@Awareness4POTS
we are thrilled that our website is now live! So incredibly proud of my A4P family; especially grateful for our founder & president, Rachel!❤️🩹🥄We hope to be a safe haven for many dealing with this incredibly difficult illness.
#POTS
Working in the hospital 🏥 during this
#covid19
🦠surge has been painful. Breaks my heart seeing this hurt so many innocent souls like my patients. The world is blinding their eyes to this reality, but sadly it’s going to get to the point where they cannot.
#LongCovid
😷
#SARSCoV2
Being your own advocate is exhausting. Trying to explain your condition to your providers is exhausting.Begging for more tests or trialing off-label medications is exhausting.We know our own bodies better than anyone. Keep fighting for answers!
#LongCovid
#POTS
#MECFS
#EDS
#MCAS
Previously, I would hide that I have a disability but now, after lots of grieving, I’m a proud doctor that has chronic illness & invisible disability. I see this as a benefit to help my patients as I understand what it’s like to be a doctor & a patient.
#POTS
#MECFS
#LongCovid
❤️🩹
Today I spoke to members of Labor Health & Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee(aka the money men for the entire US health community).
#LongCovid
is real & will continue to impact millions more. Stressed the importance of operation warp speed for treatments!
#MECFS
#POTS
This time last year, against my better judgment, multiple doctors pushed me to do physical therapy. Even lifting 1-2 pound weights wore me out & after a few weeks of weekly 15-30 minute physical therapy sessions, I was completely handicapped & bedbound for weeks.
#MECFS
#POTS
#longcovid
is worse than a war. It’s endless & reloading my ammunition is depriving my vitality. I was born “Reddy” to fight👊🏼& continue to do so but when will the medical community truly find a solution. We deserve an armamentarium that will end this war.
#POTS
#MECFS
#MCAS
#EDS
Conditions like
#MECFS
,
#POTS
,
#MCAS
, etc need to be taught to all those in the medical field. Internal medicine physicians are often the first ones who see patients with these medical issues and they need to be able to recognize/diagnose & provide care compassionately.
#LongCovid
So many days I want to quit medicine bc of how the system is run & the toll it takes on my wounded body, but I fight to stay bc I found my purpose…to help & serve those that suffer like me with
#POTS
,
#MECFS
,
#MCAS
,
#EDS
, & other chronic medical conditions.
#LongCovidAwareness
✨❤️🩹
@ElkeAsen
The house side was not super aware of long-COVID but senate side said they have discussions about it frequently but “don’t know what to do about it.” They seem to have different priorities but I really tried to show how this is serious(post-infection &post-vaccine) with examples.
Almost 3 years living with long-COVID & 1 year from the 3rd infection that almost killed me. Sharing my health journey isn’t easy(brings up the trauma I have faced), but I’m sharing to spread awareness/hope for those who are struggling with this ailment❤️🩹
#longcovid
#MECFS
#PASC
We need biomarkers & diagnostic tools readily available for
#MECFS
. We already have these, why aren’t they being used?My doctors were clueless when I told them about these tests but also now believe I have chronic fatigue bc of these results🙄
#LongCovid
#POTS
#MCAS
#EDS
#PostVac
One of the hardest months of my residency because of night shifts & working while sick with
#POTS
#MECFS
#MCAS
#EDS
. Thankful I’m still able to work brutal hours, but I do so with a lot of suffering & constant flaring.
#LongCovid
3 years & counting!
#disabledfrontlineworkers
3 years ago today, on my birthday, the WHO announced the COVID-19 pandemic—forever changing my life & how I survive.The ultimate privilege in life is to age. Thanks a zillion light years for all the love & kindness!💕✨❤️🩹
#POTS
#MECFS
#MCAS
#EDS
#LongCovidAwareness
#postvax
#PASC
I usually don’t faint but get pre-syncopal & tunnel vision. I’ve only passed out a handful of times (in the shower, getting up out of bed in the morning too quickly, standing too long etc)…👩🏻🚀gravity is our enemy most days!
