[POE2] Newer player trying out Blood Mage Chaos - Question on Sanguimancy

I guess I just need some clarification on if this is expected behavior or not because it would seem to be the a Chaos Blood Mage is not viable. Bosses are a slog but general areas go by quickly with spreading chaos dots and despair.

With Sanguimancy anything with a base mana cost is supposed to cost life. I figured a decent solution for survivability was to put some points into increasing my energy shield because I have a lot of those nodes near my primary path to increasing my chaos damage and crit chance. As well as using a wand with a free chaos bolt.

However, it seems as though Chaos Spells not only use mana and health but they are also using my energy shield. Is this intended??

Obviously it means I'll be reinvesting what I put into ES as any chaos I cast stops the regen and it lowers right along with my health without that passive regen. Even the mana free chaos bolt from my wand is using up health (and ES).

The problem I'm finding with the blood orbs is that they last for only a period of time and if I'm not pushing forward through the enemies I'm killing then I'm not benefiting from them at all so I'm finding it a struggle to survive. Or in some areas the enemies die and leave a pool of something that damages me just as much as the orb would heal.

Is the chaos blood mage really viable at all? Feels like I need to really need to invest into a large health pool with high crit and really focus on collecting the blood orbs.

I'm a Blood Mage with Chaos Spells too, none of my chaos spells touch my Energy Shield, it's only the life that gets used.

Chaos Bolt isn't using either ES or life.

I'd think that you either have a unique or some talent chosen that makes you take damage when you cast a spell.

I did not invest into any crit nodes so far, just try to keep my max life high and use some recoup and regen for the times when I get hit.

I'd bet on the "Event Horizon" Node on the Skilltree. Took it myself because I figured 3% isn't so bad.. didn't consider the ES regen delay