‘I just want my life back:’ Coalhurst woman frustrated by undiagnosed illness

A Coalhurst woman is speaking out about her frustration over having to deal with a number of health symptoms over the past two years and having those symptoms remain undiagnosed.

“I just want my life back,” Brittney Short told Global News Tuesday.

She looks healthy, but the 26-year-old suffers through a long list of symptoms including her face going numb, seeing flashes of light that are not there and severe stomach pain.

“Even right now when I’m talking to you, it feels like I have balloon right up in my throat and it just seems like as the days pass, more and more stuff keeps being added on to what’s happening,” she said.

Doctors haven’t been able to figure out what is wrong.  In two years, she has been tested for viral meningitis, Lyme disease, lupus and many other conditions, but all results have been negative.

READ MORE: Calgary doctor speaks out against ‘one-size-fits-all’ treatment for Lyme disease 

Now, the once active Short, is on a cocktail of medications and tires very easily.

“It’s just like your whole life revolves around you being sick,” she said.

According to the Rare Disease Foundation, a rare disease is defined as a condition affecting fewer than one in 2,000 people. The organization says about one in 12 Canadians have a rare disease, but because rare diseases are poorly characterized, many conditions remain unnamed and undiagnosed for patients.

READ MORE: Genome test may be key in diagnosing mysterious rare disorders in children

For Short, her illness hasn’t just impacted her physically and mentally, it’s also impacted her financially.  Since her condition is undiagnosed, she was denied long-term disability and to help cover costs, she has put her house up for sale.

“Even getting groceries to put in the fridge and stuff – we are basically behind (on) every single bill,” she said.

Short has set up a GoFundMe page to ask the public to help her with her bills.

“I’m going to fight this,” she said. “I don’t care what I have to do to get better, I’m going to get better but I just need someone out there to tell me what the heck is going on and just help me because I just can’t live like this anymore.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I'm going to fight this," she said. "I don't care what I have to do to get better, I'm going to get better but I just need someone out there to tell me what the heck is going on and just help me because I just can't live like this anymore."

Short’s next hope for a diagnosis comes Wednesday when she undergoes exploratory surgery in her stomach.