A woman who used to be in the Navy has been struck down by a rare condition which means she faints every time she stands up. Lyndsi Johnson, 28, who previously worked as an aviation diesel mechanic now spends 23 hours in bed and cannot stand for longer than three minutes.
The 28-year-old suffers from a condition known as Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS), which means that every time she stands up or sits, her heart rate speeds up, which Lyndsi also refers to as an allergy to gravity. Her condition is so severe that she faints up to 10 times a day and can only get up to eat or shower.
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She first started suffering with abdominal and back pain in October 2015, with her symptoms gradually worsening - prompting her to repeatedly visit the doctors, before being diagnosed in February 2022.
Now she is on medication, Lyndsi faints three times a day but still can’t do a lot for herself and has to rely on her husband, James, 30, who is her caregiver.
Lyndsi, from Bangor, Maine, US, said: "I’m allergic to gravity – it sounds crazy but it’s true. I can’t stand up for longer than three minutes without feeling faint, being sick or passing out.
"I feel much better if I'm laying down. I’m in bed all day - for up to 23 hours a day. I never thought that at 28 that I would have to use a shower chair.
"I can’t leave my house anymore. There is no cure but I’m so grateful for James and what I do have.”
Lyndsi first started getting unwell while she was working in the navy oversees.
Her symptoms continued and she struggled with chronic pain but doctors couldn’t work out what was wrong.
In May 2018 she was medically discharged from the military due to her illnesses.
Six months later she started getting severe abdominal pain and she began projectile vomiting.
"It was so bad I was screaming in pain and the vomiting was The Exorcist style,” Lyndsi said.
But doctors still couldn’t work out what was wrong, and Lyndsi continued battling her illness.
She was even hospitalised several times over the past few years, but she was told it was probably her anxiety causing her symptoms.
In October 2020, Lyndsi passed out in a lift on her way to a hospital appointment.
"It was really scary,” she said.
"My fainting got worse from there.
"I was passing out everywhere - I would be shopping at the supermarket and I had to sit down because I felt faint or at the gym.
"I’ve even passed out after my dog has barked.”
Lyndsi had to stop driving and struggled to even bend over without feeling light-headed.
"I’d throw up so much my heart would start having prolonged QT intervals and I’d be in hospital on cardiac monitoring,” Lyndsi said.
“I was finally able to speak to another cardiologist who recognised that I might have PoTS.”
Lyndsi had a tilt test in February 2022 - which measures your heart rate, blood pressure and blood oxygen - and she was officially diagnosed with PoTS.
"I was so thankful to finally know what was wrong with me so I could be treated," she said.
Lyndsi is now on betablockers which has reduced her fainting to three times a day and helped with her nausea.
"I still can’t really do anything,” she said. "It’s really debilitating - I can’t do chores and James has to cook, clean and help me shower and wash myself.
"I’ve gone weeks without brushing my teeth because it just makes me feel awful.
"If I make a meal for James and I, then I’ll be in bed unable to anything for the next three days.”
Despite her illness, Lyndsi is hoping to move from her flat to a house so she can spend time outside.
"If I’m lying down I feel fine but as soon as I stand up I’m dizzy and faint,” she said.
"I’ve really had to adapt to this new life and come to terms with it. I use mobility aids and that really helps for me.
"I’m grateful for what I have and I’m still able to study music business which is amazing.
"The rug has been ripped from under my feet - I’ve gone to super active to having to lay down all day.
"I can't do a lot of what I used to be able to but I've come to terms with that now."
