October 29, 2024 • 18 mins
In this bonus episode, we introduce Symptomatic: House Calls. Throughout Season 3, we will reconnect with past guests to get updates on how they’ve been managing their conditions and how their lives have changed since appearing on the show.
For our first House Call, we revisit Athena from Case #2. As a young teenager, Athena began experiencing painful, pimple-like abscesses that were misdiagnosed for years.
Spoiler Alert: If you haven’t listened to this episode yet, you might want to do so first HERE.
Athena was eventually diagnosed with Hidradenitis Suppurativa, a chronic inflammatory condition. Join host Lauren Bright Pacheco as she catches up with Athena to hear exciting life updates and her latest experiences living with HS. Discover the challenges she’s faced, the progress she’s made, and the significant moments that have shaped her life.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
My name is Athena gier Bollini, and for fifteen years
I struggled with a disease known as hydrogenitis superativa. So
right around puberty, like thirteen fourteen, I started noticing these
tiny little pimples appear in between my thighs, my underwear line.
(00:29):
I had a couple in my armpitska. So at twenty
one one day I was having this kind of growing pain.
I had to go to a doctor because it just
wasn't going away. And he told me that what I
had was a pery anal abscess. And he looked at
me straight in the eyes and said, pery anal abscesses
(00:50):
are caused by poor hygiene, and if you want to
stop them from happening again, you need to take better
care of yourself.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
A decade goes by and Athena still doesn't know or
understand what's happening to her body.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
It was watching my body start to deform by itself,
like it was doing it to itself, and I couldn't do.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Anything stop it.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
No matter why changed in my life, it was just
becoming its own thing on my body. I got married,
but I didn't talk about it with anyone but when
her husband fell seriously ill and immuno compromised, Athena worried
she would expose him to risk because of her so
(01:36):
called infections. That's what made her return to the doctor
for the first time in seven years. So the first
doctor visit that I went to, the doctor takes a
look at it and says it's mersin, which is some
sort of infection. But he gives me a prescription and
he says, if this doesn't clear up in five days,
come back. And so I went back in five days
(01:58):
because it was exactly the same as it was before,
but this time I got a brand new doctor. And
I always liked to joke and like give the Douey
Houser reference. He looked so young, he was a baby
and had just probably graduated medical school and you know,
had just gotten a more up to date education. And
so he takes a look at my armpit and he says,
(02:20):
that's not RSA, that's hydrodinitis superativa.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Welcome to House Calls. I'm Lauren bried Pacheco. On these
special segments, we'll check in with friends from former Symptomatic
episodes for updates on their health and live Since we
last connected.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Hey Athena, Hi, so good to see you. Good to
see you too, Lauren. I'm so excited to be back here.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
I am so excited to see you. I can't believe
it's been this long. You were our second episode. It
was twenty twenty two. Yeah, how have you been.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
I've been so good. It's really good to be able
to do this follow up from such a good place
in my life, both physically and emotionally. I'm happy to
report that I'm in the best health, probably of my life.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
I can tell you're glowing. You are just radiating happiness.
It's wonderful to see.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
How is Homer.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
He's good. He's in a crate behind me because if
I didn't do that, he would also be participating in
this podcast. But he's seven now and he is just
as goofy and fun loving as he's ever been.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
So anybody who does not remember Homer from the previous episode,
he is a basset hound and the name is a
nod to both your Greek heritage and the Simpsons. Yeah,
which you can't get better than that, right, So I'm
going to give anybody who didn't listen to your episode
a chance to pause and go back and listen before
(04:06):
they hear the update. But I just want to explain
that you started exhibiting symptoms when you were just entering puberty,
and that you were diagnosed many years later with Hydrodenidis
superativa or HS, and it's a chronic inflammatory disease that
attacks skin cells, causing inflammation and rastures on the skin.
(04:30):
There's still a lot that's unknown, and because the symptoms
can mimic other skin conditions, namely cystic acne, it's often
overlooked or goes undiagnosed. Can you just share a quick
recap of how long it took you to get your diagnosis?
Speaker 1 (04:50):
Sure, So, if we count initial symptoms starting at puberty,
that was probably like eleven to thirteen and is formally
diagnosed at twenty eight. Symptoms really kicked in right when
I was around twenty one, like the most noticeable one
and where I got my first misdiagnosis the first time
I'd ever seen a doctor. About this fifteen years I
(05:10):
would say from initial onset, but seven years from the
time I'd first received medical care and then a misdiagnosis.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
You know what resonates so deeply with going back and
listening to your episode, is the amount of shame and
guilt you internalized from the onset of symptoms.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
Yeah, and that only reinforces internal feelings that you're already having.