#POTS
#LongCovid
#MECFS
#EDS
#MCAS
#PASC
#Dysautonomia
I want to personally thank
@brucep13
@DrYostradamus
@EdoajoEric
for giving me part of my health back so I can complete my residency. My career & life was threatened but they truly did give me enough functionality to continue on. Eternally grateful for them❤️🩹
#LongCovid
#PASC
Thank you
@rachel_fairbank
for including my story! ~50% of those who have
#POTS
might also have
#MECFS
My severe crash in 2022 was a result of daily PT & taking a two day 18-hour medical board exam. A week later after that exam & increased activity in PT, I became bed-bound!🥺❤️🩹
For this article, I talked with a LOT of patients who had both POTS and ME/CFS, who exercised themselves into major flares at the advice of their doctors. This even included a physician with POTS and ME/CFS.
@LongCovidComms
@ElkeAsen
One of my attendings saw how long-COVID has destroyed my health & got me in touch with his son who’s a director of government relations for a lobbying firm; they asked me & arranged this meeting.Hope for more to come as this is just the beginning & more needs to be done faster!
Meet my buddy the Eko amplified stethoscope🩺When I developed hearing loss & tinnitus after COVID,I couldn't hear properly when I did physical exams.Eko has changed my life & also allows me to keep my hearing aids in while I listen to my patients.
#LongCovid
#hearingloss
#tinnitus
Helped my attending teach hepatitis to 2nd yr med students. When I got to the podium&looked at a sea of 200 future physicians, I was the only one wearing a😷in the auditorium. Felt like a foreigner in my own profession.
#Masks
should be mandatory in healthcare facilities!
#COVID
Took a 5 minute break to clear my head as I was feeling sad for my cancer patients & played for the front desk security clerk. This Yamaha🎹 in the hospital lobby needed some love & it's so out of tune it was making my hearing aids lose frequency!
#nightshift
#residency
👩🏻⚕️🩺❤️🩹😷
The vagus nerve plays a huge role in how our body functions & is an integral connection in the brain-gut-axis (helps control immune response, digestion & many other functions by activating the parasympathetic nervous system).
#LongCovid
#POTS
#MCAS
#EDS
#MECFS
#postvax
🫀❤️🩹🧠🫁
Special shoutout to all the
#LongCovid
caregivers who carry the weight to get us through this enigmatic illness. My mom has been my pillar & it saddens me how the stress has aged her sweet spirit. Thank you to the givers that help us;your love doesn’t go unnoticed!🫶🏼
#POTS
#MECFS
In
#medicalschool
&
#residency
we are taught “fake it till you make it”. I’ve always had issues with this. If I don’t know the answer, I will bluntly say I don’t know & look things up. Overconfidence in my opinion does more harm than good & is often the source of medical error.
To my chronic illness friends near & far, I stand by you daily🤗although I haven't met many of you in person, I feel like I know you & get you because of this ailment we all share ❤️🩹I often feel so alone & isolated but then realize I have y'all🥹
#longcovid
#MECFS
#POTS
#MCAS
Things have never gone the way I’ve expected them to & the # of curveballs this illness has thrown at me has been limitless. I may not have control over what hits me in the face, but I do have control on how I respond to it—holding on the smallest moments❤️
#MECFS
#POTS
#MCAS
Going through these charts has been triggering & heartbreaking😔💔! Seeing the dismissal & medical trauma many have faced hurts🥺Worldwide education to medical students, residents, & providers is needed for
#POTS
#MECFS
#EDS
#MCAS
#LongCovid
, other post-viral syndromes, & more!❤️🩹
After months of rest & a lighter schedule, I’m back to the inhumane 80 hour work week & night shifts. My body is going to take another hit😔no way around it but holding on to any glimmers & slivers of sunlight to get through🕊️❤️🩹!
#MECFS
#POTS
#MCAS
#EDS
#myocarditis
#LongCovid
The piano🎹is my catharsis & has been my conduit to help me navigate this lengthy journey. I've picked up playing the last few years & mainly sight-read simple pieces bc my time is limited. It also helped strengthen my brain from
#COVID
damage.
