Scots student Georgia Grainger has been fighting gravity for longer than she cares to remember.
The 27-year-old experiences a soaring heart rate when she stands up, which can leave her with palpitations and shortness of breath and there have been times when it has left her unable to stay upright for more than five minutes. When she sought medical help, she was initially told she was having panic attacks.
The postgraduate student is originally from Belfast but has called Dundee home since 2016. She thought her problems were linked to other conditions she has suffered, including anxiety and depression.
After years of doctor's appointments she was finally diagnosed in April with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (PoTS).
Georgia said: "It causes my heart rate to rise dramatically when I stand up and makes it quite difficult to do a lot of things. It's like my body just wasn't quite equipped for life in a planet with gravity.
"I used to really struggle with just going for walks with family or walking dogs. I'd always be really out of breath and panicky by the end of it. It turns out it's because my heart was going up like 140 beats per minute instead of like 70."
She added: "It has always been in the background but my symptoms have got more severe over the last few years. Stress tends to make it worse and I've just finished a PHD, which is not the least stressful thing to do."
She eventually decided to apply for support from Social Security Scotland. She had heard about the new adult disability payment - the replacement for the Department for Work and Pensions' personal independence payment (PIP) in Scotland to help with the extra costs of being disabled or having a long-term health condition.
Social Security Scotland launched this new benefit across the country at the end of August. Georgia had been reluctant to apply for support.
She said: "I knew disabled people who'd had terrible experiences with the PIP process, being reassessed every six months then having to appeal and stuff like that. Social Security Scotland started adult disability payment around the time I was getting my diagnosis.
"I was on sick leave from work but was reaching the point where I needed extra financial support. When I first applied they sent a leaflet with the key points - what they were going to do and what you needed to do.
"There was a slogan about 'treating people with dignity, respect and fairness' and I was quite cynical. But throughout the process it really has been validating and very humane.
"I didn't feel like I was being interrogated. The answers I provided were taken as fact, as they should be."
Georgia qualified for daily living and mobility support, and the help she has received has made a big difference to her everyday life. She said: "The thing that spurred me on to apply for adult disability payment was to get a cleaner - to do things I struggled with as standing up is difficult. I was able get groceries delivered. It has been really helpful.
"When the assessor went over things, I didn't realise it was an assessment as she was so nice. Then a week later, I got the money through."
Georgia, who did her PHD at Strathclyde University, is now hoping to see more research into PoTS, which has since been linked to Long Covid and is on the rise.
Dozen benefits you can claim
Social Security Scotland is currently delivering 12 benefits:
- Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment
- Best Start Grant Early Learning Payment
- Best Start Grant School Age Payment
- Best Start Foods
- Carer’s Allowance Supplement
- Funeral Support Payment
- Job Start Payment
- Young Carer Grant
- Child Winter Heating Assistance
- Scottish Child Payment
- Child Disability Payment
- Adult Disability Payment
To find out more about these benefits or to apply, go to mygov.scot/benefits or call 0800 182 2222.
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