I’ve been through so much now I have hope

It all started when I was kidnapped in India.

While working there, I began to date a colleague. After a while, he took me over to meet his family. I had my laptop and passport along with me in my bag.

As soon as I walked in the house, he grabbed my bag from me and said: “now, you are mine.” He and his family held me captive for two years. They starved me, locked me in a dark room, degraded me, and treated me inhumanely.

One day, I knew couldn’t take the abuse for one more day. I begged to God to end it all. The very next day, they forgot to lock the door to the room that I was being held in.

I fled the house and called my parents, who alerted the authorities and the consulate. I was finally freed after two years of starvation, abuse and captivity.

Coming Home and Working to Get Healthy
I came home to the U.S. six years ago. My new focus is on getting healthy and recovering from my ordeal.

It’s been a long road and such a roller coaster since I got home. I’ve been hospitalized so many times. I have met with psychiatrists, psychologists and therapists.

And one of the worst things I’ve had to endure in this process was trying to find a medicine that helped me and didn’t cause awful side effects. I’ve been through numerous medications, dosage adjustments and medication combinations.

Some of the medications caused me to feel like a zombie – just sleepwalking through life. Others made me feel foggy headed, like I wasn’t thinking clearly.

Every time a doctor would change medicine, I would think: “Here we go again. I’ll have to taper on and taper off this medication. I’ll have side effects – I’ll feel nauseous, and then tired, and then…who knows.”

It was extremely frustrating.

APRN Introduces the GeneSight Test
In November 2018, my primary care provider – an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) – suggested that I might benefit from taking the GeneSight test.

My immediate reaction was: “Let’s do it. Let’s get this all figured out.”

I did a simple cheek swab and a week later I met with him to review the results. I was surprised to learn that more than half of the medications I tried over the past five years were all in the red category (which indicates a significant gene-drug interaction).

It was such a relief to know this information. It proved to me that I wasn’t just “being picky.” Or that my mind wasn’t playing games. It showed that my body couldn’t tolerate the medications I was being prescribed.

I Feel Hope
Ever since I took the GeneSight test, I now feel hopeful. I feel a difference. Other people have said they see a difference.

I can feel feelings. I felt like a lot of the medicines were masking symptoms, emotions and feelings. Being numb is not good and so being able “feel” feelings is a wonderful thing.

My hope is that anyone who needs it can get the GeneSight test done. I’ve been through so much and now I have hope.