“Very few people know and even fewer can understand how difficult these past few years have been for Shelby, but I know that you DO understand and will rejoice with us over her accomplishments. Without you, she would not be where she is today.”
Shelby came to POTS Care after suffering for 4 years, with diagnoses of POTS, EDS, and IBS. Shelby had seen all of the experts, and even visited Mayo Clinic. Shelby leaves POTS Care with a solid treatment plan, and new plans for attending college.
**Although some patients at POTS Care see an immediate response to treatment, other patients leave with a treatment plan in place, and see their healing begin once they have returned home. Here is Shelby’s story upon leaving POTS Care, followed by a letter written by her mother 6 months after her visit.
INTERVIEWER: Thank you for talking with us today, Shelby. We know you have been through a lot, could you share with us what your journey has been like thus far?
SHELBY: : I’ve had almost every symptom imaginable; headaches, fatigue, tachycardia, joint pain, neuropathic pain, syncope, severe brain fog, anxiety, depression, and nausea. My worst symptoms is definitely the fatigue, no matter how much I rest, I never have enough energy. If I’m able to make it through a full day at school, I count that as a “win”. There is hardly ever any energy left for fun things on the weekends, so I spend most of my weekends at home resting. I feel that most of my teenage years have been lost to POTS.
INTERVIEWER: Thank you for talking with us today, Jamie (Shelby’s mother). We were hoping you could share a few thoughts on the care you received at POTS Care with the other parents out there?
JAMIE: : If you’re considering coming to POTS Care, you are probably at the end of your rope and ready to give up. Well, meeting Dr. Driscoll really changed things for us. First, she didn’t look at us like we were crazy, and we didn’t have to convince her that my daughter’s symptoms are real. Secondly, she SHOWED us things that explained what’s going on in my daughter’s body, and she used those scientific results to come up with a treatment plan tailored just for Shelby. Finally, she filled me with so much hope. I can’t tell you what it meant to me for her to look my daughter in the eyes and say “Shelby, this is a horrible condition, and you are very strong to have kept going as long as you have. I TRULY BELIEVE you can get past this, and that one day POTS will be in your rear view mirror!”
With Jamie and Shelby’s permission, we are sharing a personal letter written by Jamie to POTS Care about 6 months after their initial visit.
