This is what it looks like when you finally get a health diagnosis after 13 years! 🙌
The Good News
I was finally diagnosed with a form of dysautonomia called P.O.T.S or Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. POTS affects my blood flow and has resulted in, among many things, my fatigue and other poor feelings.
As you might have also learned from the video, I was diagnosed with another form of dysautonomia back in 2014 called gastroparesis. (FYI: Dysautonomia is a disorder of the autonomic nervous system. Your ANS controls everything that’s automated in your body like blood pressure, breathing, heart rate, etc.)
It’s actually likely that I developed P.O.T.S first, as a teen, and the gastroparesis appeared later. There’s not a lot of research out there about why it happens but the theory is that mine started after having food poisoning, which would be considered illness-bourne.
The Not-So-Good News
My new diagnosis is treatable through medication and lifestyle adjustments. But, the bad news is, because it’s a dysfunction of my nerves, it can never truly be healed.
As of right now, my body feels so-so. It will take a while before I really gain control of my days as we try to find the right balance of treatments and medication.
What My Life (and blog!) Looks Like Moving Forward
The plan for my blog is to keep my health and fashion separate which means I won’t be integrating health information into my fashion content. You’re just stuck seeing all my cute outfits and thrifted finds!
This is not an attempt to keep my invisible illness hidden but rather it’s just not the main focus of who I am. If you have any questions or want to reach out and tell your story, you are more than welcome to!
In terms of health, I’ve already been working on my own & with a specialist to make necessary changes so I should start seeing some improvement and stability in my activity levels soon.
It’s very empowering to finally have something to blame for all my sick days and to know there really has been something going on that’s outside of my control.
I can now start the next decade of my life with a better understanding of myself!
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If you or someone you know is experiencing unexplained symptoms, especially if you’ve had Covid-19, please reach out to your primary care doctor and express your concerns.
Being tired, dizzy, losing your appetite, etc, are NOT normal feelings you should live with. Get your symptoms checked out, keep advocating for yourself, and NEVER give up!
