There’s nothing scarier than feeling ill and not being able to get a proper diagnosis. A mom in Ohio named Nicole Stouts was living this nightmare every day of her life.
"Felt like I was dying. I literally felt like I was going to die,” she told Local 12. "Heart palpitations, shortness of breath, unbearable migraines, I thought my head was going to explode."
She visited many doctors but was still unable to find relief, much like the woman whose cancer diagnosis almost went unnoticed and the one who suffered from tapeworms in the brain.
Finally, she went to see genetic specialist Dr. Derek Neilson, who discovered her joints were “overly flexible.” He then diagnosed her with a rare disease called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.
"So this is a connective tissue disorder, which causes weakening of ligaments and tendons and so what we see is joints that are too loose," explained Dr. Neilson.
The doctor went on to list some of the other symptoms this disease causes, including “chronic pain, chronic headaches, difficulty with the jaw, easy bruising and bleeding, dizziness with standing, anxiety and panic disorders, and sleeping problems.”
Stouts, who is part of the Cincinnati-based Facebook support group Cincy Zebras, now hopes to raise awareness for the condition. She also hopes to encourage others who have a chronic condition to not give up.
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