Somehow it’s scarier when the doctors take you seriously

Let me just preface by saying I’ve had POTS, and a wide range of other health problems for thirteen years. I feel like I’ve seen every type of situation and dealt with both good and the bad things that go along with our disorder. During the beginning first few years I “looked too healthy” to be taken seriously by a lot of physicians. I think a lot of us know what I’m talking about.

Going to the ER the first couple years was anxiety inducing just because no one seemed to want to listen to what I was saying. God, there are entire hospitals I won’t step foot in today because of how they treated younger me. I was denied basic care, belittled and made to feel like a psychiatric patient. It wasn’t great.

But now. Oh booooy. I walk into a the ER near my house and the nurse at the check in line waves me off while saying “eeeh OP, I’ll just check you in. Go over to the back.” If I say, hey I feel like I’m dying, they listen and their doing test like it’s a life and death situation.

All it took was my pacemaker going sepsis, my liver failing and a large heart attack, while I was fighting the flu. but now when a doctor sees my chart he doesn’t go straight to menstrual cycles or anxiety. I feel like I was cheated tho.

Like, I literally had to spend half a year in hospital and almost die. For these doctors to listen to me when I’m talking. It doesn’t seem like a fair trade to me. How many people with POTS feel like this or experienced this?