#MECFS
#POTS
#LongCovid
#EDS
#MCAS
Happy Doctor’s Day to the human souls that strive to do the best for your patients! It’s the utmost privilege to be called Dr. Reddy & be on the frontline as a guardian & real-life Avenger even though most days are very challenging bc of the system.Up & onwards!👩🏻⚕️🩺🥼
#DoctorsDay
Embracing the hard is strength🫶🏼It takes courage to get through this illness as it’s filled with lots of departures, disconnections, bruises, & wounds. I’m still finding ways to hold on to this exhausting but beautiful ride of life. Together! ❤️🩹
#MECFS
#POTS
#MCAS
#EDS
#LongCovid
In a horrible
#MECFS
#POTS
#LongCovid
flare after traveling, things could be worse but this is not okay & things could be WAY better. All of us deserve to be healthy & not wake up feeling sick all the time. Staying present & holding on to the small glimmers ✨in life gives hope💕
Doctors have the highest rate of suicide than any profession. I’ve lost count how many medical students, residents, & doctors I’ve helped out of the shadows. This silent epidemic is driven by a sick, broken healthcare system. Doctors are human!❤️🩹
#SuicideAwareness
#doctorburnout
I miss being outside for long periods of time.Nature helps me stay grounded & connects me to the beautiful reasons why we are alive.Hope this
#EarthDay
you can spend some time smiling from the power of nature that surrounds us🌿🫶🏼Earth depends on survival &so do we💚🩵
#LongCovid
Happy National Women Physicians Day & Happy Bday to Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell,the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States in 1849. Dr. Blackwell initiated a movement that helped women like me gain entry & equality in the field of medicine.👩🏻⚕️🩺
#WomenInMedicine
@MichaelCWilder
@WomensHealthMag
Correct. My medical school briefly went over connective tissues disorders like EDS but not in depth. My med school was one of the rare ones that also gave us a ME/CFS clinical encounter at the end of 2nd year but never touched beyond that like on the diagnostic features etc…
@jason_isaia
Based on my experience, majority of doctors so easily psychologize our suffering. In 2020,over 15 doctors made me think it was in my head & I sadly started to believe them to the point I saw two psychiatrists who told me this is not psych but a real medical issue that needs help
Thankful for amazing friends who support me & send me surprise care packages (this
#COVID
toilet paper 🧻 made me laugh)! Remember that time we had a shortage of 🚽 paper during lockdown. My goodness the times we have lived through🤦🏻♀️May the Force be with us! 💫✨
As a physician & a long-COVID patient, I’m in the front row watching this disease torment me, my friends in my support group, & my patients. I hope others don’t have to spend even 1 minute in my shoes or the countless millions with long-COVID!
#LongCovid
#MECFS
#microclots
#POTS
Sometimes I wonder💭if we’re here by sheer happenstance, an accident of string theory, or maybe a hiccup of the probability function? But then I'm reminded we are part of this universe ✨& the beauty that surrounds us by exploring the depths of this present moment.🫶🏼🦋❤️🕊️🌈💫🌌
We had the chance to advocate on Capitol Hill this week & address bills with Senators/Congress members on topics including physician workforce shortages (increase residency spots), physician burnout, & improve healthcare access for patients of Alabama.
#ACP
#ACPLD
@Alabama_ACP
Literally all the people I care about & love I haven't ever met in person.
That's true connection💕✨The biggest silver lining from all this suffering is meeting my people &tribe!
One day we are going to meet &
I'm going to ugly cry🥹
@Awareness4POTS
#POTS
#MECFS
#MCAS
#LongCovid
My beautiful friend & twin soul sister made this to remind me of my purpose& mission in life. We both connected over
#POTS
,& although I wish we didn't have to suffer, this illness has brought us together,& I've connected with so many others worldwide who understand us!
#LongCovid
When life gets a little rocky, I straighten my crown👑& show them who I am! To all the Queens👸🏻out there, keep showing up with your invisible crown that is made up of the courage, discipline, & determination rhinestones💎👊🏼!
#killthemwithkindness
Residency is brutal—I feel like I speak for most of us when I say that. The long work hours(24 hr shifts),sleep deprivation, feeling small for not knowing the answers to everything, questioning your treatment plan for patients etc..remind myself I’m a life-long learner.
