Dizzy?
Summary: Harry is diagnosed with P.O.T.S. during the summer after his 4th year. P.O.T.S. is a very real thing and all material is medically relevant. (but don't quote me I'm not a doctor, just a patient)
*I will pipe in continuously on this story…get used to it. I know its short and badly written, its mostly just a story to get people to learn about P.O.T.S… and if you throw Harry in a story somebody is bound to read it. (not that I don't love Harry, I absolutely adore him)
**Oh, and please don't review about bad grammar. I know it is horrible, but it is my therapy. Just enjoy reading it.
The summer after his fourth year was a living hell. Nightmares about the third task haunted him each night. On more than one occasion his screaming woke up Vernon and he had a few cracked ribs to remind him who was in charge. This isn't to say his uncle was abusive, he just had a short temper and the incident with Marge hadn't helped matters. And on top of things….he got P.O.T.S. (Now don't be scared, this is not a story about an STD…just keep reading to find out.)
About the second week after Hogwarts let students out for summer break Harry had started to feel dizzy and nauseas. The next week he started getting pounding headaches and abdominal pain. He knew this wasn't normal but he just passed it off as a bad cold. Eventually his aunt noticed that Harry would sway when he got up to clean the dishes and forced him to go to the pediatrician. Unlike Vernon, Petunia was willing to do what was necessary to keep her last link to Lily alive. She would do whatever it took.
Finally after two months of getting nowhere with their pediatrician, Dr. Moff (Damn, I can't use my pediatrician's real name on here! Let me just switch the T with an M and voila…we get Dr. Moff), they were directed to a rheumatologist. Their rheumatologist, Dr.? (eh, can't remember her name; she's great though) diagnosed Harry with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome or P.O.T.S. But before that he had to go through blood tests and CAT scans and so many trips to the doctor that his insurance was soon going to get very, very angry. Even after the diagnoses he had to go through more testing; stress tests and neurologists and cardiologists most of which always said he had depression. It had all taken a toll on Harry. (Really? You doctors think that fainting is a sign of depression? What is wrong with you?)
At this point Harry could barely get off the couch, which annoyed his uncle to no end. He hadn't even told his friends. How was he supposed to go to Hogwarts? This ordeal was going to last years! How would he defeat Voldemort, while lying on the couch watching Doctor Who? Was this abnormality ever going to just leave him alone? Its only been a few months and he was ready to jump off a building.
Why did his body have to betray him?
*At least 1% of the population has at least a mild case of P.O.T.S. or other form of autonomic dis-regulation. P.O.T.S. is essentially bad blood flow and bad blood flow affects everything. Some symptoms are listed below.
Some symptoms for mild cases are dizziness when standing up fast and occasional fainting.
Symptoms for severe cases are headache, nausea, abdominal pain, dizziness, inability to stand, low energy, fatigue, muscle pain, joint pain, body aches, menstrual irregularity, light headed feeling, fainting, low heart rate, motility issues (digestion), fibromyalgia, resulting depression, etc.
P.O.T.S. lasts for around ten years until you grow out of it, (teenagers are most vulnerable to it). and later on in life relapses are common. Everyone is vulnerable to it.
Some believe that the Gardisil vaccination against cervical cancer can cause it though there is no substantial proof. The government is even pushing the shot even though more people have come down with P.O.T.S. and is attracting almost no attention to themselves even though claims have been made against them.
Some cases are sudden and some come slowly over a period of weeks or months. But we need to raise awareness.
EVERYONE CAN GET IT
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