Tristan, from hiking, skating and EMT training to a looong wait
October 19, 2025
Tristan was an avid hiker, skate boarder and EMT-in-training when his world suddenly started spinning. Although his doctor diagnosed POTS and referred him to a top specialist, he has been waiting two years for that appointment. In the meantime he deals with a lot of symptoms (e.g., starting each day vomiting) and is unable to work, however he remains upbeat and even shares his successful chronic illness reference on Tinder.
Episode Transcript
[00:00:00]
Jill Brook: Hello, fellow POTS patients, and beautiful people who care about POTS patients. I'm Jill Brook, your horizontal host, and today we have an episode of the POTS Diaries with Tristan. Tristan, thank you so much for being here today.
Tristan: Hello.
Jill Brook: So nice to meet you. What should we know about you for the basics? Who are you? How old are you, where are you? All that good stuff.
Tristan: Well, I am Tristan Wheeler. I live in the Sierra Nevada Mountains up near Yosemite, and I am 22 years old.
Jill Brook: Sierra Mountains near Yosemite. What's that like?
Tristan: Right now it's super hot, so it's like almost a hundred today. And it's just really small town. Just up in the sticks.
Jill Brook: So are you there like right near the park and all the mountains and hiking and beautiful stuff?
Tristan: Yeah. Yeah. So I'm like, I would say like an hour and a half drive, just [00:01:00] straight up the mountain from Yosemite.
Jill Brook: Okay. Very nice. All right, so what are your favorite things to do?
Tristan: Currently my favorite things to do are, I game a lot, and I I travel a lot between California and Ohio to see my girlfriend.
Jill Brook: Ah, okay. Very nice. So how would your girlfriend describe your personality?
Tristan: Oh, I'm not sure.
Jill Brook: You can choose someone else.
Tristan: I'm, I don't know. I just I think she thinks I am, I actually have no idea what she thinks.
Jill Brook: We don't have to put you on the spot. You can choose how, how someone, I don't know your parents or friends or anyone unnamed, left unnamed, would describe your personality.
Tristan: I think they would describe me as like caring and charismatic, hopefully. [00:02:00] I like to think so.
Jill Brook: Awesome. Okay, so you, you kind of alluded a moment ago to what you enjoy doing currently. Does that imply that maybe like, you are not doing the same things that you have always enjoyed throughout your past. Like did you have a time in your life when POTS came on, or what does that look like? How, how long ago would that have been?
Tristan: Yeah, so about two years ago is when I found out that I probably have POTS because one day at work the whole world just kind of started spinning and I was like, oh. And then my doctor sent me to like audiology and everywhere, and then, then I've been disabled ever since then, just 'cause I'm so dizzy just all the time.
So, the things I like to do had to change a little bit 'cause I love to hike and I love [00:03:00] to, I love to longboard and I love to do stuff like that. Which all require like a lot of balance.
Jill Brook: Yeah. Longboard as in surfing?
Tristan: As in skateboarding.
Jill Brook: Skateboarding, oh, okay. I don't wanna do that dizzy. That sounds like a crash waiting to happen. So, so, so just one day outta nowhere, you're just incredibly, incredibly dizzy?
Tristan: Yeah. Yeah. Just out of nowhere. One day I was just at work and then all of a sudden I like couldn't stand up like normally by myself. Like I was leaning on stuff and I couldn't drive home. My dad had to come get me, and we were all like, what is going on?
Jill Brook: Yeah, I mean like had you just been sick? Had anything, just like, do you know what your trigger was or was just outta the blue?
Tristan: Yeah, so we think that I had had it since I was little. But we think that I got [00:04:00] COVID like a week or two before all this started happening, and then, then we just think it kind of like made all the symptoms worse, that may have been underlying.
Jill Brook: So like what symptoms did you have as a little kid that were maybe a giveaway that you were headed this direction?
Tristan: Oh I, so I grew up with, I vomited every single morning. Yeah, like as for as long as I can remember, I vomited almost every single morning. And I have, I wake up into chronic headaches and I haven't slept well since I was a child. Just a lot of just stuff like that, like GI problems, just random pain.
Jill Brook: Yeah. Oh, so you've been through some stuff.
Tristan: Yeah. Yeah. It's, it's been a long road and it's been like 12 years in my life have been undiagnosed, just fighting [00:05:00] for something.
Jill Brook: Wow. Okay. So when you got the POTS diagnosis, did it actually feel like some relief, just that you had answers?
