Two for One

I have been a bad blogger. I have two topics to talk about today and I have been meaning to talk about them for a few weeks now. First, I want to talk about October. Most of you know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. October also happens to be Dysautonomia/POTS Awareness Month. The terms are pretty interchangeable these days. I was diagnosed with POTS almost a year ago. Just like a couple months ago when I talked about Gastroparesis Awareness Month, this is a topic that just needs to be brought to light. People have no idea what POTS is. And even once I have explained it, people just kind of nod their head and go about their day. Here is a link to Dysautonomia International's website where POTS is explained in a pretty detailed manner: http://www.dysautonomiainternational.org/page.php?ID=30. My POTS is combatted through a regimen that includes: 30 minutes of cardio a day, drinking a gallon of water a day, eating as much salt as possible, taking a beta blocker, sleeping 8.5-9.5 hours a night, and doing exercises in the morning to help get the blood flowing in my extremities. I am a bad POTSie and do not do all of these every day, although I know I should. But, that is not what this blog post is about. This is about getting the word out and getting people familiar with the terms POTS and Dysautonomia. Anyone with an invisible illness can tell you that it is very difficult when 1) people cannot see your disease or illness on the outside and 2) people have never heard of your disease or illness. A lot of people and sometimes even medical professionals (yes, this has happened to me) think that you are making everything up or that it is all in you head. The one thing that I ask you today is to click on the link above and read about POTS and if you want to be bold, share this blog post on your own Facebook so that it can reach even more people.
My second topic today is a little more exciting! About two weeks ago, Lance and I went to the hospital to have our blood drawn and shipped to Mayo. We (well, my mom) had some difficulties finding a hospital or doctor's office that would draw our blood and give it back to us so that we could send it to Mayo. My mom wound up finding out that the Baton Rouge General on Bluebonnet would draw our blood and ship it to Mayo for us! It was great news! We had some issues at check-in but the women that my mom talked to that day found us and everything else went off without a hitch! I have even attached a picture for your viewing enjoyment. Just a few days ago, we received word from Mayo that they have our blood and are about to begin testing!

Until next time,
    A :)