Hannah is a HUGE animal lover and we were fascinated to learn that Giraffes never have POTS due to their extremely tight skin around their legs. The tight skin constricts their blood flow and forces it back upward toward their heart and brain. Good thing, because that is a LONG way up for a giraffe. POTS is a specific form of Dysautonomia in which the blood vessels (especially in our legs) do not contract in response to gravity's pull on our blood supply upon standing. As the blood pools in our extremities our hearts race faster and faster trying to compensate for less blood flow to our brain. If we do not sit down or change our position, our blood pressure often plummets and can cause a blackout. Even when blackouts do not occur, we still suffer effects such as dizzyness, brain fog, nausea, & extreme fatigue. Some of the treatments aimed at helping this specific problem are medications to help blood vessel constriction and build blood volume while others include increasing water and salt intake and wearing compression stockings.
Hannah and I are just fascinated by the giraffe and how they can stand so tall and for so long without feeling like we do upon standing. We pray that we can continue to "Stand Tall" amidst our daily challenges. There is a lot to learn from these majestic creatures!
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