Tristan: Yeah, there was definitely relief that I had answers now, but the problem with me is that I, I always just wanted something that I, I could, like, take something for and, and just be over with it. But, it was like, I like brought it up to my doctor as like a possibility and then they were like, we're going to keep that for one of the later ones, 'cause we don't, we don't like that one. So we're going to rule everything else out first, and then here I am.
Jill Brook: Oh man. Well, I mean, kudos to you. I mean, you're smiling and laughing through all this, but I know it must just like completely stink. I mean, what's it like to not sleep well since you were a child?
Tristan: It's, it can get pretty overwhelming sometimes, like, especially when I'm sick, like then I'm like barely [00:06:00] sleeping. Like, I don't know if you've ever like fallen asleep in the car or a plane or something and you just like kind of half asleep. That's how it feels like most of the time. Yeah, but sometimes it can get overwhelming, but most times I just am used to it now.
Jill Brook: So you said you are on disability because of the dizziness. So you have all these other symptoms, but the dizziness is the one that makes it impossible to like drive, go places.
Tristan: Mm-hmm. And the high heart rate for standing too long. So, and initially they were pretty like, whoa, when they saw my heart rate. They were like, okay, and they put me on bed rest, like immediately. And I was like, whoa, okay. And and then they called me not too long after that and was like, wow, I still had my heart monitor on.
They were like, are you okay? I was like, yeah. And they're, they're like, your heart rate's really low.
Jill Brook: Oh.
Tristan: [00:07:00] When I'm asleep. Or sleeping or really relaxed. My heart rate is getting too low and climbing too high when I'm standing. So it's just like a constant wave.
Jill Brook: Like, do you remember what some of the extreme numbers are? Like how low, how high, and how low do you get?
Tristan: Like I've been in the thirties when I'm asleep, which is like okay with how my blood pressure's looking. But it's still like, it limits what medications I can take for the high heart rate. And then the high heart rate. They called me when I had my heart monitor on and they were like, are you good?
And they gave me medicine like right away. It was around 200 beats per minute. Yeah.
Jill Brook: And you were just standing at that moment when it was at 200?
Tristan: I was walking, but I wasn't like doing anything strenuous. Yeah.
Jill Brook: Wow. [00:08:00] And so now since you've gotten this diagnosis, have you gotten much relief? Have they been able to find much that has helped any of your symptoms?
Tristan: I, no. I haven't found anything and really it's just kind of been a, a battle because I got my diagnosis and everything from cardiologists, and then I kind of realized that this isn't their thing, you know. And then they realized that it wasn't their thing, and they were like, we can't help you anymore, so we're gonna refer you to Stanford.
So I, it is been a battle to get into Stanford, but my appointment is soon.
Jill Brook: Oh, good luck. Oh, man. Okay. So does this imply that you haven't really started trying that much stuff yet? Like hopefully there's still good things to come.
Tristan: Like, yeah, it's been more just like baby steps of [00:09:00] recovering life, you know. Like, going up and down the stairs a bunch in one day to like, try and build that strength up. It's just been a lot of like tiny little strength building steps over time.
Jill Brook: Wow. Okay. And then all the home stuff, like if this, have you tried salt and compression and leaving the top of the bed a little bit elevated, that kind of thing.
Tristan: Yeah, yeah, actually I use a wedge pillow, which helps in the morning with everything. I stopped wearing my compression socks just 'cause I found that it pulled my leg hair like all the time and it hurt. But I do wear those whenever I go out and do something. But I don't honestly notice much difference, but everyone tells me to do that. So...
Jill Brook: So, so you have an interesting challenge that we haven't talked about that much on the podcast, which is getting in to see the specialists. So [00:10:00] you're saying that like two years ago this happened to you and you still have not seen a specialist.
Tristan: Yeah, the only people I've seen for my POTS are my general practitioner, that referred me to cardiology and then cardiology who said, actually, we can, we can just give you this pill, and that's it, but that's not helping. And then they referred me to the, the neuro clinic at Stanford, and I've yet to see anyone about that.
And I had a tilt table, but it was like out of my insurance.
Jill Brook: Okay, so you had to go do that yourself.
Tristan: Yeah.
Jill Brook: And so with your appointment with Stanford, are they gonna redo all that stuff? Are you seeing like people who you have looked up like they specialize in dysautonomia and stuff?
Tristan: Yes. Yeah. They they have a, a dysautonomia like clinic up [00:11:00] there and it seems like it's pretty good and like my doctor's pretty solid. It's just the administrative part that's the issue.