It pushes you further into isolation. It makes you feel
like it just confirms almost like your worst fears about
what's going on with your body, and it's so hard
to undo that. Even to this day, when I'm talking
(05:54):
about it with people, I know full well the medical
mechanisms that go on to this disease. I stay very
educated rake to date with the research. I know that
this is not my fault, but I still, almost initially
when I'm explaining it to people who don't know, almost
get a little defensive because of that reinforcement of the
(06:14):
misdiagnosis that I had.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
And it becomes so cruel because you're feeling, in a
very isolated way, singled out and betrayed by your body,
and then you're being told that you've betrayed your body
by not taking care of it properly, and it becomes
just an emotionally grueling cycle. I should think, Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
It was difficult and really depressing, and you start to
understand when we look at the mental health tolls that
this takes on patience. You really understand that, because again,
it's your worst fears being confirmed by somebody with a
medical degree, Like this is not a random person who
is uneducated about the human body just making assumptions. This
(07:02):
is someone that you consider to be knowledgeable confirming your fears.
It's really hard to undo that. It's really really hard
to undo that.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
You are doing some heavy lifting to undo it, though.
Can you just talk to me a little bit about
stepping into advocacy for other people who are dealing with HS.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
I think that's one of the most empowering things that
I've been able to do, is really talking to people.
So in the work that we do as advocates, a
lot of it is connecting with patients, and most of
the time it's just being brave enough to be the
first person to say, this is what's going on with
my body. Because the minute we can as advocates say hey,
(07:46):
this has been my experience, this is what happened. Can
you tell me about yours, we kind of free them
by being the first ones to do it, and now
they can connect with that and now they're like, this
is a safe environment. This is why I'm such a
proponent of the support group model and the magic that
gets done in the work of the support groups, but
even just talking to patients and talking to people in
(08:08):
general in advocacy, the biggest and the hardest thing you
can do is to just open up and tell your
authentic story.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
You know, I've always believed that vulnerability ultimately is a superpower,
and your story illustrates that, honestly, more so than any
I think we've told, because you went from feeling isolated
and horrified, trapped in what felt like a living nightmare
(08:38):
in your bathroom, to speaking openly about it in front
of conferences. And I'd love to know if you've had
any kind of response to the episode that we tape together,
because I just thought your authenticity and your honesty and
your bravery was staggering.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Well, thank you for that. It was a really freeing
and liberating experience for me as well. The feedback that
we've gotten from within the HS community has been great.
So many people have listened to it. I've gotten emails
and responses from it. I was so fortunate to be
given this platform to just come on and really really
(09:21):
kind of walk the public through my story right because
when I speak a lot of these conferences, they are
geared toward dermatology and the dermatology community, and I get
that it's very much in needed. I've done some really
cool things, you know, in between when we recorded to now,
and I love educating the community, but the general public
(09:43):
as well. People who might have this disease, or think
they have this disease, or even have something similar can
listen to this story and find something to connect with.
And that has been amazing to look back now and say,
of all the work that I done and been able
to do this as well, The feedback has just been
(10:04):
has been really good and really positive. Even the comments
that people have left them on podcast were pretty amazing.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Absolutely. You know, I don't know if you saw this one,
but there was a doctor who said that he diagnosed
somebody with HS after having listened to the episode. There
was also an email that we received from a woman
named Cheryl. If you don't mind, I'd love to read
it to you.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
She said that after listening to the episode featuring Athena,
who shared her journey with HS. As someone who unknowingly
lived with HS for so long, Athena's story hit me hard.
To say the least. For nearly ten years, I felt
isolated and misunderstood, not knowing the name of the condition
that was literally derailing my life. Athena's story reminded me
(10:48):
that no one is truly alone in this battle. It
lid a sense of understanding that has been missing for
far too long. Her bravery in discussing the physical and
emotional toll of HS has empowered me to navigate sharing
my experience more openly too. After listening to the episode,
I shared it with my mom. She had struggled to
(11:09):
believe and understand what I had been through for many,
many years. Hearing the similarities in Athena's story helped her
see the reality of living with HS from a wider
point of view, and I can pretty confidently say it
brought us closer together. I think it was a moment
of validation and connection that we both needed. This episode
(11:31):
is a must listen for anybody dealing with chronic illness.
