I love to research, experiment, and share what I’m learning with friends. Some suggested I make a blog so that other people can benefit from what I try, so here it is ☺️
I have always suffered with migraines, I threw up most days (non eating disorder related), and regularly fainted. I was always described as weak and sleepy, and had to be home schooled because I missed so much of school being ill. I thought that would be my whole life, never thought I could hold down a job. But I started working full time at 20, and things came to a head. I was fainting in front of oncoming tubes, down stairs - everywhere really. Along with all my other symptoms.
At 21 I was diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia syndrome, and vaso vagal syncope. This affects the autonomic nervous system, the heart, the digestion, and so on. It was a real relief to have a diagnosis, but that was the end of that, medically. I was told there wasn’t much in the way of treatment, and despite a lovely team of specialists who were happy to talk, I felt at a loss.
I had started my period at 13 - they were every other month and incredibly heavy and painful. They carried on like that till I was 18, when they were two weeks on, two weeks off. I was living in America without health insurance so there was nothing I could do till I came back to England and went on the pill. It helped with my cycle, but little else. At that point I had been throwing up every day for years - for seemingly no reason, and it only got worse on the pill. I developed pretty severe depression and after going back to my GP three times and being told to give it another three months each time, I finally saw a locum who suggested trying a different pill. Sadly before I could, I got a migraine where I couldn’t see for hours, and was told I was at risk of stroke and couldn’t take the combined pill ever. At that point I gave up for many years.
About seven years of suffering later, I would regularly get stomach pain so bad it winded me and I had to sit down in the street. Eventually seeing a gynaecologist who was so bad I formally complained about him, I got to see a private doctor on the NHS. I was finally diagnosed with polycystic ovaries, insulin resistance, adenomyosis. I was prescribed three metformin tablets a day for life, and left to my own devices. Well the pain, extreme thirst, insane sugar cravings, and inability to lose weight were solved. But my period were still terrible.
Later on, I was diagnosed with Joint Hypermobility Syndrome too. Woohoo.
I was still throwing up, fainting, exhausted, aching joints, migraines, etc etc. Feeling very forlorn, in quiet moments at work I would google a symptom, and devour articles and comments in forums. I slowly came to the realisation that lifestyle changes and diet/supplements were the way to go. This blog isn’t focussed on my syndrome, but more about the general health discoveries I’ve made along the way, and how EVERYTHING is linked. So if you’re undiagnosed, or diagnosed and feeling incredibly overwhelmed, maybe some of my research will help you. At least it’ll be a head start.
Disclaimer: I’m not a medical professional, and not claiming any personal medical knowledge. But there is a mountain of information online, and I love reading it, cross referencing, and giving it a try.
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