Jill Brook: Okay. And they probably had a long wait to get in.
Tristan: Oh yeah. I, I waited a year to get my, like, onboarding appointment where they like assess if I'm like, I guess, bad enough to be their patient. And then now I have to go back for my new patient appointment where they like talk me through everything. So I don't know what it looks like at all yet. I am just hoping that everything's gonna, gonna be good.
Jill Brook: So what did they do to make sure you were, you know, quote unquote bad enough to be their patient?
Tristan: They just, they took a bunch of blood and they, they did some tests on me while I was there, and it seems like they were like, yep.
Jill Brook: Wow. But that's interesting. So you [00:12:00] had to kind of, you had to travel several hours. Go kind of get this exam, give all this blood, get poked and prodded, and there was a chance that at the end of that, they were gonna say, nope, sorry, we're not gonna help you.
Tristan: Mm-hmm. Yeah. There, there was a chance. And there was, there's still a chance through all of this that my insurance just stops paying for it.
Jill Brook: I'm glad you're laughing. I mean, it's all so absurd, right? And not to mention the fact that I think that you mentioned that you brought the idea of POTS to your original doctor and they were willing to consider it, but so you've suspected it for over two years and nothing's happened. So you've been on disability being unable to work.
Tristan: Yeah. I, I am on disability. I'm not on like, getting paid anymore because I'm only 22. I don't have like a lot of like money under my belt, so the government doesn't want to give me anything. And so I do have the diagnosis of [00:13:00] Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, but I know nothing about like my specific brand of it yet. Like I, I know how I feel and my symptoms and everything, but they, I still have like no idea.
Jill Brook: Wow, so, so how has this changed your life since you've had this happen?
Tristan: I've been outta work and I haven't driven, so that's a big change for me 'cause I love to drive and I love to go hiking and all that. But at the same time, in the midst of all this chaos, I met my girlfriend who has brought semblance of stability to my life recently, which is very nice. But it really just kind of really shook things up because I I was training to be an EMT at the time and I just, I couldn't continue [00:14:00] doing the things I wanted to do.
I had to now adjust, find more things I wanted to do within my capabilities. That was the hard thing.
Jill Brook: So I think there's probably tons of people listening right now saying, hey, so where do you meet a girlfriend when you can't drive or go out really very much. Where can we find one?
Tristan: For me. I got a, I got a little lucky with Tinder.
Jill Brook: Okay. Oh, that's great.
Tristan: Met on Tinder around two years ago. Right as when I got diagnosed. Like we met when I had a heart monitor on.
Jill Brook: That's sort of romantic if you look at it sideways.
Tristan: Yeah, right.
Jill Brook: And was she in California then?
Tristan: Yeah, she was just visiting for her friend's wedding and then she was just in my area at the time and I was like, okay. And I was honest from the get go and I was like, okay, I, this is how it is. Like even on our first day, it's gonna affect it. You know?
Jill Brook: Well, that's what I was gonna [00:15:00] ask. Yeah. So, so how'd you bring it up and how did she react and, you know.
Tristan: Honestly, I had it in my bio that I was like chronically sick. So like people knew what they're signing up for, would they like. Said they were like interested in me or whatever.
Jill Brook: That's so fascinating. Okay, talk more about that.
Tristan: Yeah, it's just I just, I really, I'm just super open about it. Like, I think everyone that knows me knows I'm sick just 'cause like, I'm like, hey, it is fine, it's just what I am, you know? And it's also been like my entire life, like almost. Like, I can, like barely remember things before it. So most people like have memories of me, like getting taken outta class and stuff like that.
Jill Brook: Wow. Okay. So like how did you, how do you say it in a Tinder bio.
Tristan: Oh, I [00:16:00] was just like chronically sick or like, I, I forget exactly what I said, but I think it was like chronically sick king or something.
Jill Brook: Ah, that's so brilliant. So you just put it out there with humor and then that's cool. Okay. So did she mention it or did she...
Tristan: Oh, yeah. Like she, she asked of course, but at the time I was like, I don't exactly know what's happening. This heart thing's new. So...
Jill Brook: Yeah.
Tristan: So she was just kind of like, you're not gonna die, right, like, if we start dating? I was like, I don't think so.
Jill Brook: Oh, that's great that you both just handled it with tons of humor and it was not a big deal, it sounds like.
Tristan: Yeah. Yeah, it's been really good. And through the relationship it's been hard just because I get down the dumps about it sometimes and, and it's just, it can be difficult to, to acknowledge your partner's struggles when you feel [00:17:00] as though you're constantly comparing them. But I just don't feel it, it's, I do my darnest to not do that.
