Man whose symptoms were dismissed as 'anxiety' for years now uses a wheelchair

A 25-year-old man now relies on a wheelchair after his symptoms of a severe health condition were misdiagnosed as anxiety for years.

Zachary Moyer, from Kansas City, Missouri, started struggling with his health when he was just six years old.

He would get sore throats, severe earaches, bad coughs and fevers, with no known cause.

He frequently visited the hospital, where doctors would flush out his ears, finding that there was always a large build-up of ear wax. He was given antibiotics and sent home – but to this day his ears are ‘constantly ringing’ and he struggles to hear.

Zachary also suffered with excruciating body pains, but was told he was ‘just growing up’. He bruised incredibly easily, but was told this was just because he’s a boy and was playing too roughly.

His parents were concerned by Zachary’s constant hospital visits, and their worries grew when doctors didn’t seem able to find a root cause.

Alarm bells started ringing when Zachary was 13, and began to become severely out of breath with no trigger, his heart racing when he wasn’t exerting himself physically.

He had to keep taking regular breaks throughout the schoolday just to calm his heart, which would go from 80 beats per minute to 140 bpm in a matter of seconds.

Once again, he sought medical advice, but this time his symptoms were blamed on ‘anxiety’ – even though Zachary said he didn’t feel anxious.

He took the medication prescribed, but nothing worked.

‘My doctors kept reassuring me that it was anxiety, even though nothing I tried was working,’ Zachary told Metro.co.uk.

‘At first I believed them and thought that maybe I did have anxiety – but the medications weren’t working and my heart rate just got worse and worse as the years went on – and my breathing got worse to the point I’d have to sit down and catch my breath, because I would start to feel my chest getting extremely heavy like something had been sitting on me.

‘I’d be gasping for air and feel like I was going to pass out.’

Then in May 2020, Zachary was rushed to the hospital with severe chest pains.

Doctors gave him an ECG, which found that the left ventricular had a defect, causing it to pump at an EF of 43%. A normal left ventricular ejection fraction ranges from 55% to 70%.

After years of struggling with debilitating symptoms with no apparent cause, Zachary finally received a diagnosis: heart disease, a heart defect, and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (PoTS).

What is postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (PoTS)?

Post tachycardia syndrome is an abnormal increase in heart rate that occurs after sitting up or standing. Typical symptoms include dizziness and fainting.

In PoTS, the autonomic nervous system does not work properly.

There is a drop in blood supply to the heart and brain when you become upright, and the heart races to compensate for this.

Typical symptoms of PoTS include:

• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Fainting
• Problems with thinking, memory and concentration
• Heart palpitations
• Shaking and sweating
• Weakness and fatigue
• Headaches
• Poor sleep
• Chest pain
• Nausea
• Shortness of breath

Zachary’s condition means that when he stands or sits up, his heart rate will speed up to between 130 and 210 beats per minute, which puts immense stress on his body.

He now uses a wheelchair to get around, and deals with chronic pain, tremors, and muscle spasms.

But he still feels ‘relieved’ to finally know what’s really going on in his body.

He said: ‘I honestly felt lost, but relieved at the same time. I was getting answers as to what was going on with my body – but the answers were also very scary to deal with because PoTS isn’t curable. I didn’t know what it meant for my future.

‘I went from being able to enjoy caffeine and chocolate to now drinking water and Gatorade only. I used to rely on caffeine a lot due to fatigue, but now I just have to deal with it.

‘I’m currently bedridden and going to the doctors to pinpoint my chronic pain, but I’m doing well now that I’m getting answers.

‘I’m using a wheelchair now due to being greatly affected by my symptoms.

‘I deal with chronic pain, burning joints, palpitations, chest pains, excessive sweating, tremors and muscle spasms, migraines and numbness and tingling throughout my body.’

Zachary’s illness has a drastic impact on his everyday life.

He’s unable to work at the moment, so is relying on his girlfriend’s income and struggling financially, especially due to the increased strain of having to pay for large amounts of medication.

He also says his social life has become ‘non-existent’, after his friends ‘disappeared’ and ‘didn’t bother’ checking in on him.

‘I’m missing out on everything around me because I’m bedridden and unable to go out and enjoy life’, Zachary said.

‘My health puts a strain on my relationships because they don’t understand the pain I have to go through 24/7.’

But through it all, Zachary remains positive. While he wishes he had been diagnosed earlier, he feels optimistic about the future.

He said: ‘It makes me a bit upset knowing I went misdiagnosed for so long, but I’m happy now to know what’s really causing my so called “anxiety issues”.

‘There’s no point in holding onto the little things in life, but to look at the big picture and stay smiling no matter what.

‘Honestly, any time I go into the doctors’ office or emergency room I feel instant anxiety and get flashbacks to all of the times I was dismissed and misdiagnosed. I dislike going but if I don’t I won’t get the proper treatment I need.

‘If I had been diagnosed earlier things would be a lot better now because I would have been getting the proper treatment needed.

‘It was missed for so long because there are not a lot of doctors or even specialists that deal with PoTS in the US. It’s commonly misdiagnosed as severe anxiety.’

‘Honestly I’m grateful for everything I’ve been through in life because without these things I wouldn’t be the person I am today: always looking out for others, always smiling at the little things in life and always keeping my chin up high no matter what life throws at me.’

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