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A Generation Z woman was repeatedly told that she’s “a young healthy female” despite struggling with unusual symptoms throughout her life, then everything changed when she began her own medical training.
Mia Tidy, 25, has experienced a variety of symptoms for as long as she can remember, as she told Newsweek that she believes they started “from as young as 2.” All along, she thought they were ordinary because many of her family members experienced them also.
The first symptom that Tidy, from Cornwall, U.K., noticed was chronic constipation, and she thought that was “completely normal” for years. Over time, she also noticed extreme flexibility, blue sclera around her eyes, skin sensitivity, swollen hands, constant bruises, random allergies, dizziness when standing, mottled skin, migraines and difficulty breathing during exercise.
“Every time I brought these symptoms to my mom, she told me these were normal because they happened to her too,” Tidy said. “Another major concern I had during my late teenage years was around pregnancy and miscarriages. By the time I was 20, I had seven miscarriages, which I believed was a normal genetic problem.
“But the symptom that really pushed me to begin looking into all my issues was when I discovered that my third natural labor caused me to develop a mucosal prolapse.”
Tidy regularly spoke with her GP about the plethora of symptoms, but she said there was always push back. She would often take a handwritten list of all the problems she was having and the ways she had to manage her condition (such as taking 16 tablets a day), but doctors repeatedly said she was “a young healthy female.”
As a result, Tidy found ways to pass off her mysterious symptoms. However, her perspective shifted dramatically when she enrolled in nursing school. One of her first classes was Anatomy and Physiology with a teacher who happened to have Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS), the most common type of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a group of inherited connective tissue disorders, according to the Mayo Clinic. Symptoms can include overly flexible joints, stretchy skin and fragile skin.
The more Tidy spoke with that teacher, the more inquisitive she became about her own condition.
“I decided to go to ChatGPT and tell it every single one of my symptoms I could remember, and I asked it to give me the top three diagnoses that aligned with my symptoms. The ones it gave me were hEDS, postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), lo and behold they were all correct,” Tidy said.
POTS is a form of autonomic nervous system dysfunction in which standing causes an excessive increase in heart rate, leading to symptoms such as dizziness, lightheadedness, fatigue, palpitations, exercise intolerance, and sometimes fainting, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Along with MCAS—an immune disorder in which mast cells release excessive inflammatory mediators—the three conditions are often referred to as a clinical triad, as “some studies suggest up to 30–50 percent of people with POTS may also have features of EDS or MCAS,” writes Galene Health, a POTS wellness clinic.
Instead of continuously dismissing her symptoms, Tidy began advocating for herself and urging doctors to take her concerns seriously. She underwent countless blood tests, ECGs, steroid injections, a cervical biopsy, urinalysis, CT scans, a bladder scan, MRI and a cortisol test.
Eventually, she was diagnosed with hEDS, POTS, MCAS, Slow Transit Constipation, Gastroparesis, Hypotension, chronic migraines, Raynaud’s, psoriasis and antiphospholipid syndrome. This combination of conditions involves dysautonomia, immune system over-reactivity, and gastrointestinal dysmotility. Each condition requires its own treatment approach which can be challenging to uncover.
Tidy is grateful that she advocated for herself and became so informed as she finally has clarity. Following these diagnoses, she has been documenting her experiences on social media (@miatidy on TikTok) to educate others on autoimmune diseases. A post highlighting the “things [she] thought were normal” for so long has gone viral with 2.1 million views and 33,100 likes on TikTok at the time of writing.
Tidy spent almost her entire life dismissing her symptoms, but now she urges others to push for answers if they are concerned about any unusual signs or symptoms.
“Looking back, I wish there was some kind of education for parents or in schools to tell children what to look out for and what is normal,” Tidy told Newsweek. “My message to people is to learn your own body, know what is normal and what isn’t, learn danger signs (such as shoulder tip pain, unexplained weight loss, blood where it shouldn’t be, sudden numbness) and don’t be afraid to talk about how your body works with others.”
Is there a health issue that’s worrying you? Let us know via [email protected]. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Charlotte Nisbet and Emma Lee-Sang
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