Do you all want to see a picture of my feet during a flare?
You're welcome.
Okay okay, I'll explain a few things.
First of all, my toe nail? I've been working on growing a new healthy one since November of 2018. First it turned black, then it slowly started to peel away, then a new nail started to grow and push the old one up. I'm letting it run its course. The old nail will fall off when the new nail has finished growing it. I have no clue what caused it - doctors have shrugged it off after a round of antibiotics didn't work. I think it's getting really close to coming off! Just in time for summer, I hope!
Yes, my toes are very purple. Yes, they feel cold as ice with deep pain in the bones. This is not unusual for me. One of the visible signs of my invisible illnesses.
Yes, my feet are pink. Blood pooling! Very common symptom of POTS. Blood pools in my feet because my nerves don't appropriately tell my leg muscles to constrict in order to keep blood circulating like it's supposed to. So instead of circulation, I collect blood in my feet. It's kind of fun to draw on my feet when they're like this because I can draw white streaks all over them.
Wearing compression socks helps a lot when I'm moving on my feet. I really like the Sockwell brand because they're made with mostly wool, and I seem to do okay with the nylon content in them because they're breathable enough.
I don't like wearing compression socks when I'm resting. They make my feet much colder.
But I do need socks on, like... all the time. My feet are always icy. I love hot foot baths or full baths. I love sunbathing my feet.
When I tried Metaprolol (beta blocker) for my POTS, it made my feet like this 24/7, but colder and more purple. It did reduce my heart rate, which felt good and reduced my heart soreness, but it also increased my fatigue and made my feet intolerable. I'm so happy that works well for many people with POTS, but it wasn't for me.
This image has been floating around on Facebook (I got it off of the Millions Missing page) and I really like it. It's missing the blood pooling text, but shows it in the legs. It's also missing chronic fatigue as a major symptom. I get all of these symptoms, except that I don't vomit or faint (well, fainting has been super rare.) I don't get the facial flushing anymore, but I did get it frequently before I started to work with my doctor. I still get rashes, but not as often anymore.