My Comeback Story
This is one of the most challenging posts that I’ve ever written.
It requires an immersion back to a time of inner struggle, pain, and hopelessness. Here goes…
Intro
In March 2022, I went out for a coffee in NYC, when suddenly my heart started racing uncontrollably. I felt as though I was going to pass out so I crouched down on my knees and leaned my back up against the closest wall.
My girlfriend and I walked to the nearest cafe so I could hydrate with some water or juice. I laid down in a booth feeling uncomfortable. Both of us were confused and concerned as to what had just happened.
Ambulance
Fast forward a few days later, I’m still feeling a little off and I can’t figure out why. It was almost as though a blanket of anxiety was covering my body, but I didn’t know what was causing it.
I was in the kitchen making breakfast when all of a sudden I felt my heart pounding out of my chest again. I sat down on the couch and felt like fainting. The only thing that was keeping me conscious was drinking gatorade and eating an overwhelming amount of salt. Fortunately, I was at home so I immediately asked my Dad to call an ambulance.
I was rushed to the hospital and taken to the emergency room. I was given an IV for a few hours so my body could hydrate. The staff at the hospital conducted a number of blood tests and did an EKG. All tests came back clear and I was sent home.
Symptoms
A few more days went by and I was now at a point where I couldn’t even walk downstairs to make myself a meal. I couldn’t stand for more than a few minutes at a time without feeling light headed and my heart rate increasing. Other symptoms I experienced were frequent hunger, frequent urination, upset stomach, high blood pressure, heart palpitations, inability to sleep, shortness of breath, body temperature fluctuation, dizziness/vertigo, and heat intolerance.
At this point I had to consult a doctor to see what was going on. I was hoping to get some clarity from my primary care doctor, but he was unable to provide me with a diagnosis. I was then sent to a cardiologist to check all of my vitals. They performed an echocardiogram to check my heart and surrounding blood vessels. All tests came back clear and I was told to make sure I was eating my fruits/vegetables!
Hopelessness
A day later I was at home by myself watching TV. At this point I was wearing a heart monitor and had to sit on a chair in order to shower because my heart rate would increase too rapidly while standing. I was in the same position I had been in for a few weeks now, I still couldn’t walk for more than a few minutes at a time and was heavily reliant on sodium intake as well as eating frequent meals.
As I was laying in bed, I suddenly felt my blood pressure drop and once again…you guessed it…felt like I was going to pass out. I immediately called 911 and the paramedics were at my house within 20 minutes. They checked my vitals and noticed both my heart rate and blood pressure were slightly elevated, but nothing overly concerning. I was feeling slightly better so I told them they could leave because the hospital wasn’t going to provide me with a treatment anyway.
Diagnosis
I contacted my cardiologist as soon as the paramedics left. He referred me to a neurologist to see if there could be something wrong with my brain or nervous system. Later that week, I got a CT Scan done on my brain. Fortunately, the results were negative, however I still didn’t have a diagnosis for my symptoms.
The next day I went to the neurologist’s office absolutely demoralized with zero expectations. I had a bag of Lay’s potato chips with me in one hand and a bottle of Gatorade in another; my ‘first-aid kit’ as I referred to it at the time.
He called me into his office and I’m sitting on the patient’s seat feeling faint once again. He sees the discomfort that I’m in. I ask for an ice pack to put on the back of my head. This had been making me feel better over the past few days, but I didn’t know exactly why. He then did a test where he asked me to look at his finger as he moved it from side to side in front of my face. All of a sudden he paused and said, ‘I know what’s wrong with you.’
The doctor mentioned he noticed an astigmatism in one of my eyes and was immediately able to diagnose me with vestibular neuritis, a swelling of the inner ear that causes problems with hearing and balance. Additionally, I was diagnosed with dysautonomia which is an autonomic nervous system disorder and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (P.O.T.S.) which is when your body has reduced blood volume while standing up. This was the miracle I had been looking for, I wasn’t going crazy after all!
Recovery
How did all of this happen? Well my doctor mentioned this could have been caused by either Long COVID or the vaccine. Now this post is not meant to turn into a COVID debate, however it does highlight the fact that even the medical community doesn’t completely understand the long term effects of COVID or the vaccine yet.
I was prescribed prednisone for about 9 days to reduce the swelling of the vestibular nerve in my inner ear. I started feeling slightly better, however I still couldn’t do the most basic things like watch TV or talk on the phone for long periods of time. Over the course of the next few months, I was forced to eat 7 meals a day on average in order to avoid the feeling of passing out.
In addition, I had started going to vestibular therapy where I had to learn how to walk again. This process was extremely challenging as I was accustomed to being an athlete and a personal trainer. Just 3 months ago, I was in the best shape of my life and now that was all in the rear view mirror. I gained 30 lbs over the course of 6 months and I was virtually unrecognizable, at least to myself. I had also been in isolation for months now, following everyone’s lives through social media, watching the world revolve around me, but feeling stuck in quicksand at the same time. Not to mention, I dealt with friends and family not fully understanding what was wrong with me, some even thought I was having a mental breakdown.
Comeback
In 2023, I made a promise to myself that I would come back stronger both physically and mentally, more knowledgeable about fitness and nutrition, and more positive than ever before. I began my recovery in the gym or ‘my sanctuary,’ as I like to refer to it. There were days where I thought I was going to faint in the middle of the gym floor, I felt unconfident at times because of all the weight gain and loss of muscle mass, and I was losing my balance simply walking on the treadmill. Even though these were regular thoughts and feelings I had, I continued to push one step and one rep at a time.
After months of struggling to lose weight, I eventually started seeing results by following what I refer to as the L.C.F. Nutrition Formula and the Efficiency First Movement Protocol. I finally started to feel like the best version of myself from 2021 again. It was one of the best moments of my life.
Outlook
Although I’ve tried to describe my experience with my illness the best I can, words cannot accurately describe the impact the years 2022 and 2023 had on my life. I learned a great deal about myself being isolated from the world for months and not having a definitive timeline for recovery. It allowed me to self-reflect and envision what my life would look like if I did recover, ask myself what I would change, how would I treat people, and what my purpose in life would be?
This time gave me a chance to look at life through a different lens. As a health coach, I can now say I empathize with my clients that have suffered a serious injury or illness or who have struggled to lose weight or achieve their goals on an entirely new level. I feel so connected to my client’s journeys and root for their comeback story even more than them.
Our bodies can be very resilient, but the key to unlocking the specific plan that works for you is to identify your individual needs and provide that Empathy Driven Accountability by being there not only as your coach, but as your friend as well.
