28-year-old woman allergic to ‘GRAVITY’ –

A formerly “super active” 28-year-old is now bedridden and experiencing debilitating fainting after being “allergic to gravity.”

Lyndsi Johnson of Bangor, Maine, cannot get up for more than three minutes without passing out and is dependent on her husband for basic homework.

The former Navy tech, who was discharged for health reasons in 2018, now spends up to 23 hours a day in bed, only getting up briefly to shower, and has to do this while sitting down.

On a bad day, Mrs. Johnson may pass out up to 10 times a day.

After years of oscillating between doctors seeking answers, Ms. Johnson was finally diagnosed with postural tachycardia syndrome earlier this year.

PoTS is an abnormal and rapid increase in heart rate from standing or sitting and can cause dizziness or fainting.

The condition is difficult to diagnose, but one in 100 British and American lives with some form of the condition. Violent attacks, such as those suffered by Ms. Johnson, are much rarer.

When we stand up, gravity naturally pulls some of our blood into our abdomen, hands, and feet.

Normally, an automatic body response compensates for this change with a slight increase in heart rate to maintain normal blood flow.

For people with PoTS, however, this response is not activated properly and their heart rate rises rapidly in response to the sudden change in blood pressure, causing nausea, dizziness, and even fainting.

He was forced to resign from his job as an airline diesel mechanic when his symptoms turned into frequent fainting and vomiting.

Pictured here before she developed her mysterious status, Ms. Johnson described herself as “super active”.

While technically not an allergy, which is an exaggerated response by the immune system to a substance, some people living with PoTS, such as Ms. Johnson, view it as an allergy.

“I’m allergic to gravity – it sounds crazy but it’s true,” he said.

“I can’t go more than three minutes before I pass out, feel nauseous, or pass out.

“I’m in bed all day, up to 23 hours a day.”

Ms. Johnson began suffering from stomach and back pain while serving abroad in October 2015.

He was medically discharged from the United States Navy in May 2018 after his symptoms worsened and doctors were unable to find the cause of his condition.

In the same year, his pain got worse and he started to vomit frequently.

“It was so bad that I screamed in pain,” she said.

But doctors didn’t come close to answering her, at one point linking her symptoms to anxiety attacks.

He said his condition worsened after he passed out in a hospital elevator in October 2020.

“It was really scary. From that moment on, I became more and more faint,” she said.

“I fainted all over: I was shopping at the supermarket and had to sit down because I felt unconscious or at the gym.

“Even after my dog ​​barked, I passed out.”

It would take seven years for doctors to tell him he had postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS); this was an abnormal response in which the heart overcompensated for the normal blood pressure change that occurs when people stand up. It will cause your heart to beat irregularly and possibly faint.

Pictured here in rock climbing, Ms. Johnson was active in the past and loved to hit the gym. She is now almost entirely dependent on her husband to help her cook and wash.

Then, in February of this year, a doctor recommended that she get a PoTS-specific tilt test.

This test involves lying on a specially designed table that tilts gradually until the person stands up, while doctors measure heart rate.

The diagnosis of PoTS is diagnosed when, in addition to symptoms such as dizziness or fainting, the heart rate is 30 beats per minute above the normal resting level for that person for more than 30 seconds.

She is now completely dependent on her husband James as her caregiver.

“I never thought I would have to use a shower chair at 28,” she said.

“I can no longer leave the house. There is no cure but I am so thankful for James and what I have”.

Despite her difficulties, Ms. Johnson said she was grateful that she finally got some answers.

“I was so grateful to know what my problem was so that I could finally get treatment,” she said.

She now takes beta-blockers, which lower her heart rate and reduce fainting 10 to three times a day, which helps with her nausea.

But Ms Johnson said even this recovery took a heavy toll on her life and mental health.

“I can’t do anything yet,” he said.

“It’s really exhausting: I can’t do the housework and James has to cook and clean and help me shower and wash.

“I haven’t brushed my teeth in weeks because it’s making me sick.”

Despite the difficulties, Ms. Johnson, who is currently studying music economics, said she hopes to move from house to house so she can spend more time outside.

“I feel good when I go to bed, but as soon as I get up, I feel dizzy and I pass out,” she said.

“The carpet under my feet was torn: I was super active after lying down all day.

“I can’t do much of what I did before, but I’ve come to terms with that now.”

PoTS is difficult to diagnose because of the variety of symptoms attributable to other conditions and the fact that not all patients with the condition will have them.

These symptoms include fainting, “brain fog,” headache, poor sleep, nausea, and chest pain.

Some studies estimate that one in 500 Britons has some form of PoTS, and others estimate that one in 100 Americans has the condition.

The cause of PoTS is unknown, but it can develop in adolescents or after a serious illness, traumatic injury, or pregnancy.

Other causes include conditions such as cancer, diabetes, alcohol or metal poisoning, or a faulty gene that produces too many “fight or flight” hormones.

Although anyone can develop PoTS, it is most commonly diagnosed in girls and women between the ages of 15 and 50.

There is no cure for PoTS, but the condition can be managed through lifestyle changes that affect blood pressure, such as avoiding caffeine and alcohol, and medication.

Sometimes the condition goes away on its own, and this often develops in teenagers.