#long comic

[Image description under the cut…and really it’s just gonna be the text that’s in the images because this comic is LONG and I am very tired.]

In honor of Dysautonomia Awareness Month, I decided to redraw my VERY FIRST COMIC from all the way back in 2015. This one took an exceptionally long time–and then I completely forgot to post it here. Whoops. (I tend to post them on InstagramandFacebook first, so check those out if you wanna see my comics sooner since my brain is perpetually foggy and forgetful.)

I also turned this one into a video that you can check out on my Youtube channel. I’ll post it here later…if I remember. 

Thanks for all of your support, everyone–and thanks for raising so much awareness with me!

[Images make up one exceptionally long comic that reads like this: WHAT IS POTS? An illustrated guide by PotsieSpoons. 

This is me (Potsie waves). I have POTS. And no, POTS does not stand for… 

Puppies On Toast Sometimes! Pumpkin Over the Stars! Penelope Otter Turns Somersaults! Although those all sound like much more fun. Except maybe that first one… 

POTS = Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. 

Basically, it means this is me most of the time: (Potsie is lying down, thinking, “I hate everything.”) 

POTS is a form of dysautonomia. This means all your body’s automatic stuff either works improperly or doesn’t work at all. 

POTS can affect your: Digestion, Energy, Temperature, Memory, And so much more! 

In short, POTS affects E V E R Y T H I N G.

I may look healthy on the outside, but on the inside…things are a bit messed up. (Potsie says, “I’m basically fighting a battle with my body just to stand up right now, so I’d say I’m pretty hardcore.”)

POTS symptoms can be different for everyone, so getting a diagnosis can take literally forever.

Some people have very SEVERE symptoms…

Others are able to live mostly normal lives!

But either way, most POTS patients have learned how to hide their symptoms. (Susan says to Potsie, “You don’t look sick.”)

POTS is called an invisible illness. You can’t see it, but we can feel it.

It’s estimated that 1 in 100 teens has POTS. Counting adults, 1-3 million people have POTS in the US alone.

So the next time someone tells you they have POTS, DO NOT SAY: (random dude says to Potsie, “Are you sure it’s not just in your head?”)

Or: (random girl says to Potsie, “Have you tried getting more sleep?”)

Basically, don’t say anything that you wouldn’t say to a person with, like, diabetes.

Be kind to POTS patients, because our bodies are unkind enough already.

Try to understand that we do things differently than our healthy peers–

But we still want to be involved and invited!

We may be different, but we still want to have fun just like anybody else! So just be there for us–we appreciate your support and friendship. (Potsie is in a wheelchair and Susan is taking a selfie of the two of them together. Potsie says, “Susan, what the heck are you doing with your face?” Susan, who is making a duck-face, says, “Uhhhhh…you know…that thing the kids do…”)

THE END.

Comic on thoughts about what dimitri told byleth about being the same during the battle on the bridge and towards the events of the battle of gronder field.