The last few months have not gone quite as we planned. Rebecca had her surgery in February. She had a difficult recovery. She started experiencing strange symptoms. After several doctors' visits, lots of tests, and a few more hospitalizations, we found out that Rebecca has some degree of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). This is a condition that many teenage girls get, especially after surgery or trauma or a growth spurt. The condition causes people to have problems keeping the blood circulating to their brains normally. The blood pools in their feet and their hearts race to try to move the blood back to the brain when they stand up. They experience fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and weakness. Fortunately, with exercise, salt supplements, and lots of extra fluids, the condition can be improved and most people outgrow it in early adulthood. Rebecca has missed a lot of school. She chose to participate in an inpatient physical rehabilitation program at Primary Children's Hospital. She made a lot of progress, but got the flu while being in the hospital. While she was sick, the physicians could not allow her into the physical therapy gym, so it was determined that she would have to go home. We went home and since then she has been able to return to school almost full-time. It is has been challenging, but it is great that she is feeling much better and we are all back at home.