Thank you Athena for your bravery and for helping me
feel seen and understood. Best Cheryl, Oh my, it's kind
of hard to fight back to deals with that one.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
Cheryl. That's amazing and I am so honored that this
has done that for you and for your mother. I
can actually relate to that. I've told my friends and
family about this, But my father listened to this the episode,
and I'd never opened up with him in the way
that I kind of had with this podcast, right, I'd
(12:07):
never gone into the details. And my dad actually cried
listening to this episode. And so, yeah, Cheryl, it's so
hard right to have gone through this. And then I
think we're worried right that people aren't going to necessarily
fully connect with or, like you know, in our inner circles,
fully empathize with what we're going through because we're so
(12:30):
used to being minimized with this condition and with chronic
illness in general. People don't take us seriously when we
say I can't get out of bed this morning. I
had a hard time brushing my hair this morning. Everything
I do is exhausting. My energy levels are just depleted.
Sometimes we just don't even bother opening up to the
(12:53):
people that we love because we're just on top of
everything that we're going through. We don't want to argue
with them. We don't want to have to tenually explain
and continually defend as well. So Cheryl, thank you so
much for sharing. I'm so glad that this was able
to help you.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
I mean, it's a wonderful, honestly gift that you've given
people your bravery and your courage in being so open
and honest, and again it's a superpower and you're a superhero.
And talk to me a little bit about your ongoing progress.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
So I am very happy to report that my AHS
is probably the best to spend in my entire life.
I am on a combination of medications. It's a new biologic.
The combination of the biologic and the spernolactoon seemed to
take my HS to like a two out of ten, right,
like ten being worst one being you know, nothing. It
seemed to really take it there. We added the birth
(13:51):
control component and it put me into remission athena.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
That's wonderful.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
Yeah. So I've had a bunch of surgeries to remove
the AHS. They're still a little bit left. But I
actually recently went in because I was like, I just
want to get the last of this taken out and
taken care of. And they had said that I'm so
well medically managed that there was no reason to go
back in and to remove what was left, because it's
(14:16):
the best it's ever been.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
What are some new things that have changed since we
last spoke. What are some new interesting things you're taking on.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
So I've lost one hundred and twenty five pounds, wow, Athena, Yeah,
that's one of the coolest things is just I have
the ability right to move my body now in ways
that I hadn't and I have energy levels that I
didn't quite have before because my body is no longer
busy fighting something, and so now going to the doctor
(14:44):
really isn't all that stressful.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
I'm so happy. And I'm sure that your social life
has expanded with these new ventures as well.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
Yeah, I do so much now with my friends and
my family. I'm the one now that's like, let's go
hiking this weekend, or let's do some crazy adventure. Because
I can move my body both with this disease and
remission and the combined weight loss, it feels like a
regeneration of myself without even like the chains of depression.
(15:19):
I feel better and I feel more confident within myself
to go out and finally live the life that I've
always wanted to live, or really in creating a life
that fulfills me.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
I can't tell you how happy I am for you
and what a wonderful two year check in this has been.
So much has happened, and I'm so happy that you
are on such a wonderful path, and so thank you
so much for sharing your voice and for agreeing to
check back in with us, because you're inspiring so many
(15:54):
more others to find their own and that's a wonderful thing.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
I'm so grateful for this platform and the opportunity to
tell my story people like Cheryl and Hannah like that
was the whole goal, was to reach out to patients
and to educate the general community about this disease. It
was hard, but I think at the end of the day,
(16:20):
it's easier to connect with a real life story, which
is what your entire series did. As opposed to just
throwing out medical explanations or literature. We are adding the
human component to it and people will find connection. You know.
I listened to the other episodes as well in that
first series, and I'm now just starting to get into
the second and the power of storytelling and hearing people
(16:45):
speak their truth is also really inspiring to me. You
guys have done a great job with allowing patients to
really speak their truths and in an honest and meaningful,
impactful way.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
I know my entire team appreciates that, because that's why
we're doing this, and so thank you for being one
of those individual voices who again has given voice to
so many others. I wish you so much continued success
and I so look forward to our next update to
see what you're up to then any time. On next
(17:25):
week's episode of Symptomatic, Scott Colin was in the best
shape of his life leading up to his fortieth birthday
when he noticed a small bump on his nose. He
initially ignored it until the symptom spiraled into a life
threatening condition, leading to an extended stay in the ICU.
