Health Update - I Lost Everything…

Jonathan shares his harrowing journey battling shingles, which severely impacted his vision, memory, and neurological functions over the past 10 months. The condition led to a series of debilitating symptoms, including memory loss, confusion, and double vision, compounded by neck issues from bulging discs and pinched nerves. Despite multiple misdiagnoses and ineffective treatments, Jonathan found relief through the care of Dr. Elizabeth Haer and vision therapy at Insight Vision Center. Now on a path to recovery, he seeks financial support and collaborations to rebuild his career and life.

• Jonathan discusses his absence due to severe health issues, including shingles that affected his eye, causing scarring and vision problems.
• The scarring in his eye is complex, involving deeper layers of the cornea and affecting his vision significantly.
• He expresses the emotional and mental challenges of dealing with memory loss and cognitive dysfunction due to neurological impacts.

"I've been on this multi-year roller coaster with shingles that got into my right eye, caused scarring, but then came back and caused even more scarring."

• Jonathan describes the recurring and worsening nature of his health condition, particularly the impact of shingles on his eye.

"I've been scared to make this video. I've been scared to ask for help, but this is me asking for help."

• He conveys the emotional difficulty of sharing his struggles and reaching out for support.

"Shingles impacted hit multiple cranial nerves including 6, 10, and 12, and either I had a mini stroke at some point or there was enough neuroinflammation to cause brain trauma."

• The health issues extended beyond vision problems to neurological complications, potentially involving a mini-stroke or brain trauma.

"I lost every part of me: video, music, guitar, my team, career, my office, which I'll talk about, but worst of all my mind."

• Jonathan shares the profound impact of his health issues on his personal and professional life, especially the loss of cognitive abilities.

• Jonathan details the neurological impairments affecting his vision, including ocular motor dysfunction and double vision.
• The cranial nerve damage, particularly to the abducens nerve, led to partial paralysis affecting eye movement.
• He describes the technical aspects of how vision is processed and the complications caused by his condition.

"Cranial nerve six, also known as the abducens nerve, is one of 12 cranial nerve pairs that connects directly to your brain."

• He explains the role of the abducens nerve in eye movement and how its damage has affected him.

"I couldn't physically move my eyes together or properly."

• The damage to the cranial nerve has led to significant issues with coordinating eye movement.

"Scarring since it bleeds into the pupil, yes, does impact visual acuity, but it also leads to things like ghosting, halo, starburst, and double vision."

• The scarring in his eye causes multiple visual distortions, complicating his ability to see clearly.

• Jonathan reflects on the cognitive disorientation and memory loss, describing it as being trapped in a state of confusion.
• He discusses the emotional toll of not being able to recognize familiar places or people, including his own mother.
• The experience has been isolating, impacting his ability to connect with his past and his loved ones.

"I've always been able to view life and memories very linearly... but this time it was like everything was just shoved all the way to the end on a single plane."

• He describes the disruption in his ability to organize and recall memories, highlighting the disorienting effect on his mental state.

"Even my own mom looked like a stranger."

• Jonathan illustrates the profound memory and recognition issues he faced, affecting his relationships.

"I've also realized it's one thing to not be able to physically see with your eyes, but when you can't see with your mind... that is hell."

• He emphasizes the deeper struggle of losing cognitive and imaginative abilities, beyond the physical vision problems.

• Jonathan acknowledges the loss of his creative and professional identity due to his health struggles.
• He expresses guilt and sorrow for not being able to fulfill his roles and responsibilities to those he cares about.
• The challenges have affected his confidence and ability to engage in activities he once enjoyed.

"What I think hurt the most is that it took me away from being the person I needed to be for the people I cared about most."

• Jonathan conveys the emotional impact of his condition on his relationships and sense of self-worth.

"I lost every part of me: video, music, guitar, my team, career, my office."

• He lists the various aspects of his life that have been disrupted, underscoring the comprehensive nature of his loss.

• The speaker experienced severe visual disturbances due to the inability of their brain to fuse images correctly, leading to blurry vision and, in extreme cases, double vision.
• These visual problems overloaded the brain, causing a shutdown of the central nervous system.
• The speaker's condition affected multiple cranial nerves, including the vagus nerve, causing symptoms like tachycardia, and the hypoglossal nerve, affecting speech.

"In this case, when it's just slightly exterior, that is blurry vision, and when you get extreme, that is double."

• The speaker describes the progression from blurry to double vision due to the brain's inability to align images.

"My visual system was overloading my brain and then causing my central nervous system to shut down."

• The visual disturbances were so severe that they impacted the central nervous system, leading to systemic shutdowns.

"Cranial nerve 10 is the vagus nerve, which would explain things like tachycardia; my heart rate would get locked at 110 resting."

