Living with MCAS and POTS: A Patient's Journey of Struggles and Triumphs - An Interview with Kelly

In this interview, Linda has the pleasure of speaking withKelly, a guest from the United States who shares her journey of dealing withMCAS and POTS. Kelly discusses how she first noticed that something was wrongwith her body when she was a child due to severe GI symptoms, which led to herreceiving her first colonoscopy at the age of ten. However, despite years ofexperiencing worsening symptoms, Kelly did not receive a formal diagnosis until2019. She describes her frustration and the challenges she faced while seekinganswers from various specialists, highlighting the systemic factors within thehealthcare system that make it difficult for patients like herself to receiveproper care. As a social worker and a patient herself, Kelly provides uniqueinsights into how care for undiagnosed patients could be improved, emphasizingthe importance of physicians believing and trusting their patients, providingthem with resources, and access to care to help them find accurate diagnoses.Kelly also discusses the complexity of MCAS, a multi-system disorder that canaffect various organs and the skin, making it difficult to recognize anddiagnose. She shares her experience of how finding a physician who understandsthe condition was crucial to getting it under control. Overall, Kelly's storysheds light on the challenges of living with an undiagnosed condition and theimportance of improving healthcare systems to support these patients.Kelly is taking LDN, Low Dose Naltrexone.