Reflective Essay: How Dysautonomia Changed My Life

At the age of eleven, I was diagnosed with several dysautonomia (autonomic dysfunction) conditions. I was born with these conditions, and they will be with me for the rest of my life. There are no cures for these conditions, but they can be managed. Finding a doctor that would treat me, and producing a treatment plan took several years. As time went on, I learned the experiences these conditions brought would change the rest of my life and fuel my pursuit of being in the medical field.
My first symptoms of this condition were shown at the age of six months. At this time, I fainted. I was immediately taken into the doctor’s office. The doctor examined me from head to toe. The doctor concluded that I had breath holding spells (an involuntary pause in breathing that occurs in some children). There are no treatments for this. The doctor assured my parents that I would grow out of these spells by the age of five.
I was ten years old, and I continued to faint on an average of once a year. My condition became very chronic at an increasing rate. In the first semester of my first year in middle school, I was put on homebound (a program for students unable to return to school due to health issues). The more I fainted; the more stress my body was under. This weakened me greatly. I was unable to walk to the restroom without having a fainting spell. I

This cardiologist was able to diagnose me and set up a potential treatment plan in one visit. I was diagnosed with neurocardiogenic syncope and orthostatic intolerance. Since this strained my body over a prolonged period, I also developed chronic fatigue syndrome. This cardiologist changed my life. He gave me a true diagnosis, a way to confirm the diagnosis, and potential treatment plan. This cardiologist did what over one hundred others could not. He did exactly what I was beginning to believe was impossible. He gave me hope. He is the greatest inspiration to