In medical school in the 1990s, future cardiologists like Health First Medical Group Cardiologist Enrique Polanco, MD, heard nothing about postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS).

“Since 2009-10, information about it has exploded,” Dr. Polanco tells Vero News, “and I have learned a lot from patients who did their own research as they sought answers as to what was wrong with them that doctors were missing.”

One such patient is Sheena Smith of Palm Bay. For years, doctors explained away her symptoms by focusing on anxiety. Ironically, it was a long recovery from COVID-19 that tipped Smith and her doctors off.

Many POTS patients “are anxious because of their symptoms and the fact they have no idea what is causing them. When I tell them, ‘You’re not crazy – what you have is real,’ the mere fact that I’m validating that there really is something wrong is a huge relief."

“Sometimes they break down in tears because they finally have an answer.”

READ the full journey of Dr. Polanco and Sheena Smith in Vero News HERE.