Jill Brook: Yeah. Yeah. So, so what helps keep you positive and what keeps, you know, what helps you cope?
Tristan: I would say like all my friends. Like have a really great like group of friends and my girlfriend, my mom, and my dad. Everyone, I just have like a very solid support group. 'Cause I kind of have like nothing going for me right now, but like I have these people lifting me up and trying to be like, go, and like really, really trying to help me and everything, even if I'm sometimes resistant to it.
Jill Brook: Yeah, that's great. But I see how, I see how you could get down, I mean, you're so ebullient and, and lovely, but I see how if your life was being [00:18:00] outdoors in like one of the most beautiful places on the whole planet, ouch, being unable to hike or longboard that, that must have, that must have been a hard blow.
Tristan: Yeah. It was, it was, it still is difficult. It's mostly, right now it's difficult in the career aspect where I'm like, I need to find something I wanna do now that doesn't require me to stand, which is like apparently 90% of the job market.
Jill Brook: Yeah, that, that is tough. And you know, I, I do think that there's a bit of a curse. I mean, I remember for a while being like, too sick to even worry about that. And I finally got myself a bit better and I remember the day that it occurred to me that I was like, still pretty bad, but well enough that I needed to worry about that now.
And I was like, oh my gosh, that's so overwhelming. What do you do now?
Tristan: It's like, oh man, I, I recovered [00:19:00] just enough to feel like I could like hold a job for a second, you know?
Jill Brook: Yeah.
Tristan: So it's just like, what do I do? Like I wanted to be an EMT and I don't, I don't feel safe doing that for people.
Jill Brook: Yeah, absolutely. So, so are you still in the beginning of that process or have you started thinking about kind of other things that, because I'm sure there's a ton of people in your boat, which is why I'm asking, and they're all, you know, share ideas.
Tristan: Everyone, I think it's just with how everything's played out and everything, it's time for me to look at other options. Like, like I'm starting to look into computer science and like, video game development maybe. Stuff like that.
Jill Brook: Nice. Okay. Yeah, so you mentioned that you like gaming. Do you have a favorite game?
Tristan: I don't really, actually. I would say [00:20:00] probably if I were to pick one of all time it would be Skyrim, but I play a lot of games.
Jill Brook: Do you watch Mythic Quest?
Tristan: No, I don't.
Jill Brook: It's a comedy about making video games, and so I don't know anything about making video games, so what I imagine comes from it. I recommend it. It's funny.
Tristan: Yeah. Yeah.
Jill Brook: So do you have anything that you have to do every day to feel better?
Tristan: Oh, when I first wake up in the morning I either vomit or don't vomit, and then I take a shower like that. That shower is the most important thing in my entire day. It's just, it's something about the, the heat and everything gets rid of my headache and my nausea. But also makes me lightheaded and tachycardic. So it's, it's like a trade off, I guess.
Jill Brook: Swap out some symptoms for other ones.
Tristan: But I do that [00:21:00] every day. And also I I smoke marijuana to to manage pain symptoms and nausea symptoms.
Jill Brook: Okay. Can I ask about your pain? Like what kind of pain do you have?
Tristan: I have a lot of joint pain and and head pain. Like my, my, I have chronic migraines from it, and it's it's just really bad. Like when, when I was younger once, I was taken to the emergency room and they had to sedate me with morphine and then I would wake up and then I would throw up into this bag and then I would just pass out again.
Jill Brook: Oh, so have you looked into whether you might have some of the common comorbid conditions that go with POTS?
Tristan: I have, I have, it is just it's hard right now 'cause I haven't talked to any specialists yet. So, I honestly don't even know if it's POTS or these other ones [00:22:00] yet because I I like, I assume it's it's hyperadrenergic 'cause my blood pressure goes up and my heart rate goes up and I feel like I'm going to explode.
And so that's what I feel like I have, but I don't know. I don't, I haven't even had like a adrenal panel or anything.
Jill Brook: Yeah. Yeah. So hopefully they can, they can find all kinds of new answers for you to help. Gosh. Okay, so what is the best way that people can help and support you right now?
Tristan: Oh. Right now it's just I, I don't really know. Right now supporting me just kind of looks like, like understanding as a man that I can't do everything else as another man can. And I think that's the, the hardest thing I've come across so far is that judgment.[00:23:00]
Jill Brook: Is it hard having something that is associated with way more females having it?