Speaker 3 (17:45):
They're wiring me up and cutting my shirt off and
getting me on a journey. You've got an ambulance sirens
going and it was frightening, and that was the moment
I was like, this is it, this is where I go.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
This has been house calls. Thanks for listening and we
would love to hear from you too. You can email
us at Symptomatic at iHeartMedia dot com with thoughts about
other episodes or to share a medical mystery of your own.
Until next time, be well.
My name is Athena gier Bollini, and for fifteen years
I struggled with a disease known as hydrogenitis superativa. So
right around puberty, like thirteen fourteen, I started noticing these
tiny little pimples appear in between my thighs, my underwear line.
(00:29):
I had a couple in my armpitska. So at twenty
one one day I was having this kind of growing pain.
I had to go to a doctor because it just
wasn't going away. And he told me that what I
had was a pery anal abscess. And he looked at
me straight in the eyes and said, pery anal abscesses
(00:50):
are caused by poor hygiene, and if you want to
stop them from happening again, you need to take better
care of yourself.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
A decade goes by and Athena still doesn't know or
understand what's happening to her body.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
It was watching my body start to deform by itself,
like it was doing it to itself, and I couldn't do.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Anything stop it.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
No matter why changed in my life, it was just
becoming its own thing on my body. I got married,
but I didn't talk about it with anyone but when
her husband fell seriously ill and immuno compromised, Athena worried
she would expose him to risk because of her so
(01:36):
called infections. That's what made her return to the doctor
for the first time in seven years. So the first
doctor visit that I went to, the doctor takes a
look at it and says it's mersin, which is some
sort of infection. But he gives me a prescription and
he says, if this doesn't clear up in five days,
come back. And so I went back in five days
(01:58):
because it was exactly the same as it was before,
but this time I got a brand new doctor. And
I always liked to joke and like give the Douey
Houser reference. He looked so young, he was a baby
and had just probably graduated medical school and you know,
had just gotten a more up to date education. And
so he takes a look at my armpit and he says,
(02:20):
that's not RSA, that's hydrodinitis superativa.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Welcome to House Calls. I'm Lauren bried Pacheco. On these
special segments, we'll check in with friends from former Symptomatic
episodes for updates on their health and live Since we
last connected.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Hey Athena, Hi, so good to see you. Good to
see you too, Lauren. I'm so excited to be back here.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
I am so excited to see you. I can't believe
it's been this long. You were our second episode. It
was twenty twenty two. Yeah, how have you been.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
I've been so good. It's really good to be able
to do this follow up from such a good place
in my life, both physically and emotionally. I'm happy to
report that I'm in the best health, probably of my life.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
I can tell you're glowing. You are just radiating happiness.
It's wonderful to see.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
How is Homer.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
He's good. He's in a crate behind me because if
I didn't do that, he would also be participating in
this podcast. But he's seven now and he is just
as goofy and fun loving as he's ever been.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
So anybody who does not remember Homer from the previous episode,
he is a basset hound and the name is a
nod to both your Greek heritage and the Simpsons. Yeah,
which you can't get better than that, right, So I'm
going to give anybody who didn't listen to your episode
a chance to pause and go back and listen before
(04:06):
they hear the update. But I just want to explain
that you started exhibiting symptoms when you were just entering puberty,
and that you were diagnosed many years later with Hydrodenidis
superativa or HS, and it's a chronic inflammatory disease that
attacks skin cells, causing inflammation and rastures on the skin.
(04:30):
There's still a lot that's unknown, and because the symptoms
can mimic other skin conditions, namely cystic acne, it's often
overlooked or goes undiagnosed. Can you just share a quick
recap of how long it took you to get your diagnosis?
Speaker 1 (04:50):
Sure, So, if we count initial symptoms starting at puberty,
that was probably like eleven to thirteen and is formally
diagnosed at twenty eight. Symptoms really kicked in right when
I was around twenty one, like the most noticeable one
and where I got my first misdiagnosis the first time
I'd ever seen a doctor. About this fifteen years I
(05:10):
would say from initial onset, but seven years from the
time I'd first received medical care and then a misdiagnosis.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
You know what resonates so deeply with going back and
listening to your episode, is the amount of shame and
guilt you internalized from the onset of symptoms.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
Yeah, and that only reinforces internal feelings that you're already having.
