She certainly doesn’t defy gravity.
A young woman who is “allergic to gravity” speaks of her debilitating condition, claiming that she spends 23 hours a day in bed and cannot stand upright for more than three minutes without passing out.
Lyndsi Johnson, 28, suffers from postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome – a condition that causes decreased blood volume and an abnormal increase in heart rate when a person stands up or sits down.
“I’m allergic to gravity,” Johnson told South West News Service about her unusual illness in an interview. “It sounds crazy, but it’s true.”
“I can’t stand up for more than three minutes without feeling faint, being sick, or passing out,” the Bangor, Maine resident, further explained. “I feel much better when I’m lying down. I lie in bed all day.”
Johnson was working as an aviation diesel mechanic for the Navy in 2015 when she started having symptoms of POTS.
The young recruit had severe back and abdominal pain and soon began to faint regularly.
“It was really scary,” Johnson recalled, saying doctors initially thought she was experiencing “fear.”
“I passed out everywhere,” she stated. “I was going to go grocery shopping at the supermarket and I had to sit down because I felt faint. I even passed out after my dog barked.”
In May 2018, Johnson was medically discharged from the military due to her mysterious illness, but her symptoms only got worse.
In early 2022, she was unable to keep food down and regularly vomited through projectiles.
“I would vomit so much that my heart would have prolonged QT intervals and I would be in the hospital for heart monitoring,” the mechanic revealed.
A cardiologist then theorized that Johnson could have POTS and suggested she undergo a “tilt” test — in which the patient is strapped to a table while lying down and the table is slowly tilted upright, with doctors checking heart rate, blood pressure and blood oxygen. and exhaled carbon dioxide levels.
In February, she was officially diagnosed with the syndrome.
Although there is no cure, she now takes beta blockers, which reduce her fainting up to three times a day and help with her nausea.
However, she is still unable to live a normal life and relies on her husband, James, to be her caretaker.
“It’s really grueling,” she said. “I can’t do chores and James has to cook, clean and help me shower and wash. I haven’t brushed my teeth for weeks because it just makes me feel awful.”
The ex-mechanic — who was proud to be super active — says the diagnosis feels like “the rug has pulled away from under my feet.”
A determined Johnson now follows a music business degree from her bed and hopes to get back to work – in a job where she can work remotely and lie down.
“I’ve really had to adjust to this new life,” she explained. “I can’t do much of what I used to be able to do, but I’ve come to terms with that now. I am grateful for what I have.”
#allergic #gravity #spend #hours #day #bed