Tristan: Oh, I don't mind it being associated with way more females. I just wish more men talked about it. Like, I wish more men felt more comfortable talking about all the issues that come along with this and also like your masculinity, you know.
Jill Brook: Yeah. Yeah, we've had a couple people talk about that, but you're right, it's not, it's not very very common. But yeah, I mean, is that something that is like on your mind very often or like, when, when does it come up? Do, do you feel like you have pressure to do things that POTS takes away from you?
Tristan: Yeah. Yeah, like all the time, honestly. Like, even though she doesn't impose it on me at all, I still feel the pressure to like, like we moved recently and I felt the pressure to help her like [00:24:00] carry the heavy stuff and like, walk down the street to take the trash out and do the dishes. I like, I wanna, I wanna do that stuff still.
And I feel bad not doing that stuff for her. And like not being able to dance with her is crazy for me. It's just, it's not the idea I had of my own self, and a relationship. So it's, more over I have to get over it more than she has to get over it.
Jill Brook: Yeah. Yeah. Oh man. I totally get that. And I struggle with similar things myself. And yeah, it's a bad feeling to have work to do, like a move. My husband and I just moved to our little summer cottage for a bit, and of course when you get there, there's a gazillion things to do and he's doing all, he's doing so much and I am sitting there just trying to keep my sanity and, you know, [00:25:00] keep the pain down and it's, it's a bad feeling.
But then I can see where then the, kind of the societal norms about masculinity pile up on top of that and yeah, that stinks. So is there anything at all that has been a silver lining about POTS?
Tristan: Silver lining. I would say it's, it's honestly made me a more, I think, understanding person just in general, of being like that person was rude, but they're probably doing some, going through something themselves type thing. Like that's, I, it gave me more of that, I, I would say. Just 'cause I, I feel so invisible all the time.
Jill Brook: Yeah. You know, I've thought about how, how invisible illness patients ought to [00:26:00] be good at recognizing the invisible struggles of other people too. And maybe that, you know, could be our superpower and offer the world a little bit more empathy in that way. That's, that's cool that you do that. So are you up for doing some speed round questions where you just say the first thing that comes to your mind.
Tristan: Yeah, definitely.
Jill Brook: What's your favorite way to get salt?
Tristan: Oh pizza rolls.
Jill Brook: What's the drink you find the most hydrating?
Tristan: Oh, the BODYARMOR Flash IVs.
Jill Brook: What's your favorite time of the day and why?
Tristan: I like, like 11 to 1:00 AM because I feel the most good in that timeframe.
Jill Brook: Where is your favorite place to spend time?
Tristan: Oh, probably on the deck at, at this house. I love this house's deck.
Jill Brook: What do you look at when you're out there?
Tristan: Oh the garden, all the [00:27:00] flowers. It's just really well made. We have wysteria growing. Yeah, it's great.
Jill Brook: How many other POTS patients have you ever met face to face?
Tristan: One and it's you.
Jill Brook: And we are, yes, face to face through computer. Yeah. What's one word that describes what it's like living with a chronic illness?
Tristan: It's a drag.
Jill Brook: What is some good advice you try to live by?
Tristan: My dad's golden rule that, that he taught us since we were young was that the number one rule is just be a good person. Like do unto others that you would to yourself, like type thing, you know?
Jill Brook: Beautiful. Okay. Who is somebody that you admire?
Tristan: I would say I admire my dad a lot.
Jill Brook: Do you wanna say why?
Tristan: Yeah, he's, he's just, he's overcome a lot of stuff and he's really been beaten down, kind of similar to me. Like different struggles, but [00:28:00] he always got back up and that was his ninja way, so...
Jill Brook: That's great. What's the toughest thing about POTS?
Tristan: I'd say just I, if it comes later in life, mourning what you had.
Jill Brook: What's something that you're proud of?
Tristan: I'm proud of getting my GED. I'm very proud of that.
Jill Brook: What is an activity that you can enjoy even when you're feeling really POTSie?
Tristan: Video games. I love video games. The only problem is high intensity ones like against other people and stuff can spike your heart rate and make you feel bad. So watch out for that.
Jill Brook: So you don't get dizzy from the screen moving a lot and stuff?
Tristan: I turn off certain things and turn on certain things. So like I make the field of view like a normal field of view, [00:29:00] like your eyes. And then I like turn off motion blur and like, stuff like that, so like stuff to like accommodate for myself.