It pushes you further into isolation. It makes you feel
like it just confirms almost like your worst fears about
what's going on with your body, and it's so hard
to undo that. Even to this day, when I'm talking
(05:54):
about it with people, I know full well the medical
mechanisms that go on to this disease. I stay very
educated rake to date with the research. I know that
this is not my fault, but I still, almost initially
when I'm explaining it to people who don't know, almost
get a little defensive because of that reinforcement of the
(06:14):
misdiagnosis that I had.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
And it becomes so cruel because you're feeling, in a
very isolated way, singled out and betrayed by your body,
and then you're being told that you've betrayed your body
by not taking care of it properly, and it becomes
just an emotionally grueling cycle. I should think, Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
It was difficult and really depressing, and you start to
understand when we look at the mental health tolls that
this takes on patience. You really understand that, because again,
it's your worst fears being confirmed by somebody with a
medical degree, Like this is not a random person who
is uneducated about the human body just making assumptions. This
(07:02):
is someone that you consider to be knowledgeable confirming your fears.
It's really hard to undo that. It's really really hard
to undo that.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
You are doing some heavy lifting to undo it, though.
Can you just talk to me a little bit about
stepping into advocacy for other people who are dealing with HS.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
I think that's one of the most empowering things that
I've been able to do, is really talking to people.
So in the work that we do as advocates, a
lot of it is connecting with patients, and most of
the time it's just being brave enough to be the
first person to say, this is what's going on with
my body. Because the minute we can as advocates say hey,
(07:46):
this has been my experience, this is what happened. Can
you tell me about yours, we kind of free them
by being the first ones to do it, and now
they can connect with that and now they're like, this
is a safe environment. This is why I'm such a
proponent of the support group model and the magic that
gets done in the work of the support groups, but
even just talking to patients and talking to people in
(08:08):
general in advocacy, the biggest and the hardest thing you
can do is to just open up and tell your
authentic story.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
You know, I've always believed that vulnerability ultimately is a superpower,
and your story illustrates that, honestly, more so than any
I think we've told, because you went from feeling isolated
and horrified, trapped in what felt like a living nightmare
(08:38):
in your bathroom, to speaking openly about it in front
of conferences. And I'd love to know if you've had
any kind of response to the episode that we tape together,
because I just thought your authenticity and your honesty and
your bravery was staggering.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Well, thank you for that. It was a really freeing
and liberating experience for me as well. The feedback that
we've gotten from within the HS community has been great.
So many people have listened to it. I've gotten emails
and responses from it. I was so fortunate to be
given this platform to just come on and really really
(09:21):
kind of walk the public through my story right because
when I speak a lot of these conferences, they are
geared toward dermatology and the dermatology community, and I get
that it's very much in needed. I've done some really
cool things, you know, in between when we recorded to now,
and I love educating the community, but the general public
(09:43):
as well. People who might have this disease, or think
they have this disease, or even have something similar can
listen to this story and find something to connect with.
And that has been amazing to look back now and say,
of all the work that I done and been able
to do this as well, The feedback has just been
(10:04):
has been really good and really positive. Even the comments
that people have left them on podcast were pretty amazing.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Absolutely. You know, I don't know if you saw this one,
but there was a doctor who said that he diagnosed
somebody with HS after having listened to the episode. There
was also an email that we received from a woman
named Cheryl. If you don't mind, I'd love to read
it to you.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
She said that after listening to the episode featuring Athena,
who shared her journey with HS. As someone who unknowingly
lived with HS for so long, Athena's story hit me hard.
To say the least. For nearly ten years, I felt
isolated and misunderstood, not knowing the name of the condition
that was literally derailing my life. Athena's story reminded me
(10:48):
that no one is truly alone in this battle. It
lid a sense of understanding that has been missing for
far too long. Her bravery in discussing the physical and
emotional toll of HS has empowered me to navigate sharing
my experience more openly too. After listening to the episode,
I shared it with my mom. She had struggled to
(11:09):
believe and understand what I had been through for many,
many years. Hearing the similarities in Athena's story helped her
see the reality of living with HS from a wider
point of view, and I can pretty confidently say it
brought us closer together. I think it was a moment
of validation and connection that we both needed. This episode
(11:31):
is a must listen for anybody dealing with chronic illness.
