My Comorbidities (Other Diagnoses)

What is a Comorbidity? 

A comorbidity is a coexisting health condition, or having 2 or more simultaneous medical diagnoses🩺 Specifically, it is often used to describe multiple diagnoses that are commonly seen together. 

Examples: 

For example, you can have heart disease and multiple other comorbidities including high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes🩸Or you can have allergies with a comorbidity of asthma 🩻 Anxiety and depression are also common comorbidities💊

POTS & Comorbidites:

Since POTS is a syndrome, or a group of symptoms and not an specific disease, many patients have multiple other underlying problems and illnesses that contribute to their POTS! We call these comorbidites:) I will explain more about this in my POTS Courses! And as I start introducing my other diagnoses I will refer to them as comorbidities, and now you know what that means! 😊 

My Comorbidites: 

Each week I will post about a new comoribidity and then I will share it on this list:) I will start with my first one tomorrow! 

1) EDS (Ehler-Danlos Syndrome)

2) MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome)

3) Dysautonomia

          4) Orthostatic Intolerance  

 

POTS Subtypes:  

a. Hyperadrenergic POTS

                    b. Hypovolemic POTS

                    c. Neuropathic POTS 

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Welcome to Navigating POTS!!!!

Welcome to Navigating POTS! Navigating POTS is an educational business focused on helping people understand and live with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). I am Aubrey George, the Founder of Navigating POTS and I am excited to share my experiences and knowledge with you! 

I plan to share some of my personal experiences based on the following:

• I am a POTS Patient that was diagnosed in 2014 through the Tilt Table Test (I will talk more about that in the future) after several months of dizziness, headaches, difficulty standing and all of the classic POTS symptoms.
• I am one of the "complicated POTS patients" that has a lot of other problems and syndromes that are common in POTS patients. This has made my treatment plan difficult and often makes me feel like I am playing whack-a-mole that's on fire as I try to keep all of my different symptoms and problems in check!
• I live in Utah, a place that has very hot summers and is very high in elevation. Both of these factors can make POTS worse, so I want to share some of my tips and tricks for dealing with exacerbations. 
• I have been a part of different POTS organizations as a POTS patient and have formed meaningful friendships and relationships with other patients. I have learned a lot from them! 

I plan to share some of my professional and educational experiences based on the following:

• I graduated with my Bachelor's in Nursing and during that time did clinical rotations in various hospitals and clinics. I also taught the course on Empathetic Communication and learned a lot about advocating for patients. 
• I already knew I had POTS while I was getting my Bachelor's Degree and often applied what I learned to better understanding POTS. I also wrote every research paper on POTS during this degree.
• I worked as a Registered Nurse in Pediatrics at a Children's Hospital and as a Nurse in schools with children who had chronic health problems that made going to school difficult. I managed a lot of tubes, drains and fluids. 
• I graduated with my Master's Degree in Nursing in a program created to make you a Family Nurse Practitioner. I did most of my clinical rotations with children, young adults and POTS patients. 
• I wrote my Master's Thesis on POTS and published it through my University already. I am currently working on getting it published through a Medical Journal. It focuses on helping Primary Care Providers understand POTS well enough to recognize, diagnose and treat it. 
• I have attended several international conferences about POTS with various specialists. I learned a lot and applied what I learned to my care.
• I am currently studying for my licensing examination to become a Family Nurse Practitioner so I can hopefully treat POTS patients in clinics. 
• I have done extensive research and learning on the side to better understand POTS. 

My goal is to create a supportive community where I can share what I have learned throughout my journey with POTS. I hope that by combining my personal experience as a POTS patient and professional experiences as a Nurse and Nurse Practitioner, I can help POTS patients and their loved ones cope with their diagnosis and find ways to not just survive, but live a meaningful life.