Is it Only Just a Dream?…

From mid-September to mid-October of 2015, I visited family back home in Pennsylvania.

One semi- warm day, my grandparents took me for a bike ride on a long bike trail ( about 13 miles to be exact!) It was going pretty good… but I want to say we were not even 3 miles in before I had to stop.. My heart was racing, chest hurt, was short of breathe, and I was dizzy and lightheaded…

(Meanwhile, my grandparents had not even broken a sweat.)

The second time we stopped (I believe) I sat down a bench with my grandmother and told her what I was feeling, and she urged me to see a doctor when I got back home. I agreed I should as well, as I was concerned about how bad I was feeling, but I just chalked it up to my exercise intolerance and continued on the bike ride. I stopped a lot – about every few miles or so, until I think about mile 10,  when I finally couldn’t go any longer.

When I returned back to Florida, it was finally the start of the fall soccer season!

Yay! 🙂 I decided to not only join the adult team this season….but a U/19 team as well!

I was coaching again too, on top of all this.

As luck would have it, I had to coach my brothers team from 6-7 on Monday- and then go right to my soccer practice at 7:30! …talk about exhausting!

Took this before coaching, and before my first U/19 practice on 11/2/15

U/19 practice on 11/10/15

When I started playing this season though (and even at the end of the previous season) I was having a lot more difficulty with the “exercise intolerance.” I would get so dizzy and lightheaded, that I had to stop. I was also having a lot of “palpitations” where my heart would “skip” and I felt a hard thump in my chest, followed by a need to cough.

An adult soccer league game on 10/25/15

Game #2 on 10/25/15

 Then one day, at one of my first games of the season on the adult soccer league, I walked out onto the field. Only a few minutes into the game, I suddenly became extremely dizzy and lightheaded, my heart was racing, and I thought I was going to pass-out.

I wobbly made my way over to my mom (the coach/teammate) and told her I had to sit down. I hurried as fast as I could over to the sidelines, where I plopped to the ground with my head between my knees- trying not to pass-out. I was oddly dazed and confused… I lifted my head up and saw the ref had stopped the game, and everyone rushed over to see if I was alright. I heard someone yell “grab some ice!” …They thought I was having a heatstroke!…

…A heatstroke?

…It wasn’t even hot that day, I drank Gatorade beforehand, and I had only been out there for a couple minutes…..It didn’t seem to add up. I never even went to the hospital or anything, I just brushed it off. I did however, have to sit the rest of the game out. I even continued playing after that. ( although I missed a game here and there.)

My brother and I, after his game and before my first (and only) U/19 game

11/14/15 My first, and only U/19 game

 

Then on November 17th, 2015,

I went to see a new primary care dr.

I explained what had happened at soccer, and she said we would do an ecg. I was kind of confused, as I had been thinking it was just heat-related… The nurse hooked me up to the ecg, and explained it should take about 30 seconds (but it was more like 2 minutes.) The nurse walked out of the room to go over the result with the dr. for what seemed like a long time…

after my ecg

The dr. explained the ecg showed a “short pr” interval, as well as “sinus arrhythmia” (which could just be normal because of my age) but she wanted me to see to a cardiologist just to be sure.

I was a bit shocked, but I was glad to know it was most likely nothing.

I was also told not to do any “high intensity exercise” (including soccer) until I get cleared by the cardiologist.

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Later that night, my dad got a phone call. My grandpa had suddenly passed away. 😦

He was just 65 years old.

I took this photo randomly, at my aunt and uncles wedding while visiting in Pennsylvania…

…and I never knew how treasured it would become 😦

EXERCISE: My Old Fre-nemy (Pt 2.)

In fall 2011 (9th grade) after I had already moved to Florida, my younger brothers joined a soccer league! Completely the opposite of up north where you can only play in the summer, soccer here lasts from fall to spring. Going to their games and practices reminded how much I missed it, and wished I could join them.

But in my mind lingered the memories of my inability/ inadequacy.

