Laws of Life

Hi everyone!




Wow... I've been MIA for a while (I'm so sorry)! I hope you're all doing well. I just finished writing an essay for the Georgia Laws of Life competition, and I finally got up the courage to write about my illnesses. I thought the topic really needed to be discussed, and the essay turned out a LOT better than I expected, so I thought I'd post it here for you lovelies to read if you would like. I really hope you




Basically, you can write about anything for Laws of Life, but you must include a quote that serves as the "law of life" that taught you a lesson about a certain experience in your life. You'll find my quote at the end of the first paragraph :-) Feel free to share the link to this post but the essay itself CANNOT be copied! Here it is:

Diagnosis: POTS

            It was three in the morning, and I was lying in an unwelcoming hospital bed with my tachycardic heartbeat pulsating through my entire body. I had a migraine like I’ve never felt before. The hospital staff ran a myriad of tests, but nothing they could do abated the immense pain that I was experiencing in my head. As the nurse slowly pushed the next course of medicines into my vein, I immediately know something was quite wrong. My chest became tight, with the weight of one thousand elephants simultaneously bearing down on me. Monitors began screaming at me, I felt a rush of pain, then I was completely consumed by darkness.  My heart had stopped. When I awakened moments later, an incalculable amount of doctors, nurses, and emergency technicians were at my bedside, staring at me with judging eyes. One of them informed my grandmother that I was suffering from nothing more than hypochondria, or another mental illness, and that I would be fine with therapy. As I was being discharged, I was overwhelmed by sadness. I began sobbing; I couldn’t understand why no one believed me. Something was wrong and I just wanted to be normal. Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder. When I turned, an elderly woman handed me a folded up piece of paper, and walked away without uttering a single syllable. The paper read: “‘When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure’ –Peter Marshall”.  This woman had indefinitely altered my life, without her even realizing it.

            In the weeks following my emergency room visit, I went to a countless number of appointments with what seemed like every doctor in the area. My case was passed on to so many doctors, but to no avail. I was told that nothing was wrong with me, or that I should change my diet and exercise more often. Each medical professional treated me as if I was exaggerating the severity of my health problems, and told me that I would just have to cope with my headaches. However, one neurologist uncovered one piece of the puzzle that would eventually lead me to a diagnosis. She checked my blood pressure as I lied, sat, and stood. She then explained that I was orthostatic, but that I could solve that by increasing my water intake.

            Each treatment the doctors suggested failed, and my health only seemed to decline. Even drastically increasing my fluid intake did nothing to quiet my continual migraine. Eventually, I was referred to a neurologist who performs Botox injections in the base of the skull and forehead to alleviate chronic headaches. While I was there for my visit, he took one look at my records and informed me that I have a rare condition called Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), a malfunction of the nervous system that affects the heart. I was immediately scheduled for a consult with a cardiologist as well as a rheumatologist. I endured three days of testing, numerous IVs, and a total of twenty separate blood draws. Soon after, new diagnoses were thrust upon me almost daily. Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome was ravaging every system in my body, and I was told that there was currently no treatment for this disease.

            Presently, over a year after my initial diagnosis, I am being treated for an excess of ten chronic illnesses, including Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Gastroparesis, and Craniocervical Instability. My digestive muscle activity has slowed to a crawl, my joints are unstable, and I occasionally lose my sight due to my illnesses. Overall, I am very accepting of my limitations, and I live a happy life, but periodically I wonder why I had to become ill, and why I cannot participate in all the things other teenagers can. Whenever these thoughts cross my mind, I think back to the woman who tapped me on the shoulder in the hospital, and I thank God for her. That simple scrap of notebook paper and the quote scribbled on it make the thought of enduring another day of pain so much more manageable.

I really hope you enjoyed reading my essay - thank you for reading and supporting me! I'd love to hear your thoughts, just click the "add comment" button.


FIGHT LIKE A SPOONIE!
xoxo, Johna