S4 EP42: Brandy's Story - Living With Chronic Illnes

Send us a text Brandy Shantz is the host of the ‘Living Chronic’ podcast. She suffers from severe Crohn’s disease after serving near burn pits in Afghanistan. 4 years ago, she began having severe symptoms and ended up suffering a reaction to the Humira she was taking for Crohn’s, which took 19 months for doctors to diagnose!! Upon receiving the diagnosis of drug induced lupus and neurological issues, Brandy worked to recover but never got back to herself. It took her another 2 1/2 years going to doctors to tell them she was not ok, and being told it was just psychosomatic. Then, finally she was diagnosed with cardiac autonomic neuropathy and small fiber neuropathy as a result of the reaction to the drugs. Even today, she is still going through tests to understand how severe the damage is and if she can actualy treat the problem. Brandy talks about advocating for yourself and learning to live and continue to thrive despite having a chronic illness. What an amazing story! livingchronic911.com Insta: Livingchronic911 X: BrandySchantz  TikTok: @brandyschantz Support the show