I decided to go to a brick-and mortar- school (a charter school actually) for half day. I stayed in virtual for the rest of the day. They use computers for the work, so it was essentially a virtual school, but with fun extras like gym (ok, not gym… 🙂 ) and art. I LOVED art class.

How does this tie into exercise?.. Well, this one project we did, I got to express my love for soccer. We painted picture frames, brought in pictures for them and hung them up in the cafeteria/art room.

Here is my picture from art.

 

Sure, I could have joined a league or team, but I was concerned I wouldn’t be good enough, and I wouldn’t be able to run … Eventually, I just accepted the fact that I would not be able to play again.

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But at 17, I found a way to get involved! In the spring of 2014, I became an assistant soccer coach! 🙂 I got to help my mom out, who was the head coach of my brothers U9/10 team.

 Then, in the summer of 2014… I decided I would give soccer another shot! 🙂

My oldest brother and I would go outside to our community soccer field, and train as much as possible for as long as I could handle, even if it was only for a few minutes. I was DETERMINED to get in decent shape to play!

In the Spring of 2015, I was finally old enough to join the adult soccer league, that my parents had been playing on! I wanted to join that instead of joining a team for my age  because that way I wouldn’t be judged by anyone…

Plus its a very relaxed environment so I could stop anytime I wanted/needed to. But I surprised myself, and most of the time was somehow was able to last the whole game!

In March 2015, I also became a head soccer coach! 🙂

I’m not going to lie- it wasn’t easy being a head coach. (and not just because it was a U5/6 team… ) It wasn’t even my any of my brothers teams either- but they needed a coach. I ended up coaching my youngest brothers team for 2 seasons after this!

There were lots of days I didn’t want to show up because of how bad I felt… But I did anyway, and always tried to put a smile on my face 🙂

The last season was the hardest (spring 2016), as it was during the time I was trying a lot of medications after my diagnosis…(in Jan 2016.)

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But before I share the story of my diagnosis of POTS,

I would like to share another part of my journey, that started around the same time as this (after the forehead injury.)

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See this story next in “Stress…Scoliosis…Spondylitis? (Chronic Pain Story)

EXERCISE: My Old Fre-nemy. (Pt 1.)

In “A Journey Begins Pt 1.” I mentioned that May 25th, 2010 might not be the day when my illness’s started. That, I do not know for sure. What I do know, is that I have always had “exercise intolerance.” For as long as I can remember… I have had extreme difficulty with even minor exertion.

I remember in elementary school gym class, we would run laps in circles around the gym, and I would be so out of breathe and nauseous by maybe the 2nd or third lap, and I would have to stop. I remember I tried telling my teacher why I couldn’t continue, and I just explained to her it was from my acid reflux. But I think I knew there had to be more to it… I remember my grandmother took me to get tested for asthma. I ran on a treadmill for one of the tests, and had to blow into a machine for another. Lastly they brought me outside, and had me sprint back and forth on the sidewalk. I remember struggling to complete all of these tests, especially the sidewalk. When the dr. spoke to us, he said I was “borderline” asthmatic, and gave me an inhaler to use. ( I actually never used it.)

I’ve always loved soccer. But unfortunately, soccer and I have never had a good relationship.

I started playing at age 7. I remember one of the first seasons, I wanted to score a goal SO bad. If I did, my parents agreed to buy me this “Hulk hand” toy that I had been wanting. Well, I never scored a goal…

…I was never one of the good players.

How could I be, when I had the hardest time running?…

Pictured Here: Age 7 left, Age 8 right.

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I played off-and on up until about 6th grade, and then I quit.

It’s not that I didn’t love soccer…

…I’d given up.

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Shortly after moving to Florida in May 2011, I went to the beach one day with my family. Strolling slowly and carelessly along the shore, I bent over to pick up a seashell. When I stood up, I instantly got extremely dizzy, lightheaded and disoriented. I got so scared,that I started running away from the beach and my family chased after me.

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I went to the ER, and of course they didn’t find anything wrong…

 

More in “Exercise: My Old Fre-nemy (Pt 2.)”