Myia seemed to have it all – a wonderful relationship, strong faith, a master’s degree and a purposeful (albeit high-stress) job. But beneath it all, she sensed that something wasn’t right.
Since childhood, Myia had carried inside of her an enormous amount of stress. As a protection mechanism, she would often slip into isolation and “healthy” distractions such as exercising and watching movies. But the distractions didn’t get to the root of the problem and over the years the stress continued to build.
Then, during an ice storm, she slipped and hit her head on a concrete step. Her concussion went undiagnosed for too long, leading to post-concussive syndrome. This caused her stress disorder to spiral out of control.
“It was a very humbling experience,” she says. “You feel like you’ve arrived and then everything crashes.”
As her world was caving in, Myia continued to try and solve her health puzzle. A big clue came when she recognized some of her symptoms in a close friend’s son. What the two had in common was an inherited difficulty absorbing certain vitamins and minerals. This led to a vicious cycle of extreme stress and further depletion of vital nutrients.
“I initially asked my neurologist for some time off work (a doctor’s note for medical leave). She told me she didn’t give time off for ‘headaches’, though she had diagnosed me with Post Concussive Syndrome. It was very disheartening and I really started to not trust doctors. Then my next doctor told me not to waste my money because my stress disorder didn’t exist. Also disappointing.”
Myia set out to find a functional medicine doctor and found herself at The Atlanta Center for Holistic and Integrative Medicine. When she met Dr. Taz MD, she collapsed in a heap of tears.
“When I was talking to Dr. Taz she actually listened to me. She said she wouldn’t be in business if she didn’t listen to her patients. When I asked for time off, she was so willing to sign my paperwork so that I could rest my brain. I was so encouraged to have my voice listened to.”
Myia’s multi-faceted treatment plan included building up her vitamin stores, eating more protein and doing yoga. As her health improved, she started volunteering which she found to be very therapeutic.
“Little by little it started bringing me back,” she says. “Everything was restored.”
Myia just completed a marathon (walking and running). Her fiance was in tears watching her cross the finish line, overwhelmed by how far she had come. Just a few months prior it was a challenge for her to walk to the mailbox.
Myia credits all of the people who rallied around her during her darkest times. Her fiance, her family and friends, and the people at ACHIM. “They literally treat you like they are your family. It’s like going home, like your mom is just checking up on you. I’ve never been to a doctor like that before.”
