#I mean I'm keeping my rollator for my bad days but I have good days sometimes now too!

[tj-crochets]

It's weird question time again! More detail below a read more, but short version: Do any of y'all with POTS/dysautonomia have any advice for how to do headstands and/or handstands safely? Besides "don't"? I know handstands are probably a no-go, but with a headstand I figure I'm already on the ground, I can't fall down

So the other day I did a few headstands and it genuinely felt like it helped a bit with my blood pressure issues. I mean, it's kind of impossible to tell yet if it actually helped or if I was just so excited to be able to do something like handstands again that I just felt better, but it was nice! I want to do more headstands but my dad is concerned I will end up falling and hurting myself. Some (mostly relevant) backstory: I got POTS when I was a teenager because I got sick and had what I think is called post viral syndrome. It's been more than a decade. I still have POTS. The first year or so was bad, then I had like a year, year and a half "intermission" where I was doing extremely high intensity exercise several days a week* and mostly doing okay POTS-wise. Then I moved, got metaphorically hit over the head with severe allergies, and got abruptly way sicker. Right before I moved and started getting sicker, I started learning how to do handstands. I got to the point where I was somewhat decent, and then had to stop, because I was dizzy enough sitting still that trying to be upside down was a bad idea. Now, I am extremely excited that I might get to start getting back to that again. It's like when I started being able to hit a punching bag again; like, sure it's five minutes like twice a month instead of like two hours two or three times a week, but still!! It's a hobby I thought I'd never get to do again!!!! Sure, it's not handstands and I can't progress from headstands to walking on my hands, which was my original goal, but it's a step in the right direction! My dad is really worried I'm going to fall over, though. I do have a uh...very extensive training, both accidental and on purpose, in How Not To Fall and also How to Fall Without Getting Hurt, from a combination of childhood clumsiness, musical theater, martial arts, and my mom having taught both kickboxing and self-defense throughout a large chunk of my childhood, so I'm not concerned about falling, but I tend to respect his opinion on things like this (he's a former EMT). Do you have any advice on how to practice headstands safely, especially for people with POTS? *first dance rehearsals for a musical like 3-4 hours a day 6 days a week for a few weeks, then a form of martial arts my dad saw one sparring day and called "brutal but very effective" lol

[mrsmarymorstan]

Oh god it was so nice to wake up this morning and realise that I didn't have to go and get needles stuck in my arm!! And won't have to do it again for another 8 weeks =D

I am incredibly purple now though. My skin matches my Batgirl Hoodie. It's quite impressive. This is an issue though because my Sister's Wedding is in 10 weeks and if I have my next Plasma Exchange in 8 weeks then I'll probably still be purple from that in all the wedding photos... might have to try and find some decent cover up. Not that there's any shame in bruises, just that they aren't exactly pleasant to look at!

I am already feeling more spritely following the procedure though! I bent down to pick something up off the floor and was able to get up again without having to yell for my Mum! Which is a BIG improvement.

That said, when I took down the washing from outside earlier I was incredibly breathless afterwards and had to sit down. However I didn't drop anything or collapse so that's a good sign!

Hopefully I should improve more over the next few weeks, and then obviously I'll get worse again but hopefully not as worse as I was before? The goal being to always get out the bad antibodies BEFORE they overwhelm the system.

I've been contemplating getting a Rollator recently, because it's been getting so bad. We'll see how it goes, but maybe if we keep the treatment up I won't have to get one? Not that there's any shame in using one, but just that I would rather not have to since they come with so many issues of storage and problems with getting on public transport etc. I mean, I'm also aware that my solution to not having to use a rollator is to get incredibly invasive treatment every 8 weeks but I guess that goes to show how much internalised ableism I'm living with lol

I'm gonna put things to the test in a couple of weeks and see if I can manage a trip into town to go pick up comics. Obviously in the middle of the day when there will be fewest people about, since you know -- no immune system.

But the easiest way to see if your body still hates you or not is to push it to the things it didn't complain about before!

And if I DO collapse well at least I'll be near the hospital when I do lol