Woman claims damp triggered her rare condition which means she feels dizzy whenever she stands up

October 13, 2016

Valentina Strelelenskaia, 37, has Postural Tachycardia Syndrome
Every time she stands up, her heart rate speeds up, causing dizziness
Doctors believe it was triggered by mould in the house she was living in

Kate Pickles For Mailonline

Published:
11:09 EST, 13 October 2016

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Updated:
12:47 EST, 13 October 2016

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Valentina Strelelenskaia has Postural Tachycardia Syndrome

A woman has claimed that her mouldy house has triggered a rare illness that has left her bedridden and unable to stand.

Valentina Strelelenskaia would spend 22 hours a day in bed for more than a year after being struck down by a rare condition.

The 37-year-old, from Sydney, suffers from Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS), which means that every time she stands up, her heart rate speeds up, causing her to pass out.

‘Every day was a nightmare knowing that I was unable to stand without my body feeling terrible,’ she said.

‘I got sick when I moved into an old building which had mould all over the walls due to the home being about 100 years old.

‘The mould was letting off fumes and unbeknownst to me, I was breathing them in every day and it began affecting my nervous system.

‘In my first house the mould was not visible, and it grew from underneath which is why it took so long for me to realise what was causing my illness.

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‘As soon as I stood up I would feel dizzy, lightheaded, my heart would beat really fast and I just could not at all keep standing so I had to go back to bed.

‘I was bedbound and I couldn’t go to the shops or socialise with friends, I felt like I was allergic to gravity.

‘My friends always had to visit me because I was unable to leave the house on my own.’

Ms Strelelenskaia, pictured on a tilt table which measures her heart rate when she is upright

She spent 22 hours a day in bed for 15 months after being struck down by PoTS

Ms Strelelenskaia believes her condition was triggered by mould in her property

She says her doctor asked if there was mould in her house as this can trigger the symptoms

After trialling numerous antibiotics to combat her crippling symptoms, she finally found one that worked in January 2012.

She was diagnosed with the condition in 2010 and it took anti-fungal medication, herbal medication and then finally antibiotics before she started seeing improvements.

WHAT IS PoT SYNDROME?

Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS) can be a life altering and debilitating chronic health condition.

Simply standing up can be a challenge for people with PoTS as their body is unable to adjust to gravity.

PoTS is characterised by what’s known as orthostatic intolerance – the development of symptoms when upright that are relieved by lying down.

Symptoms include headaches, fatigue, palpitations, sweating, nausea, fainting and dizziness.

They are associated with an increase in heart rate from the lying to upright position of greater than 30 beats per minute, or a heart rate of greater than 120 beats per minute within 10 minutes of standing.

For more information: http://www.potsuk.org/

She used various treatments including a tilt table to measure her heart beat while upright and has since moved house because of the mould.

But now she has noticed damp patches and is terrified of the condition returning.

‘I thought I would always be bed ridden and I would never be able to even catch a bus or go to the shops again.

‘I was worried I would always be allergic to gravity as I simply could not stand at all.

‘A doctor asked if there was mould in my house and once I realised there was, I knew instantly that it was causing me to be ill.’

She has since become a counsellor for PoTS.

‘I found out that I had an infection which was causing my body to do this.

‘I compare it to a car where you have to check all of the pieces to see why my heart was not working properly.

‘I began researching and found that PoTS is caused by more than 25 different underlying issues.

‘I was introduced to the best professor in Australia who specialised in infections, and to a naturopath who saved my life.

‘I now help people all of the world and it gives me great pleasure knowing that I can assist people with this terrible condition.’

She was diagnosed with the condition in 2010 and it took anti-fungal medication, herbal medication and then finally antibiotics before she started seeing improvements