August 2016
In March 2016, I returned to playing volleyball after my subluxation. But, after only two practices, my right knee subluxated again. There is a condition called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome that can associated with laxity in the joints. One of the common symptoms of EDS is subluxations. Though I’ve had three total subluxations, one of my doctors firmly believes that I don’t have EDS because I don’t exhibit most of the symptoms of this condition. Some other doctors think that EDS isn’t out of the question. Either way, in order to return to volleyball with the best chance of avoiding injuries, I will need to be much stronger.
Because I have consistently been injured, I haven’t been able to do my regular cardio on the treadmill. When my knee is able to tolerate riding a stationary bike, I am able to try and get some amount of cardio using it. My symptoms though have noticeably been less controllable without doing the daily 30 minutes on the treadmill. I don’t regulate heat as well and at the end of the day I am generally more exhausted.
In May, I traveled to New York with my high school orchestra to play at Carnegie Hall. Because it was almost 100oF there, I got a POTS headache one night. My chaperone happened to be a doctor so he was able to measure my heart rate and blood pressure. In a sitting position, my blood pressure remained normal, but my heart rate was dramatically higher than my normal heart rate (I don’t remember the exact BPM). I had to miss out on a full day of activities to stay out of the heat, so that I made sure that I would be able to participate in the performance.
I finished off the school year with good grades, and was able to attend all of my classes throughout the year.
In July, I had knee surgery. Percocet was the pain medication I used after surgery because that was one of the pain meds that was less likely to affect my gastroparesis. The medicine made me feel nauseous and dizzy, and I stayed in bed for a couple days. Because of this, I felt much more fatigued and the dizziness could be partially attributed to POTS. Now after my surgery, I luckily haven’t been experiencing POTS symptoms again, and will be in physical therapy for at least seven months before I am able to start volleyball again. Meanwhile, I hope to also start swimming for cardio and as a low impact exercise.
Because I have consistently been injured, I haven’t been able to do my regular cardio on the treadmill. When my knee is able to tolerate riding a stationary bike, I am able to try and get some amount of cardio using it. My symptoms though have noticeably been less controllable without doing the daily 30 minutes on the treadmill. I don’t regulate heat as well and at the end of the day I am generally more exhausted.
In May, I traveled to New York with my high school orchestra to play at Carnegie Hall. Because it was almost 100oF there, I got a POTS headache one night. My chaperone happened to be a doctor so he was able to measure my heart rate and blood pressure. In a sitting position, my blood pressure remained normal, but my heart rate was dramatically higher than my normal heart rate (I don’t remember the exact BPM). I had to miss out on a full day of activities to stay out of the heat, so that I made sure that I would be able to participate in the performance.
I finished off the school year with good grades, and was able to attend all of my classes throughout the year.
In July, I had knee surgery. Percocet was the pain medication I used after surgery because that was one of the pain meds that was less likely to affect my gastroparesis. The medicine made me feel nauseous and dizzy, and I stayed in bed for a couple days. Because of this, I felt much more fatigued and the dizziness could be partially attributed to POTS. Now after my surgery, I luckily haven’t been experiencing POTS symptoms again, and will be in physical therapy for at least seven months before I am able to start volleyball again. Meanwhile, I hope to also start swimming for cardio and as a low impact exercise.