• The speaker's vagus nerve was affected, causing a constant fight-or-flight state with elevated heart rates.

• The speaker experienced significant auditory processing issues, likening it to having low and high cut filters on their brain.
• They were unable to engage with music or electronic devices and struggled with daily activities.

"Honestly, it was kind of like someone placed a low cut and a high cut filter on my brain."

• This metaphor illustrates the speaker's diminished ability to perceive sound frequencies, impacting music appreciation and processing.

"I couldn't process or absorb music; it kind of felt like this couldn't exercise."

• The speaker's cognitive impairments extended to music, an activity they could no longer enjoy or comprehend.

• The speaker describes their day-to-day existence as a relentless cycle of pain and mental anguish.
• They played mental games to survive each day, with no relief in sight, leading to dark thoughts and a desire for peace.

"I had to play games with myself where I'd get up, see if I could make it to 11:00 a.m., then 1:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m., 700 p.m."

• The speaker used time-based goals to cope with the overwhelming challenges of each day.

"I truthfully didn't see a way out, and it wasn't from a lack of wanting to be here; I just wanted peace."

• Despite a desire to live, the speaker was overwhelmed by their circumstances, seeking peace from their suffering.

• The speaker suffered from intense physical pain due to bulging discs, nerve damage, and other complications.
• Medical professionals initially dismissed their symptoms as anxiety, leading to feelings of helplessness.

"At its worst, it felt like someone took a screwdriver that was on fire, jammed it into the back of my skull."

• The speaker vividly describes the severity of their physical pain, which was pervasive and debilitating.

"I had seen multiple doctors, multiple specialists, including three different neurologists who all concluded that this was most likely anxiety."

• Despite severe symptoms, the speaker's condition was initially misdiagnosed as anxiety by several medical professionals.

• The speaker eventually found a primary care doctor who took their symptoms seriously and ordered an MRI, leading to a correct diagnosis.
• The MRI revealed bulging discs, degeneration, and a pinched nerve, validating the speaker's concerns.

"He ordered blood panels and, more importantly, an MRI. That MRI changed my life."

• The MRI provided critical insights into the speaker's condition, leading to a breakthrough in diagnosis and treatment.

"The report is showing some bulge discs, degeneration, and a pinched nerve."

• The MRI results confirmed physical issues that explained the speaker's symptoms, contradicting previous anxiety diagnoses.

• The speaker was advised to see a spine specialist and consider chiropractic care, specifically the Blair technique, as a non-surgical treatment option.
• Despite initial skepticism, the speaker explored chiropractic care due to the spine surgeon's recommendation.

"I'd recommend going and finding a spine surgeon or specialist."

• The speaker was guided to seek specialized care for their spinal issues, marking a turning point in their treatment journey.

"The word chiropractor scared the out of me, but this was coming from a spine surgeon."

• Initially apprehensive, the speaker considered chiropractic care on the advice of a trusted medical professional, highlighting their desperation for relief.

• The speaker's initial experience with a chiropractor in LA was unsatisfactory and did not align with their expectations based on research into Blair Chiropractic.
• The chiropractor dismissed concerns about issues beyond the neck, leading to frustration and an aggressive adjustment that worsened the condition.

"I found a doctor in LA who I'm not going to name because I don't think he's inherently a bad doctor, but he was a bad doctor for me."

• The speaker acknowledges the chiropractor may not be inherently bad but was not suitable for their needs.

"After about 2 weeks, he was visibly frustrated with me and told me that I should be making more progress than I was."

• The chiropractor's frustration with the lack of progress added to the speaker's distress.

"He made a noticeably more aggressive adjustment that really just seemed to make things worse."

• An aggressive adjustment exacerbated the speaker's condition, leading to emotional distress.

• The speaker found hope through Dr. Kevin Pekka's insights, which resonated deeply with their experience.
• Dr. Elizabeth Haer's approach, integrating neurology and MRIs, offered a new direction for treatment.

"I ended up stumbling upon Dr. Kevin Pekka, and a couple of things he talked about really hit home."

• Dr. Pekka's insights provided the speaker with hope and a new perspective on their struggles.

"What stood out to me was her interest in neurology, functional neurology, and that she integrated MRIs into her findings."

• Dr. Haer's integration of neurology and MRIs was a decisive factor in choosing her for treatment.

• Dr. Haer's goal was to relieve neck pressure to allow the nervous system to reset and heal.
• The speaker experienced significant pain reduction and credited Dr. Haer's comprehensive approach for their recovery.

"The first goal with Dr. Haer was to get some pressure off the neck... give my nervous system a chance to reset, to rest, and more importantly, heal."

• Relieving neck pressure was crucial for the nervous system's recovery.

