Not surprised but disappointed that doctors just ignore so many issues, I really feel for you. It took me till I was in my mid to late 20s(I'm 28 now) to get diagnoses for multiple things(I have barrett's esophagus/hiatal hernia/possible thyroid issues) and it makes me so upset that it took that long and that others had to suffer through that process as well. I can't believe they told you you'd "grow out" of lactose intolerance, that's nuts!! I'm really glad you were able to find medications that help and that you're doing better! It feels great to have that pain lifted, people just don't understand the toll it takes on not only your body but your mental state as well. This is such a great video, as someone who is also chronically ill and a lolita it's comforting in a way that I'm not alone in this but also it sucks that people have to deal with these things, thank you for sharing your experiences!

This whole video is relatable af to me: I got diagnosed with ADHD only about a year and a half ago, at age 28. I think for my entire childhood I sort of "flew under the radar" so to speak because I was never disruptive in classes and I pretty much got straight As through middle school and high school (and also because ADHD is severely underdiagnosed in girls compared to boys). When I first started taking Adderall it was like "holy shit, is this how everyone else's brains work??" Being on a stimulant-based medication has honestly changed my life, and looking back now on some childhood/teenage memories I'm like "oh, that was clearly an ADHD thing." I'm miffed that no one figured it out sooner, but right now I'm just glad to have the diagnosis and the insight that it brings.

Definitely can relate. I started getting symptoms for my chronic illnesses when I was about 7-8 years old and they slowly ramped up over the years until I hit puberty + a very stressful freshman year of high school, and then it just started to wreck me. Doctors "tested" me and saw me, but dismissed my issues and ultimately I was passed off as a drama queen, faking illness to get out of school and to be lazy... I wasn't diagnosed with anything until I was almost 25 and even then, it wasn't everything I had. At first I trusted the doctors that failed me so utterly as a kid and teen and then I realized they were not helping at all, if I wanted to get well I had to do this on my own and researched super heavily into my issues and symptoms. Around 27 I finally got the diagnosis of the rest of the issues, the problem was no one was willing to help me fix them, so I had to wait a few more years until my aunt died and left me the money to get the care I needed. I've pulled myself up out of the depths of symptom heck and while I don't think I'll ever have "good" health, I went from very poor, unable to function, to fair health and actually functional. I was told I'd never have a baby because of my issues... I have a very healthy baby and we're trying for number two later this year. :) Personally... I wouldn't trust doctors and lab work (nor treatments depending on the issue), the dirty secret with it is that it is not very accurate and even the majority (I mean like 95+% here) of doctors do not know that. They do not make the ranges for labs from healthy individuals, instead they take a sample from the population getting lab work and just throw out the outliers, not looking at healthy non-symptomatic people, so they tend to be heavily skewed. What you want is not only to be in range for most labs, but also optimal within those ranges. And then you have labs for things like Lyme disease, those labs, the mainstream ones are only around 30% accurate and even the best on the market are only around 70% accurate. But they won't even consider the possibility of the flaws in testing... and to treat a patient like an individual... nope. I was told unicorns do not exist by some doctors... yeah no, they do, I'm one of them. And it's a really awful system we have that is very quick to dismiss beginning symptoms in children and teens especially, like if it's not super visible, and well of course kids aren't the best at articulating what's wrong, then forget it until your lab work is just so bad they finally pay attention to it for the most part (and depending on the issue, treatment itself can be heavily lacking). And this is true all over the world too with doctors, doesn't matter the health system, etc... it's a huge glaring flaw in modern medicine. Anyway, I say this as a former health group admin who used to help people educate themselves so they could advocate for better help for themselves, shoot, hypothyroidism alone, which has been around for ages and the first treatment came out in the 1890s, the average person diagnosed with it has had symptoms of it for well over a decade and some their whole lives (and the standard of care treatment is woefully inadequate for most patients)! And it's not even a rare disease. :/ I'm sorry you had to suffer through so much, and I'm so glad you've found things that have worked for you now and can enjoy a better quality of life! I know exactly how awesome that is. Also thank you so much for sharing your story!

Love this video! One of my favorite things about wearing this fashion is that wearing a petticoat takes a lot of pressure off of my bloated stomach from my chronic illnesses.

I have Crohn’s disease, and I feel your pain. I’m so sorry- doctors are likely to be dismissive of stomach pain- especially to women !

I understand the feeling, I have IBS and I had it all my life and I sadly don't have medicine that can help so I can't work and go outside for so long, it's difficult but I can live with it :) I am happy that you shared with us! Love your outfit 😀

1:50 what you're describing here is (iirc) delayed gastric emptying. Very uncomfortable, feels like there's a brick in your stomach, the burps you have hint at a very weird chemical soup in your stomach. Nausea is worse than pain imo. I just went through a 2 week long ulcer flareup a month ago (it's my 4th flareup, I don't get them every year luckily) and I always have an emergency stash of omeprazole. I remember my first stomach ulcer, it was hell. GP thought I was pregnant and insisted I get tested before she would even see me. I cannot imagine how difficult it is to have those symptoms for 27 years.

