POTS and Spoons (not pans, SPOONS). First, check out The Spoon Theory for an explanation of what spoons I’m referring to. Secondly, POTS is a form of dysautonomia- a dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system. The ANS controls all the things you don't think about, like digestion, body temperature, blood pressure, heart rate. "POTS" stands for "Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome" which in simple terms is rapid heartbeat when standing. That's only one of the symptoms. It's called a 'syndrome' because there are a vast array of other symptoms it can cause. Because it's a disorder of the ANS, anything which that controls can 'go wrong'.