Losing my eyesight in Italy (a personal case study, part 1)
The man to my left is being monitored by a police officer. He seems pretty chill, but his torn shirt tells me otherwise. The grandmother on the bed in the middle of the room lets out a mama mia every 12-15 seconds. They really do say that here.
I’m trying to find the humor in this Naples emergency room, but when you were supposed to be on a beach in Positano, it’s hard to look at the lime green vomit on the floor with endearing eyes. Plus, I can only see out of one of mine.
On the 8th day of my 15-day Italian adventure, my left eye began to lose some sight. It’s like a slightly translucent black curtain has descended into my field of vision, only hints of impressions coming through the subtle rippling in the fabric. This sudden dimming has happened to me before–about twice in the last two years, to which eye I can’t remember. But it only ever occurred right before bedtime when a good night’s rest would wipe it away. This time, the curtain has remained closed.
After three days of growing panic, excessive symptom Googling, and group texts between my mother and her cousin in Florence, I found my way to an ophthalmologist in Naples who confirmed I was neither having a stroke nor was my retina detached (thank goodness). My physical eye seemed to be fine. The issue is likely to be optic neuritis, an inflammation of the optic nerve that causes temporary vision loss. Understanding the root cause requires further testing—a few MRIs and bloodwork—which I did not end up doing in Naples…but more on that later.
What happened? By all measures I’m a healthy person. I eat well, move well, think well. I mean I prioritize my wellness so much I stepped away from the success and stress of corporate life to become an Ayurvedic health and wellness counselor. Wtf?
In the coming days and weeks, I will be undergoing further testing to uncover the underlying issue, the reason why my immune system is having this kind of reaction. Until then, I want to share what I believe led to this specific flareup from an Ayurvedic informed perspective. I share not only to process my own experience, but hopefully to also inspire others to proactively anticipate their health and wellness needs this summer.
Because apparently, I’m not the only one.
The wonderful ophthalmologist at Microsoft (who returned all my anxious calls despite no longer being my physician) informed me that 3 others had reached out to her with optic neuritis flareups while on vacation in warm climates this summer. To which I asked, “did they also get COVID this year?”
Let's unpack.
Disclaimer: I’m neither a doctor nor a trained medical professional, so don’t be a silly goose and take this as medical advice. I’m simply reflecting on my own experience as someone who strongly believes modern medical science and ancient medical wisdom are better together. Cool? Cool.
In late April, I contracted COVID for what I believe was the second time. Despite our growing acceptance of COVID’s presence in our lives, this virus remains a monster. It set my mind-body system on fire for 4 days of fever, rashes across my face and hands, and intense unrelenting anger. Before you ask, this was my reaction after full vaccine and booster treatments.
Within Ayurvedic philosophy, my system is already dominated by the element of fire, which means I’m naturally prone to inflammatory physical and mental stress responses such acid reflux, loose stool, acne, and irritability. COVID was just adding layers of fire upon fire—big ouch.
Besides these obvious symptoms, how else did my body confirm this intense inflammation?
Cravings. As my symptoms began to subside, I suddenly started craving grapefruit. Morning to night, all I wanted was grapefruit. This was my body's way of correcting my imbalance as grapefruit is bitter, cooling, and detoxifying. After I had my fill of grapefruit, my cravings shifted to oats which are sweet, cooling, and grounding and helped my system restabilize after an incredibly disruptive period. Then came the intense salmon cravings, which were bizarre given I had been a vegetarian for 2+ years. But I listened, and my body was ecstatic. The spontaneous mmms and happy food dances were all confirmation that my system needed the fatty nourishment.
Gut feelings. At the same time, I had zero tolerance for connecting with others. I was in full blown hermit mode. My gut said retreat—retreat into your garden, into your books, into the comfort of your own company. I listened and began to find my way back to center.
Now, fast forward to my Italy trip a month and half later.
Jet lag and disturbed sleep
Intense heat and humidity
Alcohol, mostly wine
Pungent foods such as tomatoes, garlic, onions, and eggplant
Personal inflammatory triggers like dairy and gluten
Non-stop socializing with family and friends
Again, I was layering fire on top of fire. But this time, there was another force at play.
Travel—particularly air travel—can be incredibly destabilizing. Within Ayurvedic philosophy, it aggravates the energy of movement in our system that has the potential to lift any imbalances we have out of their localized seats and move them around our body until they take hold in a new location. My feeling is that there was some lingering inflammation in my system from COVID that was further aggravated by my Italy travel, and together, they settled into this expression of optic neuritis.
Now why my extreme inflammatory immune response appears to be demyelination, attacking my own nerve covering, versus another expression is for the doctors to find out. I’ll keep y’all posted, but until then, here are some lessons from my experience.
Stay cool. If you had COVID this year and/or are prone to inflammatory stress responses, be mindful of the summer heat. If you’re traveling, keep a hand fan, instant ice packs, and bottles of cold water at the ready. Prioritize keeping your head, eyes, back of the neck, and feet cool.
Eat cool. Although we want to indulge on vacation, try to minimize eating pungent, spicy foods and drinking alcohol. Fresh fruits and vegetables that are sweet, bitter, and astringent are going to be the most supportive to your system.
Be prepared. If you’re traveling internationally, take some time to type out a page of your critical information in your destination's language. Your name, birth date, address, phone number, allergies, medications, COVID history, and family health history are all good things to have on hand.
Listen to your gut. When I started feeling these symptoms, I immediately recognized them as optic neuritis which is urgent, but not go to the chaotic ER in a foreign country where no one speaks English urgent. I was not comfortable in Naples, so I chose to finish diagnostic testing in Seattle and did everything I could to stay relaxed and cool before my flight back. That choice was supported by my doctors and I’m so glad I made it. (If you've never had a panic attack sandwiched between a convict and a vomiting grandma, you haven't lived.)
I'm a lucky person who has incredible parents, a partner, and family members who have all been working overtime to get me the best care across the world. I'm hoping for the best outcome and will gladly accept any meditations and prayers. Thank you for reading. Stay safe out there.