Natasha Coates suffers from a rare syndrome that causes life-threatening changes in the state of her body.
Natascia Coates She is a gymnast who loves her sport like no other. However, both your business and any other can turn into a nightmare. She who suffer from the very rare syndrome and it means that your body state changes, like sweating or laughing can cause a life-threatening allergic reaction.
The young woman of 27 years old which is part of the British Disabled Gymnastics (British Gymnastics for the Disabled) knows that his daily life is a mystery and, despite having certainties, assures that due to his condition it can be “a time bomb”
Example of overcoming, laughter and shock
The 27 years old from the UK explains that when, for example, you are out on a night out with friends, it is possible to suffer from a anaphylactic shock just from laughing too much, which automatically makes for a depressing night. .
British gymnast Natasha Coates in action.
“We were laughing a lot when I swollen tongue and throat. A friend called an ambulance, while another helped me use my EpiPen to keep me from choking to death. “
And he continues: “They stroked my hair and gave me encouragement, ever since I lost consciousness before being taken to the ICU. I am capable of ruining any party“.
How is the allergy to strong emotions
According to experts, being allergic to strong emotions It implies that any modification of the status quo of my body, if it is laughing, crying, sad or stressed outcan cause a chemical reaction.
Natasha explains her shocking situation: “It happens almost every day and I have been hospitalized over 500 times. When I hear it start, I get angry and try to repress it, otherwise I will react worse. It’s a vicious circle. “
Natasha reveals that she has been hospitalized over 500 times and is always prepared.
His situation is so complex that in no uncertain terms he reveals it forcefully she planned her funeral when she was 20.
What is mast cell activation syndrome?
The young woman suffers from a rare condition called mast cell activation syndrome. When a nettle sting gives you a raised, itchy bump, it’s caused by the histamine, a chemical that comes from mast cells. In your body, those mast cells are hypersensitive, he reflects.
“They release too many chemicals in response to a minor attack, such as a food intolerance,” he adds Mirror.
He continues: “My body also does this spontaneously, releasing chemicals for no reason. So I’m allergic to anything and everything, all at the same time. “
Sweating or laughing can send Natasha into anaphylactic shock.
She had to accept that this condition could kill her, but she took some control when I planned my funeral at the age of 20… “I chose a Beyoncé song,” says she confirms that she is allergic to body sprays, cleaning products and scented candles.
Russian roulette with meals
When she was younger, Natasha was often ill and had rstrange reactions to different foodsbut they assumed it was only sentient.
It was when one day, at the age of 18, he had his first experience of anaphylactic shock. “I was at a big public event when all of a sudden I felt shaky, lightheaded and out of breath. They caught me to the hospital escorted by the police“he recalls in the British newspaper.
She was unconscious and woke up frightened in the hospital. Doctors assured him that every “bishop’s death” happened, so she left thinking it would never happen again. But of course she wasn’t.
Coates with his medals. At 20 he knew how to lose his hair because his allergy “attacked” his hair follicles.
To experiment eight reactions in two weeks who brought her back to hospital treatment. She has now learned to take care of herself regularly at home, but before her she sought medical assistance right away.
“There are many foods that will get me to the hospital and others that hopefully won’t. Because of the chemicals that are released during digestion, sometimes it’s not what I eat but the digestion process that triggers the anaphylaxis.” , she specifies her.
Eating is still a bit like “a Russian roulette”. Food that is good today could give you an allergic reaction tomorrow.
Personal care and safety
got used to the reactions in the morning, in the afternoon and even at dawn. It happens so often that I keep their EpiPens close to the bed. She admits she was terrified at first, but over time He has gone to get used to
Mealtime is a nightmare for the 27-year-old.
“We looked for a long time for a specific trigger: if I had a reaction after eating the tuna, I would have thought it was fish. I only ate chicken, potatoes and broccoli for months and they made me undernourished,” he puts on the table how it affects the meal time.
It took two years to be diagnosed. She is now on medication and there is a protocol in place to keep her safe. Also, recently she moved from her parents’ home and lives alone, but has a personal assistant five days a week.
Coates also has assistive technology. If you press a button on the clock, the lights in front of your house turn red and an ambulance is called.
On the same helpline, everyone your friends and family are trained to use the injection. In their words, it is disturbing to them when they should take action.
Natasha knows how hard to train and not sweat more than necessary.
He also has directives in the hospital about situations where he wants or doesn’t want treatment, so the family doesn’t have to make those terrible decisions.
Desire and strength to live
Beyond everything, Natasha assures: “Gymnastics saved my life, not only physically but mentally. I can go to the gym and focus on that. “
And to emphasize what he is talking about, he gives an example: “If you are jumping through hoops and not focused, you will fall head over heels. Sometimes, my condition means that I can’t. I can feel my arms and legsLike when you have a dead arm.
“So when I hit my shin against the beam, there’s a big bump and any injury can cause a reaction,” he says. I severely injured my knee in 2019 and suffered from anaphylaxis“.
Coates is also active on TikTok.
Sweating can also make you react, so he learned how long he can go. Something similar it happens with laughter: now that she is better medicated she can feel when I need to calm down.
“Gymnastics gives me so much more than it takes away from me, is something that I explain to those who advise me to leave it. Allergic reactions will still happen, even if I sit at home doing nothing, so I better go live my life, “she says as if she has to justify herself.
Every step, every experience can be calculated. Her conditions oblige her to be far-sighted. So, sometimes avoid social situations.
“I go on a basis of risk versus reward. I study the menus in advance, take additional medications, and hope for the best. And I find out where the nearest hospital is that I have my medical plan, “Coates says.
Natasha Coates, the gymnast allergic to strong emotions.
His holidays are only in the UK because getting on a plane is on his list of potentially dangerous things. He chooses not to pretend and if he’s having a bad day, she doesn’t hide it.
“If I could snap my fingers and heal myself, I would do it instantly. Staying alive is a full time job. “concludes the gymnast.
Daniel Popowski
Source: Clarin