How funny (not really) it is that I'm watching this while in pain lol Thank you for sharing your experience

I'm working on getting a diagnosis for what looks like a chronic metabolic disorder. I feel what you mean when you don't take time when you feel well for granted, because what ails me can make me very weak and sore for days, especially after exertion. I'm happy to hear you found what makes you feel better!

whoaa thats v weird that the doctors dismissed everything esp as lactose intolerance. even if they were right about the intolerance, its bold to assume you will just "grow out of it". im glad that you found ways to feel better! its always amazing finding help and solutions for lifelong health issues 💓

I can understand how it feels to be undiagnosed... I have most/ if not all of the symptoms of adhd but yet I was diagnosed with a language delay ( which i can very well have on top of adhd ) Which explains my struggle with my schooling but doesn't explain my food sensory issues with raw vegetables, to this day I can't eat celery or pea pods without gaging bc of it or the fact that I have an inconsistent diet and will forget to eat/over eat sometimes... the fact that I can't focus without zoning out of my surroundings at work, or how it really hard for me to keep things clean in my house I'm glad you were able to get diagnosed, I do hope a doctor will listen to me one day...

Thank you so much, this video gave me back some hope. I've had IBS my whole life (I'm 25), but in the past 6 months it has become so bad that I can't work and I lost my job. I also developed the same symptoms you describe with the burping and nausea but my GI doctor dismissed them.

Thank you so much for sharing your story. My sister has crippling stomach pains and now I can tell her about FD and PPI's.

Thank you so very much for sharing your story. It was very beautiful and touched me because I have a hard-to-diagnose chronic illness; aka fibromyalgia. I only had it for 5 years and it took 2 years to get diagnosed though. I also can't eat a lot of meat or fatty foods either because it hurts my tummy so very much. I take medication that helps a lot with the pain but, I do have 3 days a month where I'm stuck in bed because I'm in so much pain. lolita fashion helps me stay active with lite sewing and going to meets. I really hope other girls with chronic illness have hobbies that keep them active, social, and feeling good about themself.

ED trigger warning. I have IBS which greatly limits the things I can eat without horrible pain and bloating (and sometimes the runs). I also have a sensitive stomach because of past stomach ulcers (so I can't drink coffee, can't eat food that is overly spicy or too greasy). I have insulin resistance which also limits my food choices and have Hashimoto's thyroiditis (I have medication and get tested every 3 months, but I still see symptoms sometimes). I'm dealing with a restrictive ED and it's a very recovery resistant one (I've tried and failed 3 times to recover), I suspect the medical food restrictions in my diet keep me in that "restrictive mindset" because usually the most effective ed treatment (along side of therapy) for restrictive eds is tackling all of your fear foods and eating balanced meals and have some "naughty foods" as part of that balanced lifestyle. I see so many people with eds take that route and be successful and live happier healthier lives because they don't have to worry about what's in their food all of the time. I still have to read labels, count certain things, can't eat a large variety of foods, despite the fact that I don't want to live that way and I don't struggle much with my body image anymore (I've dealt with 90% of it). My registered dietitian says "you have to keep to these medical restrictions otherwise you're going to be very unwell" and I know she's right. On the other hand the ed therapist I've seen in the past would probably say "you can't expect to recover and be on a diet at the same time". I can't recover right now and I'm just practicing harm reduction. Still the idea of being invited to have dinner with family, or eat at a lolita meetup/event fills me with dread. Most of the stuff on the menu at cafes where lolita meet ups happen are things I can't eat (afternoon tea is 3 tiers of nope), my best bet is a picknick meet where I eat before I go out of the house and take a small salad with me to eat at the meet and try not to draw attention to what I'm eating. That's going to be almost impossible because there are going to be some very sweet people who lovingly baked cookies, brownies and cupcakes they want to share with people. And I just have to say "no thank you" to everything that's offered (suggestions for excuses are welcome). Maybe I should bake my own cookies, have one bite to taste test, then bring everything to the meet and share them and tell one of my acquaintances there to keep any leftovers.

Illness, body image, and self research. Well rounded video. I can relate to having a younger looking body that's one of the reasons I like the fashion (though I haven't fully jumped in yet). Thanks for sharing this.

omg, what dress are you wearing? it looks so cute

Sorry to hear you suffer this. I have a hard time with any alcohol and it gets worse every year. I only drink on very special occasions now and try to avoid more than 1 because I know I'll feel like I'm dying the next day. Sorry if this is unwanted advice but have you tried being vegetarian? (I'm just halfway through the video so I apologize if you mention this) Meat stays in our bodies a lot longer than plant-based things which is one of the major reasons I'm still vegetarian. I'll definitely spare you a sales pitch; It's just probably worth a shot. Edit: sorry! Yep, I should have waited to comment😳

Oh, that's interesting, because for me lolita is the opposite. I am more curvy than I would feel comfortable with, and wearing lolita makes me feel more protected from outer eyes. I feel too sexualised almost with any other clothes.

A plant-based diet is the kindest diet for everyone. Especially the animals.