Jill Brook: Okay. That's good to know, 'cause I have to say, some of the more modern video games were a hard fail for me, but maybe if I turn some of that stuff off. I thought I was gonna lose it just from getting so dizzy. Okay. What is your pet peeve?
Tristan: Oh, people telling me to drink more water.
Jill Brook: Do you have any little tips to help fall asleep?
Tristan: Oh, I I use the Army Method. Just start it at your toes and really focus and like, relax your toes and relax your feet, and relax your calves, and relax your legs, you know. Like work all the way up your body and completely clear your mind, and that's how I usually get to bed.
Jill Brook: Oh, nice. Do you have any tips for getting more energy when you need it?
Tristan: No, [00:30:00] I would love some of those myself.
Jill Brook: What is a gift that you would have sent to every POTS patient on earth if you had infinite funds?
Tristan: Oh man. To every POTS patient on earth.
Jill Brook: Yeah, it's like an Oprah type situation.
Tristan: Oh. What would I give everyone? Thing that's like most consistent through my whole journey, my wedge pillow. I love my wedge pillow. I use it everywhere.
Jill Brook: That's good to know.
Tristan: Yeah.
Jill Brook: What is something you are grateful for?
Tristan: My family. My family, they helped a lot.
Jill Brook: Finish these sentences. I love it when...
Tristan: I love it when all my friends play, are playing video games with me.
Jill Brook: Nice. I hate it when...
Tristan: I wake up in the morning with really bad symptoms.
Jill Brook: People might suspect I'm a POTSie when ...
Tristan: I stand up and I look like I'm [00:31:00] looking through everything for a few seconds.
Jill Brook: Okay. I just have a couple more questions. What do you wish more people understood about POTS?
Tristan: That it's not just something you can just straight up will power your way through. Like you, you have walls and limits now, and that's just how it is.
Jill Brook: Great answer. And last question is if you were to talk to, you know, the version of yourself at your absolute worst and most discouraged, what would you say to that version of you? The reason being that we hear from people who like to listen to this podcast when they're feeling that way. So basically, do you have any words of wisdom or encouragement or anything that you would give to the version of you when you were sort of at rock bottom?
Tristan: That even though it never has and it never feels like it will, it will get better. [00:32:00] Eventually it will. You will get some sort of handle on it. Regardless of how the handle looks, you will get better. I think that's very important to remember, and that's what I would've told myself.
Jill Brook: You know, you're a bit of an interesting subject for this particular question because of course we have humongous hopes that Stanford neurology is gonna be able to make a huge difference for you, but would you say have things gotten any better, even just since then, just in, I don't know, learning to deal with it better or learning little hacks yourself or...
Tristan: Just tiny, tiny things, like tiny steps. Like I throw up less every I, it's not like, not quite every morning now. I would say like, the pain is more manageable. I can go a slightly longer [00:33:00] distance or a longer time hanging out with people. Like it's that type of thing. The things that you don't see at a snail's pace, but then you look behind you and you're like, wait a minute, I was somewhere else, you know?
Jill Brook: Yeah. Yeah. And I, so what's interesting is it seems like your mental health is really good, even though you haven't really seen much improvement yet. Is that, is that because you're just that mentally healthy of a person? Or did you have to work hard to get there? Or is this based on hope that there's gonna be really amazing things after seeing Stanford?
Tristan: It's off of hope generally right now, and of a lot of trial and error through my teenage years. I was a very, very angry person growing up just 'cause I was just putting a finger to the world like, this is like, not cool. Like [00:34:00] why me? You know? And so I, I grew up angry and then I, one day I just realized I was done being angry and I started, I started therapy again recently and everything like that, just 'cause it took a little bit more of a weight on me, I think, knowing it was uncurable than I thought. But, so now I'm starting therapy again. And trying to work on it again.
Jill Brook: That's great. Good for you. Well, Tristan, it's been so lovely speaking with you and I know that everybody listening just wishes you. All the very, very, very best going forward. Maybe you can drop us a line after, you know, I don't know, in six months after you've been to Stanford and gotten some more answers, hopefully, and gotten to try more treatments and let us know how things are [00:35:00] going and we are all rooting for you that you have a time in your life where you forget what it's like to throw up every morning.
Tristan: Oh, that would be great. I would love that.
Jill Brook: Okay, Tristan. Well, it was really fun talking to you.
Tristan: Yeah, you too. Yeah. Thank you.
Jill Brook: Okay, listeners, that's all for today. We'll be back again next week, but until then, thank you for listening, remember you're not alone, and please join us again soon.