Since I was a child I’ve always been known as the “sick kid” getting constant strep and ear infections, sinus issues that would later require two surgeries along with removing my tonsils because of the amount of strep I was getting. Missed school day after missed school day, if I had to leave school early for a doctors appointment, the other students knew I’d someone called my amen over the teachers speaker then they knew it was for me and always made fun of me or was cruel because they say it as “lucky” I always got to leave. Yeah, my throat is swollen, my sinus are screaming and I have leg pain that’s so bad I’m considering taking four ibuprofen at once, yeah I’m sooooo “lucky”
In 2016 I got my two round of HPV vaccination and that’s when everything started going down hill from there. I was constantly having migraines, leg and hip pain that came out of NOWHERE! I never had migraines, let alone every day to the point my mom had to constantly pick me up or I just wouldn’t even bother showing up. Dark rooms were my best friend and little contact to avoid noises. All I did was sleep during those times. After that shot, my reaction to it, slowly started making me progressive in my nervous system issues. I would later be diagnosed with “orthostatic hypotension” while I’m living in a hospital room hooked up to an IV getting an infusion for the migraines. Orthostatic hypotension, is basically when your blood pressure drops for a second after you stand and you get this slight lightheaded feeling. It was annoying, but wasn’t a problem. In 2024, I started having issues that gotten worse, I was now actually fainting! I couldn’t bend over, turn around quickly (and I was a Starbucks barista so fast paced was apart of the job) migraines increased to daily, internal tremors major G.I issues, weight loss and bladder issues, etc. I later, had to quit my job as the chronic fatigue was getting to me and I could barely walk, let alone keep my eyes open, so that July I decided to give in my two weeks and just pray that my money would last. I’ve now progressed more where my energy is not as much as it was 6 months ago, I’m anxious and depressed, I can’t drive because I caused an accident when I had cognitive impairment episode and couldn’t remember which one was the brake peddle, so no more keys for me. I’d I leave the house it’s for church and doing my makeup/getting ready already uses up 75% of my energy, but I push through because I really want to go worship and get spiritually fed. I miss out on a lot as someone chronically ill, I don’t know what exactly the name of my illness is yet and all I have to do is wait till May 19th because that’s when I see a specialist who knows all about autonomic dysfunction/ Dysautonomia. Being alone, isolated, canceling plans, losing relationships, not have a proper working gut so I can’t eat hardly anything unless I want to avoid a Gastritis flare up is exhausting, but I know there is a hill on the other side of this valley. I just have to trust as long as I do my part (which is holding on and surviving ) God will do His. I just got to have faith.