POTS Care Frequently Asked Questions

The Driscoll Approach™

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.

All physicians, PA’s, and staff on the team are carefully selected for their experience in “invisible illnesses”, their compassion and patience. Some physicians assist directly in patient care, while others are available for consultations as needed.

An integral part of the team are the doctors who work behind the scenes. POTS Care has licensed the rights to use the collective knowledge obtained by the research of a variety of specialists involved in Genetic Disease Investigators, LLC. This new model for evaluation and treatment was a necessary step in providing patients with the best care possible in the least amount of time possible.

DOES YOUR TREATMENT PLAN INVOLVE HIGH DOSES OF SALT AND FLUIDS, BETA-BLOCKERS AND BLOOD-EXPANDERS?

No. Traditionally, these medications have been recommended for symptomatic relief of POTS, but these medications do not address the underlying medical problem resulting in POTS. Depending upon the underlying cause(s) of your case of POTS, these medications may actually be worsening your condition. Sometimes helpful for patients in the short-term, we do not recommend them for long-term management. Instead, our effort will go towards locating and treating the underlying cause of POTS and its numerous comorbid conditions.

IS THIS TREATMENT CENTERED AROUND BIOFEEDBACK TRAINING?

No. Biofeedback is included for you and it can be helpful to control some aspects of POTS, especially when surges of some chemicals cause a “hyperadrenergic” response of the body. These surges can easily be diagnosed as “anxiety” by the uninformed. At POTS Care, we focus on the medical problems that contribute to POTS and utilize the latest in wearable technology (a form of biofeedback that goes with you) to help control these surges. We find that biofeedback alone is insufficient for recovery.

I DON’T FEEL WELL AND I WORRY ABOUT TOO MUCH WALKING, STANDING OR EVEN THINKING! HOW EXHAUSTING IS THE VISIT?

At POTS Care, we understand what is like to suffer with POTS and other invisible illnesses. We are sensitive to your needs for rest, a comfortable reclining position, lots of fluids, low stress, low light levels, etc. We also understand difficulties with brain fog and exhaustion – especially if you need to travel to get to us. This is one reason a virtual visit is perfect for POTS!

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

We charge $9,100 for your evaluation and treatment for two months of care when you pay with a credit card, your flex spending account, or a check (and your care is provided virtually). If your visit must be in the clinic, the fee is $9,300 and does not include your lodging or travel fees (we will provide you with information on some great local hotels). Your blood work and prescriptions may be covered by your medical insurance (not Medicare or Medicaid). Please check with your insurance company for details. If supplements are necessary, we will provide you with enough to get you started and some recommendations of where you can purchase more if needed.

HOW CAN I PAY?

You can pay with cash, check, credit card, your Flexible Spending Account (FSA), or Health Savings Account (HSA). We do not accept Medicare or Medicaid, nor do we bill insurance companies. Your receipt will generally be adequate for your FSA or HSA programs, however.

WHY DOESN’T MY HEALTH PLAN COVER THIS?

After considering all options, we have decided a comprehensive evaluation and accelerated treatment program is the only effective way to identify the underlying cause of POTS for most patients, despite the reluctance by many insurance companies to cover such a program. Although this is an unprecedented approach to POTS treatment, it can provide answers much more quickly for you. We hope it ends up saving you thousands of dollars, and most importantly, allows you to return to a full life as quickly as possible.

“As a patient, and a mom of affected patients, I went to dozens of doctors, hoping someone would look at my entire list of symptoms. I believed that if someone studied my entire presentation, they had a greater chance of identifying my underlying problems. Instead, I was shuffled from specialist to specialist, and no one considered my body as a whole. Most of the treatments I received were designed to treat my symptoms, not the underlying cause of my symptoms. We traveled across the U.S. for years, and I had numerous expensive and invasive tests, many which made me sicker – and yet we still had no answers. I see many others going through this expensive, frustrating journey and would like to dramatically change this scenario. At POTS Care, we will consider all of your symptoms simultaneously. We will dig deep for signs of illness that can be easily overlooked by others who are not looking at the entire picture. We will not assume your symptoms are all “in your head”, but instead, will consider often overlooked medical causes of obscure symptoms. If you have ever wished that a group of doctors would look at all of your symptoms, understand that your symptoms are not “all in your head” and believe that there is an underlying, medical cause for your illness, you have found that group at POTS Care.”

-Diana Driscoll, OD

DO YOU TAKE MEDICARE OR MEDICAID?

We do not accept Medicare or Medicaid for payment.

DO YOU REQUIRE AN OFFICIAL DIAGNOSIS OF POTS TO SEE ME?

No. Many patients come to POTS Care with a firm diagnosis (the result of a tilt table test), but many come with strong suspicions of POTS in conjunction with some abnormal findings on the “poor-man’s tilt table test”. We pre-qualify all patients to make sure they can be helped at our clinic.

CAN YOU HELP MY KIDS?

Yes. We can see children as young as eight years old. Ask yourself if your child is able to sit for testing (an eye examination or dental exam, for example) and is capable of answering questions about symptoms. If so, your child is likely old enough to be seen and treated. A thorough record review will be conducted to be sure your child qualifies to come to us as a patient.

I BELIEVE I HAVE MAST CELL ACTIVATION SYNDROME (MCAS). CAN YOU HELP ME?

Yes. Mast Cell Activation Syndrome is a common comorbid presentation in many cases of idiopathic POTS and we can assist you in its treatment as it relates to POTS. The first question that must be asked is, if MCAS is present, what is activating the mast cells? Some patients presume they have MCAS because their presentation appears as such, but we have found many to be misdiagnosed. By identifying the true underlying problem (often affecting mast cells) patients can respond to treatment. We will be evaluating you closely to try to find out if mast cells are the only (or even the primary) histamine-producing cells that may be contributing to your symptoms.

I’VE BEEN TO THE EXPERTS WITH NO REAL HELP. WHY SHOULD I TRUST YOU?

Personal experience with these conditions offers insight into symptoms that can be difficult for other doctors to understand. Our Clinical Director, Dr. Diana Driscoll, Optometrist, was disabled by POTS for over a decade. Her children also had POTS and her son had to miss three years of school. They were able to recover only by locating and treating the underlying problems causing POTS. POTS Care is the culmination of ten years of research (and personal experience) into this challenging disorder, focused on locating objective markers of illness.

Our doctors understand there are medical conditions causing symptoms, and that for the vast majority of patients, this condition is not a psychiatric disorder. At POTS Care, you need not fear that you will be diagnosed with “anxiety” or other somatic illnesses. We use real science and real medicine – no snake-oil — to try to locate the medical causes of illness. Our research and personal experience taught us to reach far beyond traditional testing to find answers, and to examine all symptoms and signs of illness simultaneously. This is an unprecedented approach to these conditions, but is often essential for proper treatment.

CAN MY DOCTOR(S) CONTINUE MY CARE AFTER I LEAVE, OR DO I NEED TO RETURN TO POTS CARE?

If you require prescriptions, they will (usually) be good for a year. After one year, should you still need some prescriptions, we are happy to explain this to your doctor and help you pass the baton to them. Alternatively, you can return to us annually.

WILL YOU RUN BLOOD TESTS?

Yes. Blood work will be billed to your medical insurance plan. We may want to perform some blood tests ahead of your visit, if possible, to give us more answers quickly and to guide our next steps.

Come see the experts

Call us today to speak with one of our Patient Care Coordinators

1-866-DIZZY-05

(1-866-349-9905)

Call us today to speak with one of our Patient Care Coordinators!