Lydia
Hello! I am Lydia I am currently diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome and hypertension Ehlers-danlos syndrome. I am also an ambulatory wheelchair user. The oldest memory I think I have of my illness was in sixth grade... we had to run a mile for physical education class once a week and I would fall behind my other peers. I was constantly out of breath and felt super dizzy. This made me really self-conscious as I believed that all of this was because I was “lazy” or “didn’t work out enough." However, this wasn’t the case, but it wasn’t until about two years later that I began to get some answers.
I started realizing that EVERYTHING made me dizzy and it was becoming more and more difficult to do everyday tasks such as going to the grocery. At first, the doctors thought it was anemia, but after many blood tests and medications we found out it was definitely not that. About a week later we switched doctors and it seemed as though all of my symptoms that I had been experiencing just “clicked”. She referred me to a cardiologist who diagnosed me with POTs. Since then, I have been diagnosed with EDs and have developed a couple of GI issues that have been yet to be diagnosed. Recently, I have created an Instagram account where I share my personal experiences about my chronic illness to show young teens like me that they aren’t alone through this journey and that they will always have someone by their side!
Age: 14 years old
Instagram: @lyds.spoonie.life
