According to Cosmopolitan, Crista Procopio, a woman from Phoenix, Arizona, had a tough time getting through to doctors that the severe dizziness, pain, and digestive issues she was living with were NOT all in her head.
In a scenario that continually plays out in doctors’ offices around the world, doctors suggested she had pre-menstrual stress, or was just making things up. In a recent article, it was noted that women are less likely to receive appropriate medical treatment for their pain because doctors don’t believe them. And this is nothing new.
In 1900 BC, ancient Egyptians coined the term “hysteria,” and believed women’s reproductive and psychological problems were caused by “displacement of the womb.” It wasn’t until 1980 (AD) that the term was removed from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
Procopio suffered from chest pain as a child, and as she got older, she began to have trouble holding down food. It got so bad that during her freshman year of college, she became so dizzy she couldn’t get out of bed, and lost 20 pounds within a short period of time. She withdrew from college to devote her time to finding out what was wrong with her.
She recalled that one doctor told her she was “PMS-ing” and at that moment, Porcopio felt like throwing a shoe at him.
Finally, she met with an autonomic disorders specialist who correctly diagnosed her with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS (the autonomic system in the human body that regulates involuntary movements like breath and heart beats).
And, while there is no cure for POTS, people who have it can expect to live a normal lifespan, and treatments to manage the syndrome are available.
As for Procopio, she’s moving forward with her life and has founded a support group called A Side of Salt for other POTS patients. The group has grown to 1,400 members. To learn more about Procopio’s journey originally featured in Cosmopolitan, click here.
