Navigating POTS Appointments for Digestive Symptoms

Over the next few weeks, I am going to have several blog posts that highlight specific topics for the Navigating POTS appointments 📆 Since last week's Symptom of the Week was Decreased Appetite, and this week's Symptom of the Week is Nausea, I decided to focus on Digestive Symptoms in this post 🤢 First, I am going to explain how POTS affects digestion and then explain some of the specific challenges that come with these symptoms. Then I will give examples of how Navigating POTS appointments can help with these symptoms, I have included questions that have been really helpful for me, so I hope this is helpful 🩵

How does POTS affect digestion? POTS affects digestion because the sympathetic nervous system, or fight or flight response, is often activated whenever a person is standing up🧍🏽‍♀️ When your body is not in the Fight or Flight (sympathetic) response, it is in Rest & Digest or the Parasympathetic response. 🛌 So, when a person is in the fight or flight response, blood is moved away from your digestive tract and this can make digestion harder ⬇️🩸😬 POTS patients can then experience symptoms like nausea, decreased appetite, constipation, vomiting, fullness, bloating, abdominal pain and a lot more! 🤢🤮💩

How do my digestive symptoms affect me? I have personally found my digestive symptoms to be some of the most difficult to deal with 😬 Food is essential to health and takes up a lot of time every day 🕖 I have to plan what I eat, shop for ingredients, make the food, eat, clean up and then start all over again for the next meal! 😅 Then adding the mental and emotional burden of trying to figure out what I can eat or trying to think of something that I can tolerate when I feel nauseous and have no appetite is really hard 🤢 And since I often experience pain and other difficult symptoms after I eat, it can be difficult to want to eat 😕 But if I don't eat, I feel way worse! I get dizzy, my vision gets fuzzy, I get really tired and weak and my nausea gets way worse 🥴 It's a difficult and exhausting cycle 😓

What are the social implications of digestive symptoms? Our society is totally focused on food 🍽️ We go out to eat to celebrate accomplishments, we invite people over for dinner, a lot of our holidays include specific foods, and almost all of our interactions with other people includes food 👥 And there are a lot of cultural implications around food as well! It can be viewed as insensitive or offensive to refuse to eat food that has been prepared for you, to not finish your plate or to not request seconds or thirds 😬 When I was younger, I used to try any food that was offered to me, because even if it tasted bad, I was totally fine after I swallowed it! But now, even the "safest" foods cause a lot of symptoms! And often, those symptoms last for days! 😕 Even though it is important to prioritize your health and do what is best for you, it can still be really uncomfortable to go to a social event and not eat what everyone is eating, or only eat a few bites 😬Also, our society is completely obsessed with body image, diet culture and an unhealthy relationship with food 🙄 This can cause a lot of problems and lead to a lot of insensitive comments and can make me feel really alone in my struggles 😔

So how can these Navigating POTS Appointments help with the physical, emotional and social affects of digestive symptoms in POTS patients? 

Consultation Appointments: These are 30 minute appointments focused on individualized education or help with specific concerns. Here is a list of possible digestive questions that we could discuss in a consultation appointment: 

-I feel like understanding why I am experiencing a specific symptom could help me, can you teach me more about digestive problems in POTS patients?

-What are some specific ways I can manage a digestive symptom? (Nausea, Constipation, fullness, no appetite, etc.)  

-What are some specific ways to help reduce the emotional or mental load of eating? 

-What are some specific ways to help address the social implications of digestive symptoms?

-We are going out to eat later this week at a specific restaurant and I am overwhelmed thinking about what to order, can we go through the menu together and come up with a plan so I can be prepared? 

-I am going to a specific event that involves food that I am worried about. Can we talk about strategies to manage my symptoms while I am there and how to best communicate with people about it?

-I need help coming up with a few ideas for meals or snacks while I am at work, school or not at home, can you help me? 

-I would like to talk to you about some of the emotions I have around food, eating and body image concerns, can we discuss this together?

-I need to have a conversation with a specific person about food, can we practice together?

-I feel so overwhelmed that I don't even know what to ask, but I want to talk to somebody who understands.

* Any other specific food or digestive symptom question that you have! 

Coaching Appointments: These appointments are 60 minute appointments that involve specific hands-on help with various problems. These appointments are more in depth and often involve notes or a write up of some kind.  📆 Here is a list of possible things we could address, which type of appointment it would be and what I would create for you in those appointments: 

-Food Help or Symptom Tracking Appointment: Can you help me create a way to track my digestive symptoms so I can notice patterns and trends? This would involve me creating a "Symptom Tracker" chart and a "Food Diary" form for you to use

-Appointment Prep Appointment: My digestive symptoms are severe enough that I want to talk about them at my next doctor's appointment, can you help me put my thoughts together and prepare for that appointment? This would involve me typing up a history for these symptoms and filling out a template to use while you explain your symptoms.

-Food Help Appointment: Trying to plan meals is exhausting, can you help me create a plan for specific meals? This would involve me creating a menu with you and can also include a shopping list and other specific plans.

-Food Help Appointment: I have not been good at eating consistently and I want to get better, can we set some goals about how often to eat and come up with a good schedule for eating? This would involve me typing up your goals and the plan we discuss together. 

Emotional Discussion Appointment: I am experiencing a lot of emotions around food and am feeling overwhelmed. Can we talk about some of my emotions and then come up with a plan to move forward? This would involve me typing up a summary of what we discussed and a plan for moving forward

Other Appointment: This is an opportunity to discuss anything you want and then request what you would like to have typed up or created for you, hopefully it can be a helpful resource for you! 

*Just a reminder that your first appointment is 1/2 off, so $25 for a consultation and $50 for a coaching appointment! If you have any specific concerns about scheduling or prices please email navigatingpots@gmail.com