Dylan’s Story

POTS, Fibromyalgia, Gastroparesis, Chiari Malformation

Growing up, I was very active. I did Ballet and other styles of dance from the ages of 3 until I was 21. On my 21st birthday I noticed symptoms of tachycardia. I kept track of them on my watch and I noticed that my heart rate got up to 198bpm.  I went to the emergency room multiple times after that and after a month of testing, I was officially diagnosed with POTS. A few months later after having a brain MRI, they accidentally found my chiari malformation. I was untreated for that for five years, but I’ll get to that in a bit. I then went three years of having chronic pain and not knowing why. I finally was able to go to the pain management center attached to my local hospital and was officially diagnosed with fibromyalgia. About a year later, I started having stomach issues and throwing up everyday and was diagnosed with gastroparesis. In late 2023, I noticed I was having bradycardia. After months of trial and error with medication, and lifestyle changes, I had a pacemaker implanted in January of 2024. Finally in 2025, I got a second opinion on my chiari malformation and they decided I needed surgery to decompress it. I had the decompression surgery in May 2025, and since then I have been documenting my journey on TikTok. I love the community that I have become a part of so much. I’m so grateful for The Chronic Club spreading awareness for everything we go through! After 6 years dealing with chronic illnesses, I know now that I’m not going through this alone.