A woman suffering from a rare disease that causes excruciating pain and extreme nausea, even paralyzing her stomach, has brought the brutal reality of her illness to light.
Mississippi’s Cara Bowman uses social media to shed light on the lives of people suffering from vascular compression syndromes — a group of conditions that occur when a person’s blood vessels are under abnormal pressure.
The 20-year-old has been candid about her extensive surgeries and hospitalizations, and how she’s coping with the emotional and physical challenges that come with it.
She now hopes to raise awareness of the “debilitating” diseases and “the impact they have on everyday life”.
Mississippi’s Cara Bowman uses social media to shed light on the lives of people suffering from Vascular Compression Syndromes
The 20-year-old has been candid about her extensive surgeries and hospitalizations, and how she’s coping with the emotional and physical challenges that come with it
Speaking of her experience with the little-known conditions that can be difficult to diagnose, Cara said, “Living with vascular compressions has completely transformed my life.”
“Most days I am bedridden and unable to do simple daily tasks due to low energy and inability to eat due to constant severe pain.”
“Socializing has become a challenge as many activities revolve around food, which I have to avoid.”
Cara was an active and healthy child from an early age. She focused her energy on gymnastics and showed great potential as a young athlete before turning to competitive cheerleading.
“My heart was in the gym, so I also took gym classes once or twice a week for many years.” “I enjoyed traveling and always being with my friends,” she explained.
But Cara’s life took an unexpected turn when she suffered from extreme abdominal pain and nausea.
After countless medical tests and consultations, doctors diagnosed her with Crohn’s disease and with careful treatment, she eventually went into remission.
But just as Cara felt hope, new symptoms emerged and months later it became clear that her gallbladder was the culprit.
Cara underwent surgery to remove her gallbladder in January 2022, but instead of improving as expected, her condition deteriorated and a new diagnosis was made in July 2022
Cara underwent surgery to remove it in January 2022, but instead of the expected improvement, her condition worsened and in July 2022 she was newly diagnosed – gastroparesis (a condition in which the stomach becomes paralyzed).
“It’s worrying that these health problems were occurring for no apparent reason, particularly in healthy young people in my 20s.” “Despite multiple trips to the ER, there were no clear answers,” she explained.
What are Vascular Compression Syndromes?
Vascular compression syndromes are a group of disorders that occur when a person’s blood vessels are under abnormal pressure, reducing the size of the blood vessel and the amount of blood that can flow through it.
The lack of blood flow can make a person feel weak, cause mild to severe pain, and present with different symptoms from person to person.
Vascular compression can occur in different parts of the body.
Compression syndrome has different names depending on where in the body the problem occurs.
Due to the variety of syndromes and symptoms, they can often be misdiagnosed. This can lead to years of pain, frustration, and mental anguish.
Source: University of Maryland Medical Center
Frustrated by months of unsuccessful treatments, Cara set out to find the cause of her ongoing health problems.
She revealed: “I reached out to TikTok for answers. On the platform, I met friends who encouraged me to look into vascular compression – a term I had never heard before.
“I have learned that vascular compression syndromes are rare conditions in which arteries and ligaments are compressed or are being compressed by other arteries and ligaments.”
“These disorders can result in severe pain, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue and possibly malnutrition.”
“Also, it was quite common to have multiple hospital visits or emergency room visits to get the necessary pain management and nutritional support.”
The discovery led to Cara eventually meeting a vascular surgeon who recognized the compression immediately.
The diagnosis led to her undergoing surgery on April 24, 2023, which brought some relief.
However, Cara’s fight is far from over and she is still struggling in excruciating pain.
“Being in severe pain every day for months to years and not getting anything to relieve it is physically exhausting.” But mentally it’s more challenging because I’m constantly trying to stay positive,” she admitted.
“The hardest thing for me is watching my friends live a life that I know I could have if I wasn’t so ill.” It’s hard to watch people go to work, school, going to parties or gatherings, getting married and having children.
“These are all big dreams that I can never achieve for health reasons.”
Cara was forced to make several lifestyle changes due to vascular compressions.
“I had to move from classroom school to online school within my freshman year. I’m also constantly watching what I’m eating because if I don’t, I could end up in the emergency room.”
Despite her immense challenges, Cara maintains an unwavering positivity and sees her faith as a driving force.
Despite her immense challenges, Cara maintains an unwavering positivity and sees her faith as a driving force
She now hopes to raise awareness of the “debilitating” diseases and “the impact they have on everyday life”.
She believes that God is using her to help others, which gives her the strength to stay positive despite the adversity.
Cara offers this advice to those who share her diagnosis: “Hold on to the faith and trust that every struggle has a purpose.”
Awareness of vascular compression is limited and Cara is now passionate about increasing research and understanding.
She wants people to understand the debilitating nature of these conditions and emphasizes that there is much more to it than just abdominal pain.
“When I first got sick, I knew absolutely nothing about vascular compression. “Now that I have more experience, I wish more people knew and understood how debilitating these diseases are,” said Cara.
“It’s not just abdominal pain that’s going away. There is very little research on them, leaving many months, if not years, without a diagnosis.
“My ultimate goal is to share my story not just with my followers but with the world and to inspire and support others who are facing similar challenges.” .”