The story of Laquantas
My name is LaQuantas and I’m 43 years old. I never imagined not being able to live a happy and fulfilled life, especially at this young of an age.
In January 2021, I tested positive for Covid-19. Although I only experienced mild symptoms, my immune and neurological systems took a hit after I recovered from Covid. I started developing a variety of symptoms. I first started feeling pins and needles all over my body, and shortly thereafter I started getting stabbing pains everywhere. I mean….everywhere! Symptoms gradually increased and new ones developed.
My primary doctor referred me to a neurologist in late 2021. I went through extensive testing i.e. lumbar puncture, CT scans, MRI, endless blood work, EEG, EMG, etc. All this testing yet no results towards identifying what was going on with me. After numerous tests and frustration of getting nowhere, I decided to get a second opinion and switched neurologists.
My new neurologist had me repeat all of the previous tests, which only resulted in pure disappointment. He ruled out MS but still wanted me to see a specialist in Chicago to be certain. Ultimately, he has no idea what condition I have. I was prescribed a variety of medications to help control my nerves, but nothing has helped longterm. To this day I deal with constant involuntary body jerks, and aggressive nerve pain. I spend most of my day in bed or resting because standing and walking are challenging. My legs have given out on me so many times and I’ve fallen on certain occasions. My energy level and motivation have decreased significantly, and I have to nap almost everyday due to feeling exhausted from the pains and body jerks.
The specialist in Chicago most recently recommended further testing to monitor shocks and involuntary muscle movements, and medications to help with pain. Sadly though, he’s also mindblown and thinks I have a rare condition.
I feel very lost and uncertain, especially since doctors say they’ve never seen anything like what I’m experiencing before. These issues have significantly impacted my life and I’m desperately seeking a diagnosis. I don’t know what to do anymore, please help.
I shared my story because no one believes my story. I’m talking family, coworkers, my kids nobody believes me. That’s the biggest part of my frustration. I’m literally going crazy because no one will listen to me. Please help! I promise you that I am not looking for attention or nothing like that. I just don’t know what to do when I say I have a condition then I get treated like “Yeah, Right” or “He does not have a rare condition”. Even my doctor said “C,mon, Really” when I had an episode like I was acting or something.
It’s very exhausting living with this condition because I can’t live my life like I used to. I use to produce music, play video games and just overall be active. Not to mention, my eating habits have dramatically changed from pigging out to not eating at all. These electrical shocks are very unpredictable. Sometimes these shocks affect my eyesight because my it makes it hard to drive with all the jerking & shocks.