You can recover. Do you believe that?
Seriously. Close your eyes and be honest.
I will ask again.
Do you believe you can recover?
Let me take you back twenty years. It’s time to shed some light on the beginning so you can understand how I got to where I am today. In addition, why I am so passionate to help and serve the POTS Community.
As you may have read from the Invisible Part of Me blog, I was personally diagnosed in 2005. Symptoms began in the winter of 2004. Thankfully, I was able to get answers in a matter of months vs the general average time to diagnosis of 5 years and 11 months (Dysautomonia International). I will always be grateful to Mayo Clinic and I will always be grateful for strength.
Mayo Clinic gave a fragile, weak 15-year-old girl her hope back. And that is more than half the battle for a POTS individual isn’t it? A sense of direction and permission to move again. Yes, I was active in my youth. I enjoyed the great outdoors. But I had my selective interests. Swimming, Volleyball & Basketball always had my heart but I dreaded running. I remember thinking, “What is the point?” or “Where is the ball?”. FUNNY FACT. Being a six-foot freshman, I was like a beacon to our high school track and CC coach.
Weekly I would get bombarded with:
Have you ever pictured yourself on the team?
Come to a practice.
Try it out.
Psh ya, no thank you.
Little did I know, months later sitting in a stale but welcoming office at Mayo Clinic, I would be happy to hear that I could run. In that moment I would pivot to change my language and overcome a barrier.
When my doctor at Mayo Clinic told me I could run, guys, that was the ticket. I am telling you I never thought so much emotion would be tied to a single sentence. I never thought I would be so excited. The idea of myself, Kait, the one who despised running to hit the pavement. This now 15-year-old, exhausted, dysfunctional body couldn’t wait to lace up tennis shoes. When I was told that running would be a part of my treatment plan I responded with, “When can I start?”.
The purpose of sharing this tidbit of my past with you is to shed perspective on the daunting changes that your POTS diagnosis brings. As I am sure you have thought or can relate, I could not even begin to picture my body outside of the current state it was in. At the time, to me, the words treadmill, run, strength train, road, or trail didn’t seem to even flow in the same sentence. But, I liked the idea of them in the same sentence. I wanted that to be a reality.
I was advised to keep an open mind. Mayo Clinic offered encouragement and a realistic time frame which I respected. It wouldn’t be easy, but with time I would see improvements. At the time, I had a hard time making it to the kitchen or bathroom without a flare. So, how was I expected to run? I held on to the fact that I was told that I could, I was medically advised too. I was going to attempt to be active again in the form of running, a modality that I for years, had lacked interest in.
I chose to transform this barrier into a choice. Through the power of my thoughts and language, I replayed over and over that I can. I will. And…after time. I did.
To this day, I join fun runs, 5ks or half marathons. Why? I truly think it’s a reminder of how healthy and well I am. How far my body has come. I honestly hold a new value for running. I guess you could say that I like it. Or maybe love it. (:
So here is your reminder.
Never say never.
The minute you say you can’t, you probably won’t.
The probability of that change occuring decreases due to your very own language. However, if you keep an open mind. If you say you can- you will. Your thoughts and language possess the power to transform those barriers into choices.
Think glass half full.
Think like Polyana.
Always in your corner,
Coach Kait
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