October is Dysautonomia Awareness Month
I’m a little late with this post (nothing like waiting until the last minute!) but, regardless, dysautonomia is a full-time condition for me and won’t go away once October ends.
Dysautonomia is an umbrella term to describe several different conditions that cause a malfunction of the Autonomic Nervous System. (The autonomic nervous system controls involuntary actions like breathing, heart rate, etc.)
My journey with diagnosing my dysautonomia has taken a very long time. I started with symptoms as a teenager and over the course of 14 years, eventually lead to confirming Gastroparesis, POTS, and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.
My short go-to explanation is that my body is sending out the wrong signals and gets things mixed up. Random nausea, lightheadedness, chronic fatigue, and brain fog are just a few symptoms I experience on a daily basis.
Living With Dysautonomia
If I could give advice to myself before getting diagnosed, it’s that getting a name for this thing won’t magically make life better. Though I never expected it to.
But what it did do was validate my symptoms, help me find a community, read stories from others and make more informed decisions about my future. That knowledge is invaluable!
I still struggle with symptoms on a daily basis and have yet to find the right medication or remedy that works for me. I’m just a chronically ill human out here trying, y’all!
My heart goes out to everyone in the Spoonie community and beyond.
I hope that strides are made in our lifetime to research and understand the nuances of dysautonomia, learn why a healthy body suddenly stops working correctly and how we can reverse the effects, and give us better support and management options.
Learn More About Dysautonomia
You can learn more about the different conditions (there’s a lot!) and how to support the efforts of awareness and research by checking out the website for Dysautonomia International. 💙
ALSO STALK MY STYLE ON:
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