Hello! My name is Whitney! I’m a recent addition to the zebra community.
I was not able to put together the symptoms I experienced until a couple of years ago. I was receiving OMM treatments and my provider noticed that I had hypermobility tendencies. I had never heard of this! Once I learned more about it, all of the pieces came together and made sense! I’ll fill you in on a bit of my story.
I had some trauma in my younger years that seemed to set the stage for me to struggle with body awareness. This really showed up after my son was born. He was such a trooper through a difficult labor and delivery. Whatever could have gone wrong, did unfortunately. He’s a NICU grad and thriving at 8 years old! While we survived, this experience was terrifying for me and set some issues in motion.
I struggled with postpartum depression and anxiety. I also developed painful periods that were very difficult to manage. I was told by medical professionals at the time that I was, “fine and lots of women deal with this.” I know I developed medical trauma, and I basically threw up my hands and started to dig into natural treatments for what I was experiencing instead.
Fast forward to January 2020…I was inspired to finally return to college and begin my journey towards becoming a massage therapist. As you can imagine, the training didn’t go as planned. I was still struggling with body awareness and my mental health, and I thought this schooling and direction may help me.
I absolutely love being a massage therapist now. It has been so meaningful for me and gives our family the flexibility we need. However, I started to feel like my “check engine light” was on in all areas of my life beginning in the summer of 2024. I moved into a new studio space and felt like I had a fresh start. But I just couldn’t shake what I was feeling, so I started therapy again.
My therapist and I had a lot of work to do. I remember chatting with her and realizing that I didn’t feel anything from my neck down. I think I had disassociated so much that I didn’t know what I was feeling. We worked and I got the courage to return to a new doctor (Avenue Health in Okemos-highly recommend!) and she had me do some blood work to check on some symptoms I was having at the time. I was barely able to get out of bed at this time because my headaches and periods were so bad. I got the blood draws completed and went about my day. Once the results came back, my doctor’s office called to tell me to go to the ER immediately. They said my hemoglobin levels were so low that my body was in danger of shutting down and I needed a blood transfusion. When I got to the hospital, I didn’t feel sick or tired. Eventually I got diagnosed with severe anemia and once I was treated, I realized how exhausted I had truly been without even realizing it.
From my understanding of hypermobility, it can affect all tissues in your body including your uterus. I ended up having a hysterectomy after I realized how much I needed to solve the bleeding issues. It has been an uphill battle to get to the point I am at the present day.
Some of what I did to get here:
*Therapy
*Naturopathic medicine appointments and treatments
*Somatemotional Release Therapy
*Emotion Code (this modality stopped a continuous period that wouldn’t stop)
*Supplementation
*Countless blood draws
*6-8 iron infusions
*Lots of tears
Today, I feel better than I ever have. I could not have imagined I would have a new lease on life. I have so many more answers now. I still have some skills to develop as I definitely lived in pure survival mode for so long. I’m working on lowering my expectations of myself- I tend to be very type A and high achieving. Having chronic health issues has showed me so much about life.
I find that my massage therapy career has helped me feel stronger and maintain my stamina. I have started to hone my practice into specializing in Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome/hypermobility treatments. It is amazing to see how many people with hEDS benefit from bodywork. I look forward to continuing to learn more about this important topic.
5 Invisible Symptoms
- Most of my joints will sublux and it always sounds like popcorn. Especially around my hands, neck, back, and jaw.
- Depression- I am working on learning new skills in therapy and having an outlet for my feelings.
- Severe menstrual pain/fibroids/endometriosis- this has recently been relieved through a hysterectomy.
- POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) challenges and headaches- especially if I don’t stay hydrated.
- Exercise intolerance- working with professionals who understand EDS/HSD helps!
4 Things That Help Me Manage The Pain / Symptoms
- Regular bodywork such as chiropractic, massage therapy, and craniosacral therapy.
- Taking a break when I get an “aura” of a headache starting.
- Following my naturopathic doctor’s recommendations including supplements and healing energy work.
- Cutting all caffeine from my diet.
3 Ways My Life Has Changed
- I feel more empowered since I have a reason for why my body does what it does!
- My hypermobility affected my ability to grow our family. We are blessed to have our son.
- I have so much more empathy now than I ever had before for those that deal with lifelong and chronic health conditions.
2 People Who Inspire Me
- My husband Dean- the most selfless man. He has supported and loved me through many difficult days. He always encouraged me to keep fighting and to keep my head up when things felt impossible.
- My close “basically family” friend Jodie- she fought through Chiari Malformation and never gave up looking for answers. She has been there for me even through her own difficulties with hypermobility too.
1 Thing I Want People to Know
The diagnosis doesn’t define you. You are more than a label. Hypermobility can be a very difficult diagnosis, but you can work to see the beauty in it and the people it brings into your life.
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