I'm finally sharing my story... because you might know a teen just like me

September 9, 2013EXTRAS, RANDOM STUFFKim & Chloe-8 Comments

Some of y’all might know that I do online school. I think the thing that most people wonder, but rarely ask, is why the heck did you switch from regular school to online school? Well, the answer is short: I was sick. And not a “dope” or “too cool for school” kind of sick, but a “I can’t get out of bed” kinda sick. I have something called Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome or POTS for short. It sounds scary, but I promise it’s not. I’m doing great now that I have a diagnosis.

But getting a diagnosis wasn't easy, because POTS isn't a well-known condition. I'm writing this post today because I want to spread the word about POTS and change that fact. I don’t want attention for myself, but I do want to draw attention to POTS because there isn't enough knowledge about it. So, on to my story, which is a common one among us POTS folks: I was sick for almost two whole years with mono-like symptoms. However, mono didn’t show up in my blood tests. In fact, nothing showed up in my blood tests, so nobody believed I was sick. Not even most of the countless (well, I sort of counted, it was around 15) doctors who examined me over 2 years. Almost all of them told me that I was simply “depressed” or “whatever is wrong with me is un-medical.” Two years of doctors telling me that my illness was all in my head got frustrating. Super, super frustrating. I started to believe I wasn’t sick - even though deep down I knew that I was - which was probably the worst part of all of it.

Thankfully, my parents never gave up searching for an answer to my mystery illness, even though doctors told them I was fine. They got me into Mayo Clinic which diagnosed me within the first 30 minutes of my first appointment (although I stayed there all week for tests to confirm it).

As I said, the reason I’m writing about my journey is (1) to spread the word about POTS and (2) to help other teen girls with POTS - boys too, but it occurs mostly in teen girls and pregnant women. I'd love to spare as many people as possible from wasting weeks, months, or, like me, years of their life questioning or doubting their condition.

So if anyone (teens, younger or older) you know has the following symptoms, please let them know about POTS so they can talk to their doctor:

-racing heart -low grade fever -blue/purple legs when standing too long -extreme fatigue -headaches -fainting spells -stomach pains

These are just a few of the symptoms, but they change from person to person. I don’t want anyone to think I'm offering medical answers. What I am offering is a way to spread the word, to share my story to so others can read it and identify with it, or maybe open people’s eyes to some questions they might be able to ask their doctors who might not have had heard of POTS.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this, and for helping spread the word about POTS! If you have any questions, then feel free to leave a comment. I promise to read every single one of them!

xox ~ chloe

White Chocolate Peach Scones

September 7, 2013All, EXTRAS, RECIPESKim & Chloe-4 Comments

Another recipe from Kayla: Summer is pretty much over, which means a few things. First, there are a lot of peaches and secondly, school started. I decided to make the best of it and make a delicious breakfast before school using some of those delicious peaches. Scones are one of the fastest dishes to make, just combine the dry ingredients, add some butter and buttermilk, then fold in the peaches and chocolate. They bake for less than 15 minutes, so you can have your breakfast ready in under half an hour. If you would rather sleep a few extra minutes, just make the dough over the weekend or after school and bake it as you need it; the dough will probably last about four days in the refrigerator. These peach scones are a delicious way to start the day, and you'll never want to skip breakfast again!

Ingredients: 2 Cups Flour 1/3 Cup Dark Brown Sugar 1 T Baking Powder 1/2 tsp Salt 1/4 tsp Cinnamon 1/8 tsp Nutmeg Pinch Ginger 1 Stick Butter, Chilled & Cubed 3/4 Cup + 2 T Buttermilk 2 Peaches, Diced (1 1/2 Cups) 2/3 Cup White Chocolate Chips

Heat oven to 375F. Line a cookie tray with parchment.

Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Toss 2T of the mixture with the peaches. Set aside. Cut the butter into the flour, then add the buttermilk. Fold in the peaches mix and white chocolate.

Scoop the dough onto the prepared tray and bake for 12 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

Makes 12, Recipe Adapted from sweetpeasandsaffron

For more delicious recipes by our Teen Chef, Kayla, check out her blog, The Nerdy Chef!