlos syndrome), mast cell activation disorders, chronic fatigue, hyperadrenergic POTS, and other forms of dysautonomia and POTS. She has worked tirelessly to promote awareness and education concerning these conditions, is recognized as the first person to use the now common #EDS hashtag on Twitter, and has reached out to help others on her forum at Prettyill.com, now known worldwide.
See Diana Driscoll’s complete CV here.
DOES YOUR TREATMENT PLAN INVOLVE HIGH DOSES OF SALT AND FLUIDS, BETA-BLOCKERS AND BLOOD-EXPANDERS?
IS THIS TREATMENT CENTERED AROUND BIOFEEDBACK TRAINING?
I DON’T FEEL WELL AND I WORRY ABOUT TOO MUCH WALKING, STANDING OR EVEN THINKING! HOW EXHAUSTING IS THE VISIT?
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
HOW CAN I PAY?
WHY DOESN’T MY HEALTH PLAN COVER THIS?
DO YOU TAKE MEDICARE OR MEDICAID?
DO YOU REQUIRE AN OFFICIAL DIAGNOSIS OF POTS TO SEE ME?
CAN YOU HELP MY KIDS?
I BELIEVE I HAVE MAST CELL ACTIVATION SYNDROME (MCAS). CAN YOU HELP ME?
I’VE BEEN TO THE EXPERTS WITH NO REAL HELP. WHY SHOULD I TRUST YOU?
CAN MY DOCTOR(S) CONTINUE MY CARE AFTER I LEAVE, OR DO I NEED TO RETURN TO POTS CARE?
WILL YOU RUN BLOOD TESTS?
Options for Care
CONSULT
$275
30-minute phone consultation with Dr. Diana Driscoll, Optometrist and Clinical Director
Are you lost in your case? Do you need direction, advice, or encouragement? Although not a medical examination, Dr. Driscoll is a recovered patient, a researcher, and a practitioner and can offer high-level support. She can share her thoughts concerning Inflammatory POTS, IIH, family dynamics, school issues, validation, and recovery. Dr. Driscoll will also send you selected resources following your consultation that may help you.
THE POTS CARE PACKAGE™
$775
Three month program to begin recovery including:
- An app on your cell phone to guide you through Inflammatory POTS (what does the latest research tell us and how can this guide your recovery)
- 30-minute consultation with Dr. Diana Driscoll
- Biweekly audios by Dr. Diana Driscoll to educate, inform, and support
- Over $500 in supplements that may offer you some immediate relief, even if your doctors have not yet identified your inflammation.
- Heart rate variability monitor to help guide your recovery
- A recovery journal/workbook
- Guidance on exercise, sleep, and dietary planning
- This package covers the commonalities in POTS patients including a tendency to develop abnormal intracranial pressure, parasympathetic nervous system problems, digestive issues, nutrient malabsorption, cognitive decline, immune disorders, and inflammatory states.
- If you would like to approach POTS with as few medications as possible, or if you are not familiar with Inflammatory POTS, this POTS Care Package™ may be a great place to start.
CASE EVALUATION (COMING SOON)
$2,900
This is an evaluation of your case to date, with specific guidance for you and your
medical team. Not everyone can be a POTS expert nor up on the latest research. We will do this for you!
We will carefully evaluate your medical records to date (including blood work, your brain MRI if you’ve had one, and your ocular records) as well as over 200 potential symptoms and what these may mean.
We will offer specific thoughts and guidance based on your individual case with recommendations for further testing that your medical team can likely complete, differential diagnoses to consider, and ways can get answers or relief with the least invasive procedures. Are you extraordinarily sensitive? We will discuss that, as well as psychiatric symptoms that can be misinterpreted by those uninformed.
FULL POTS CARE TREATMENT
$9,300
Full case evaluation with a treatment plan and two months of follow-up.
This includes:
- A careful review of your previous medical records
- Customized blood work
- Ocular testing (non-invasive and can be completed by your eye doctor)
- Three days of appointments with our team
- You receive a Preliminary Plan after the three day visit, and a Final Treatment Plan at one month.
- We continue to work with you for an additional month.
- Audio and workbook guidance continues for three months.
- You will graduate from us with the knowledge, medicine, and power to not only
recover from POTS, but to be healthier throughout your life.
Currently on a waiting list.