Post by Nadica (She/Her) on Oct 19, 2024 2:58:42 GMT
Solange Knowles thanks chronic illness community, shares POTS, MCAS, and Sjögren’s diagnoses - Published Oct 18, 2024
I've stated several times that I'm not going out of my way to preserve celebrity statements about covid (because I fucking hate celebrities lol, you should listen to people who know things, not people who dance and sing and pretend to be other people in front of a camera), but I'm making an exception since The Sick Times has such good commentary about long covid and disability advocacy.
Earlier this week, Grammy-award winning musician Solange Knowles briefly shared three diagnoses and paid gratitude to the chronic illness community.
Knowles replied in the comments of a Shaun Ross Instagram post that detailed his experience with Long COVID and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). The singer wrote that she was also diagnosed with POTS, as well as mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) and Sjögren’s syndrome in 2018.
“Sending u so much love and strength Shaun and to all in the comments struggling with the debilitating, confusing, and lonely symptoms of POTS !” she wrote.
“I got diagnosed with POTS, Sjogrens and MCAS in 2018 and really relate to not wanting your health to be your identity. The good folks at [Dysautonmia International] were really an incredible resource for me and I feel really grateful for the spoonie community for holding me down during my times of complete uncertainty! Sending an abundance of love your way !”
Knowles had shared about her experience with an autonomic disorder in the past, after being forced to cancel a New Years Eve performance in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2017. She wrote on Instagram in 2018:
“The past five months I have been quietly treating, and working through an Autonomic Disorder. It been a journey that hasn’t been easy on me (…) Sometimes I feel cool, and other times not so cool at all…It’s a complicated [diagnosis], and I’m still learning so much myself.”
Ross, a model, actor, and DJ who was vocal about developing Long COVID in 2022, responded to Knowles’ comment: “Thank you so much Solange. You’ve known me since I was a teen and how energetic I can be. This definitely changed my entire outlook on so much…I appreciate you so much. Sending love.”
In his new post about POTS and Long COVID, which sparked the exchange, Ross shared that his symptoms of Long COVID and POTS forced him to go to the emergency room while he was on tour in 2022.
Long COVID is a set of health issues after someone has COVID-19. These could be: new health issues, ongoing issues, or worsening of previous symptoms or conditions. It can cause significant disability and can be fatal. It is a continuing health crisis.
Long COVID is an “umbrella” term, meaning it can include many symptoms as well as other diseases or medical diagnoses, like dysautonomia and POTS. It affects more than 400 million people globally.
There are many kinds of dysautonomia, but POTS is one form seen commonly in Long COVID. Symptoms of POTS often include a racing heart, dizziness, headache, “brain fog,” and chest pain. Excessive heat can also make symptoms of POTS worse. While there is no cure, there are some treatments that can help improve quality of life.
“I’ve put off making this video for some time,” Ross wrote in the caption of his post, “But I wanted to share it in the hope that it might help someone else going through a similar situation. This isn’t a sympathy reach or anything like that, just me simply sharing my journey with Long COVID and how life is today.”
I've stated several times that I'm not going out of my way to preserve celebrity statements about covid (because I fucking hate celebrities lol, you should listen to people who know things, not people who dance and sing and pretend to be other people in front of a camera), but I'm making an exception since The Sick Times has such good commentary about long covid and disability advocacy.
Earlier this week, Grammy-award winning musician Solange Knowles briefly shared three diagnoses and paid gratitude to the chronic illness community.
Knowles replied in the comments of a Shaun Ross Instagram post that detailed his experience with Long COVID and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). The singer wrote that she was also diagnosed with POTS, as well as mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) and Sjögren’s syndrome in 2018.
“Sending u so much love and strength Shaun and to all in the comments struggling with the debilitating, confusing, and lonely symptoms of POTS !” she wrote.
“I got diagnosed with POTS, Sjogrens and MCAS in 2018 and really relate to not wanting your health to be your identity. The good folks at [Dysautonmia International] were really an incredible resource for me and I feel really grateful for the spoonie community for holding me down during my times of complete uncertainty! Sending an abundance of love your way !”
Knowles had shared about her experience with an autonomic disorder in the past, after being forced to cancel a New Years Eve performance in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2017. She wrote on Instagram in 2018:
“The past five months I have been quietly treating, and working through an Autonomic Disorder. It been a journey that hasn’t been easy on me (…) Sometimes I feel cool, and other times not so cool at all…It’s a complicated [diagnosis], and I’m still learning so much myself.”
Ross, a model, actor, and DJ who was vocal about developing Long COVID in 2022, responded to Knowles’ comment: “Thank you so much Solange. You’ve known me since I was a teen and how energetic I can be. This definitely changed my entire outlook on so much…I appreciate you so much. Sending love.”
In his new post about POTS and Long COVID, which sparked the exchange, Ross shared that his symptoms of Long COVID and POTS forced him to go to the emergency room while he was on tour in 2022.
Long COVID is a set of health issues after someone has COVID-19. These could be: new health issues, ongoing issues, or worsening of previous symptoms or conditions. It can cause significant disability and can be fatal. It is a continuing health crisis.
Long COVID is an “umbrella” term, meaning it can include many symptoms as well as other diseases or medical diagnoses, like dysautonomia and POTS. It affects more than 400 million people globally.
There are many kinds of dysautonomia, but POTS is one form seen commonly in Long COVID. Symptoms of POTS often include a racing heart, dizziness, headache, “brain fog,” and chest pain. Excessive heat can also make symptoms of POTS worse. While there is no cure, there are some treatments that can help improve quality of life.
“I’ve put off making this video for some time,” Ross wrote in the caption of his post, “But I wanted to share it in the hope that it might help someone else going through a similar situation. This isn’t a sympathy reach or anything like that, just me simply sharing my journey with Long COVID and how life is today.”