Thank you Athena for your bravery and for helping me
feel seen and understood. Best Cheryl, Oh my, it's kind
of hard to fight back to deals with that one.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
Cheryl. That's amazing and I am so honored that this
has done that for you and for your mother. I
can actually relate to that. I've told my friends and
family about this, But my father listened to this the episode,
and I'd never opened up with him in the way
that I kind of had with this podcast, right, I'd
(12:07):
never gone into the details. And my dad actually cried
listening to this episode. And so, yeah, Cheryl, it's so
hard right to have gone through this. And then I
think we're worried right that people aren't going to necessarily
fully connect with or, like you know, in our inner circles,
fully empathize with what we're going through because we're so
(12:30):
used to being minimized with this condition and with chronic
illness in general. People don't take us seriously when we
say I can't get out of bed this morning. I
had a hard time brushing my hair this morning. Everything
I do is exhausting. My energy levels are just depleted.
Sometimes we just don't even bother opening up to the
(12:53):
people that we love because we're just on top of
everything that we're going through. We don't want to argue
with them. We don't want to have to tenually explain
and continually defend as well. So Cheryl, thank you so
much for sharing. I'm so glad that this was able
to help you.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
I mean, it's a wonderful, honestly gift that you've given
people your bravery and your courage in being so open
and honest, and again it's a superpower and you're a superhero.
And talk to me a little bit about your ongoing progress.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
So I am very happy to report that my AHS
is probably the best to spend in my entire life.
I am on a combination of medications. It's a new biologic.
The combination of the biologic and the spernolactoon seemed to
take my HS to like a two out of ten, right,
like ten being worst one being you know, nothing. It
seemed to really take it there. We added the birth
(13:51):
control component and it put me into remission athena.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
That's wonderful.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
Yeah. So I've had a bunch of surgeries to remove
the AHS. They're still a little bit left. But I
actually recently went in because I was like, I just
want to get the last of this taken out and
taken care of. And they had said that I'm so
well medically managed that there was no reason to go
back in and to remove what was left, because it's
(14:16):
the best it's ever been.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
What are some new things that have changed since we
last spoke. What are some new interesting things you're taking on.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
So I've lost one hundred and twenty five pounds, wow, Athena, Yeah,
that's one of the coolest things is just I have
the ability right to move my body now in ways
that I hadn't and I have energy levels that I
didn't quite have before because my body is no longer
busy fighting something, and so now going to the doctor
(14:44):
really isn't all that stressful.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
I'm so happy. And I'm sure that your social life
has expanded with these new ventures as well.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
Yeah, I do so much now with my friends and
my family. I'm the one now that's like, let's go
hiking this weekend, or let's do some crazy adventure. Because
I can move my body both with this disease and
remission and the combined weight loss, it feels like a
regeneration of myself without even like the chains of depression.
(15:19):
I feel better and I feel more confident within myself
to go out and finally live the life that I've
always wanted to live, or really in creating a life
that fulfills me.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
I can't tell you how happy I am for you
and what a wonderful two year check in this has been.
So much has happened, and I'm so happy that you
are on such a wonderful path, and so thank you
so much for sharing your voice and for agreeing to
check back in with us, because you're inspiring so many
(15:54):
more others to find their own and that's a wonderful thing.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
I'm so grateful for this platform and the opportunity to
tell my story people like Cheryl and Hannah like that
was the whole goal, was to reach out to patients
and to educate the general community about this disease. It
was hard, but I think at the end of the day,
(16:20):
it's easier to connect with a real life story, which
is what your entire series did. As opposed to just
throwing out medical explanations or literature. We are adding the
human component to it and people will find connection. You know.
I listened to the other episodes as well in that
first series, and I'm now just starting to get into
the second and the power of storytelling and hearing people
(16:45):
speak their truth is also really inspiring to me. You
guys have done a great job with allowing patients to
really speak their truths and in an honest and meaningful,
impactful way.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
I know my entire team appreciates that, because that's why
we're doing this, and so thank you for being one
of those individual voices who again has given voice to
so many others. I wish you so much continued success
and I so look forward to our next update to
see what you're up to then any time. On next
(17:25):
week's episode of Symptomatic, Scott Colin was in the best
shape of his life leading up to his fortieth birthday
when he noticed a small bump on his nose. He
initially ignored it until the symptom spiraled into a life
threatening condition, leading to an extended stay in the ICU.
Speaker 3 (17:45):
They're wiring me up and cutting my shirt off and
getting me on a journey. You've got an ambulance sirens
going and it was frightening, and that was the moment
I was like, this is it, this is where I go.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
This has been house calls. Thanks for listening and we
would love to hear from you too. You can email
us at Symptomatic at iHeartMedia dot com with thoughts about
other episodes or to share a medical mystery of your own.
Until next time, be well.
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