"If the pain was at a 9 or a 10, it's currently at a two or three maybe on any given day."

• The treatment led to a significant reduction in pain levels, indicating improvement.

• Dr. Haer's treatment included PMF, cold laser therapy, trigger point therapy, and lymphatic drainage.
• The speaker emphasizes the importance of a multifaceted approach to their recovery.

"I will also be the first one to say that the Chiropractic Care by itself would not have saved me."

• Acknowledgment that chiropractic care alone was insufficient for recovery.

"She also integrates PMF, cold laser therapy, trigger point therapy, lymphatic drainage, all of which have been instrumental to my recovery."

• A multifaceted approach was critical to the speaker's healing process.

• Vision rehab was identified as necessary after failing a convergence test, revealing issues with eye tracking and focus.
• The rehabilitation process was intense, focusing on rebuilding neural pathways.

"One of those tests was a convergence test with my IED that I failed."

• The failed convergence test indicated a need for vision rehabilitation.

"As much as it is rehab for your eyes and muscles, it's actually more so rehab for your brain."

• Vision rehab was crucial not only for eye health but also for brain recovery.

• Alongside vision rehab, scleral lenses were explored as a solution to vision issues.
• The speaker found success with scleral lenses, facilitated by Dr. Sh's expertise.

"Alongside the vision rehab, they also specialized in Scleral lenses, something that I looked into."

• Scleral lenses were considered as a part of the vision treatment plan.

"These Scleral lens secret weapon was Dr. Sh."

• Dr. Sh's expertise in scleral lenses was instrumental in addressing the speaker's vision issues.

• Scleral lenses are hard contact lenses that vault over the sclera and are useful for conditions like scarring, keratoconus, complications from LASIK, and dry eye.
• The process involves creating a 3D mold of the eye, which can help reduce scarring and correct higher-order aberrations.
• The speaker is in the process of recovery and rehabilitation, feeling about 60% better, although it's still a demanding and ongoing effort.

"So what is a scleral lens? ... It's a hard contact lens that vaults over the sclera, hence the name scleral, and it can be helpful in a handful of situations including scarring like myself, keratoconus, if things went wrong with LASIK, or even things like dry eye."

• Explanation: Scleral lenses are described as a solution for various eye conditions, emphasizing their utility and the speaker's personal experience with them.

"Are things completely better and fully healed? No, I would say it feels like while I do still have one foot in hell, at least I have a foot out the door and I would comfortably, confidently say I'm about 60% better..."

• Explanation: The speaker shares their current state of recovery, highlighting significant improvement but acknowledging ongoing challenges.

• The speaker has faced financial and professional setbacks due to a year of not working, leading to a need for financial assistance.
• They have set up a GoFundMe and Patreon for support and are seeking brand collaborations to create content once healthy.
• Despite the difficulties, the speaker is optimistic about overcoming these challenges and is motivated to return to content creation.

"I would say the costs of upcoming medical expenses and things like that are probably somewhere in the $20,000 to $25,000 range which again burns my soul to ask for..."

• Explanation: The speaker discusses the financial burden of medical expenses and their hesitation in asking for help.

"This is my call out to any brands out there... let's work together, let's make a cool story and figure things out when I'm healthy and when I'm at the top of my game."

• Explanation: The speaker reaches out to brands for collaboration, emphasizing their potential to create high-quality content.

• The speaker found motivation and discipline from various YouTube channels and personalities during difficult times.
• They credit Brian Johnson, Maven Huffman, and WWE storylines for providing distraction, inspiration, and something to look forward to each week.
• The speaker's outlook and approach to life have been changed, and they are eager to return to normal activities and simple pleasures.

"I want to give a quick shout out to Brian Johnson... it really gave me the extra discipline and motivation that I so desperately needed."

• Explanation: The speaker acknowledges the influence of Brian Johnson in helping them maintain discipline and motivation.

"Then we have this, the Judgment Day, which does hold a special place in my heart... it was something that I latched on to, to see that, and R-Truth again gave me something to come back for and to look forward to every week."

• Explanation: The speaker describes how WWE storylines provided them with a sense of continuity and hope during tough times.

• The speaker expresses excitement about returning to video creation, albeit at a slower pace, and acknowledges a changed perspective on life.
• They express gratitude to their audience and plan to provide more detailed updates on their medical journey through a new channel.

"Outside of that, I'm actually really, really, really excited to get back and make videos even if it's at a slower pace... I'm ready to roll with it."

• Explanation: The speaker conveys enthusiasm about resuming content creation and adapting to new circumstances.

"Thank you for listening to this... I will definitely have a more detailed breakdown of everything involved with the doctors and the therapy."

• Explanation: The speaker thanks their audience and mentions plans to share more detailed information about their recovery process.