I write about my health because...

There are a few reasons why I write about my health. In no particular order, they are:

1. It's an outlet. When I first fell ill almost four years ago, I was practically bedridden. I lost almost all of my friendships through the unpredictability and confining nature of POTS. I had an extremely difficult time connecting to my family and to any new potential friends I may have made. With no one to turn to about how I was feeling and struggling every day, I took to blogging. No one read my blog or responded there either, and I kept it as privatized as I could, but it helped to be able to vent out everything that was going on with me, my illness and how I was coping with it.

2. To disseminate information. On facebook, I try to share information about POTS in the hopes that those who are connected to my life will become more aware of what I'm dealing with. (A blind, foolish hope but a girl can dream, right?) I also post some information about the disease on my blog; whether it's specs about the condition, treatment options, where to find specialists, etc. Ignorance is not bliss for a chronically ill person. Information and research can, and often are, life saving. Knowledge is power.

3. To raise awareness. On one of the websites that I frequent, (a goal setting site), I started a goal for POTS awareness. I posted information about the disease, awareness efforts, news articles, and my own personal testimonial. I've yet to come in contact with someone else on the site who has POTS, but I was blessed enough to have about 15 people join me in my cause. That's 15 people without the disease willing to learn and care about it. If they told just one person about it, that's 30 people who know about POTS who didn't before. If all of them told another person...well, you get the idea.

4. To connect. Isolation is one of the hardest parts of my disease, so being able to reach out and try to connect with people who share my illness is wonderful. I joined the facebook groups of people with POTS and, as an experienced POTSie, I'm able to not only connect with people, I'm able to share my experiences and trials/errors with the newly diagnosed and their families. I was lost, scared and alone four years ago, and if I can help someone to not go through what I went through, I'm more than happy to do it.