#residency
I'm a healthcare soldier daily &risk my health to take care of my patients. I won't let my immunodeficiency stop me from being a doctor. I’ve shielded myself with PPE so I can see critically sick patients with COVID, flu,TB, etc...it’s doable but extremely difficult.
#LongCovid
@SaraAna66550269
So sorry to hear you too are dealing with this atrocious illness 😔 I ran into the same issue with my doctors. Will DM you some of the tests I got from LabCorp ❤️🤗
Take a moment to catch your breath & find your Force. Embrace the small things like the touch of rain on your skin or the smell of nature & fresh air. Be here & now as the present moment is living!🫶🏼🪷⛈🌻💫🌳🧘🏻♀️🌬🙏🏼
#WondersOfMeditation
#meditation
#spirituality
#pranayama
I lost my vision in my left eye for several months, a condition called autoimmune corneal neovascularization. My life would've been very different if I lost my vision.
The beautiful celestial universe is filled with these dazzling stars ✨ & planets🌎🪐 It makes me step back & visualize life from a different vantage point. We all exist & transmit energy to create this cosmos!🫶🏼🚀💫🌟☄️🌔
@NASA
@NASAHubble
#NASA
#NASAPhotos
I have always believed that we are here on Earth to help & serve one another. For me, becoming a doctor would do just that. I love the science behind medicine & the diagnostic challenges they provide but what feeds my soul is the human connection.👩🏻⚕️4th year of medical school!🩺
The beauty of life is inseparable from its fragility. The only thing I’m certain of is that there’s uncertainty. A meaningful life comes with the price of discomfort. The cornerstone of thriving, resilience,& authentic happiness is to have radical acceptance of your emotions.🖖🏼
@Bradgolf1216
@Jamiepead
I 💯 agree! We desperately & urgently need/deserve better research bc we truly don’t have treatments that are available. My career as a physician in medicine is what I’m referring to— that is what I’m embracing to change than what I had hoped bc I’m chronically sick 😔.
Medical PTSD & gaslighting has been going on long enough. I’m a female physician who has struggled with my health my entire life; it’s been so challenging to find a doctor who truly listens. Patients with chronic disease deserve better.
#chronicillness
#longcovid
#neuralgia
@MikeWil15339637
No, it has not cured it but my hearing aids do have sound therapy which has helped dampen the loudness of the tinnitus. Some days the tinnitus is still loud despite wearing them but those days are a few times a week instead of daily. So overall, it has helped.
@miyurufernando
@matekbela
I’ve done close to 40 hours in the soft shell chamber. I definitely have noticed improvements as I have less headaches, fatigue is better, & cognitive function sharper. POTS is still an issue but the days I do HBOT it does seem to help temporarily.
@annieMeads84
@pjhn22
Thank you 💕honestly, sometimes I don’t even know how I get through it. I’ve suffered a lot over the years with chronic illness including post-herpetic neuralgia & complications from EDS, so I think I’ve learned to adapt & just feel numb sometimes to the pain.
@MchP66592467
Definitely one of the worst illnesses! I’ve been a workaholic my entire life but now forced to learn that how I “fight” ME/CFS is to deploy the pause button because that’s the only way we can truly “fight” this atrocity.❤️🩹With you all through this 🙏🏼
@JamieNJWilliams
Thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement! I will do everything I can to help others ❤️🩹I don’t want anyone to suffer the level we have suffered. Sending light & healing vibes your way!
@SamWallace907
That theory is possible. This illness can hijack the mitochondria & disrupt energy metabolism by causing reactive oxygen species stress on cellular processes & therefore disturb RBCs function to carry O2. Also,S1 spike protein can bind to the RBC membrane & cause function issue.
EAH Internal Medicine Residency program's first annual research week! So proud of all my co-interns! We have taken care of some really sick patients the last 9 months & learned so much from each of them.
#research
#medicine
#internalmedicine
@AbrahamAubry
I wish! I haven’t been able to exercise since I had COVID in 2020. Just walking and no heavy lifting. Exercise intolerance 😔 I used to run 1-2 miles a day.