Living with Chronic Illness: A Journey of Resilience w/ Ayden Kosko

In this episode of Living Chronic, Brandy Schantz speaks with Ayden Kosko about her journey with multiple chronic illnesses, including endometriosis, POTS, and food allergies. They discuss the challenges of seeking medical help, the importance of self-advocacy, and the need for better understanding of women's health issues. Ayden shares her experiences with navigating her diagnoses, the impact on her daily life, and the significance of finding community support. The conversation emphasizes the importance of shifting perspectives on life with chronic illness and embracing personal growth.

Transcript

Brandy Schantz (00:01.154)
Welcome to Living Chronic, I'm Brandy Shantz and today I'm here with Aiden Kosko and we're gonna be talking about all things chronic illness really because she's just like most of us, more than one, a nice little list and doing our best to live through life. So welcome Aiden.

Ayden Kosko (00:19.42)
Thank you. I'm excited to be here.

Brandy Schantz (00:23.266)
So tell me a little bit about your story. You sound a lot like, you really most of us, you know, you get more than one diagnosis. You're trying to figure out how to live your life with all these different things coming at you. So tell me a little bit about yourself.

Ayden Kosko (00:37.18)
Yeah, so it started with endometriosis. I knew something was going on, so we started with that. I had a laparoscopy and...

found out we had that. And then as that started more just kept happening. I got my POTS diagnosis out of nowhere and I was only 19 when I got that diagnosed. So I was really young and I wasn't really understanding where all of that was coming from. And then a year ago is kind of when everything just...

happened, I seem to become allergic to everything, I'm super sensitive to every single thing, and it just keeps going and it seems like one little thing set off everything else to go crazy, which is hard, but at least there's a group of people who understand that because it happens to so many people, but it's very confusing.

Brandy Schantz (01:24.398)
Mm-hmm.

Brandy Schantz (01:34.582)
You know and you part of it I think you know, start talking about the endometriosis and being a woman There's so much that hasn't really been studied in depth about women and our hormones Do play into a lot of these things and we don't you know know all this, you know extremely well, but we know enough and Endometriosis is not an uncommon diagnosis for many women

Tell me a little bit about that diagnosis and what it's like living with endometriosis because there's it's pretty common

Ayden Kosko (02:11.824)
Yeah, it's very, very common. I think the more people I know who have it, it's like it's taken me 10 years. It's taken me five years. No doctor will even listen to me about it. And it's so, so common, but...

Brandy Schantz (02:20.622)
Mm-hmm.

Ayden Kosko (02:27.75)
when you go to get help or you go to say, know, like, I'm in a lot of pain, most times it's just, you're woman, it's normal, or are you sure you're not just stressed? And that's the hardest thing is because when you have endometriosis or you have anything like that as a chronic illness, if you know something's off and you're in pain or you're symptomatic, you know that there is really something going on, but it's brushed right off, like...

Brandy Schantz (02:55.948)
Mm-hmm.

Ayden Kosko (02:56.444)
There's nothing truly going on, but it's gone better throughout the years, I think, but it's a lot of learning and it's a lot of self-advocacy that you have to do and fight for. Hey, something's really going on. I don't think I should be able to stay in bed for a week. That's not what I should do in my 20s, right?

Brandy Schantz (03:14.594)
Right. Right.

That's the, I think that's the hard conversation we're all having with doctors. Hey doc, I'm in bed all week long. This isn't normal. And let me stop you there. No, I'm not lazy. Why is this happening? And it's so hard to get a doctor to take you seriously and understand, okay, yeah, this isn't normal. And this patient, I'm sure they get some lazy patients in there, but you know what?

Ayden Kosko (03:43.912)
Okay.

Brandy Schantz (03:45.514)
Most of us, now we're just trying to live our lives. We have a thousand things happening and we want to accomplish at least maybe 800 of

Ayden Kosko (03:52.582)
That's just it, right? And even just the simplest thing, like if you have to vacuum the house or you have to do a couple things that can just wipe you out completely. And that shouldn't be the case when it's something that's so minor, you know? And it's so hard to get that across to doctors and it's more just, are you sure you're not stressed? Or have you tried exercising? I have, but it wipes me out or I'm in too much pain to do so. So what are we supposed to do in that case?

Brandy Schantz (03:58.574)
Mm-hmm.

Brandy Schantz (04:21.522)
Exactly, exactly. And I think what's most frustrating, and I know every woman listening is just thinking, yep, yep, this is the frustrating part. All of these things, they come in pairs, they come in, you know, their own little group, a team, if you will. And then when you add in something happening hormonally, everything goes haywire. And unfortunately, most doctors don't understand this and it could take

Not only does it take years to get the diagnosis, it takes years to get a doctor that understands, these hormonal things are interacting with these nervous system things, these endocrinology things, these, you know, whatever it is so that you could get a treatment plan. On my end of things, I'm dealing with perimenopause and let me tell you, I'm not doing well because I also have POTS and you know what, guys?

Those two things just don't love each other. They come together and they wreak havoc on your life. And it took so long before I got to a doctor at a menopause specialist clinic who said, we need to do something and we just need to get rid of these hormonal fluctuations entirely so that you're not flat on your back with the pots every month. But it should have taken that long.

Ayden Kosko (05:37.704)
And yeah, because it heightens everything, right? That's just it. Like it takes forever. And you're there suffering with the flare ups. You're there suffering with all the symptoms being heightened. What are you supposed to do in that case, right? Like it's so hard.

Brandy Schantz (05:47.278)
Mm-hmm.

Brandy Schantz (05:52.588)
Yeah.

It's very hard and it's not enough to just say deal with it. It's not okay to just laugh at it. Oh, the women, they're hysterical. No, we're trying to tell you we need help. And I can only imagine what it's like living with, you have endometriosis, you were also diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome, correct?

Ayden Kosko (06:21.212)
Yes.

Brandy Schantz (06:21.9)
And then you also have POTS, which I know from experience, anything hormonal or dealing with your reproductive system plus POTS equals just an absolute disaster.

Ayden Kosko (06:34.084)
Yeah, exactly. If one is deciding to have a flare-up that day, everything else will follow with that. And that's the hardest thing to explain. It's like, well, my blood pressure is going to drop from the pots, but I'm going to be in pain. My blood sugars are going to spike and swing around. It's a whole symptoms of offense.

Brandy Schantz (06:53.706)
Mm-hmm. Yeah. It's hard to stop it all. It all kind of cascades. And then next thing you know, you know, you're screaming at people while laying on the bed writhing in pain and, you know, passing out in between all of this. It's wild. It's wild.

Ayden Kosko (07:02.02)
Yeah.

Ayden Kosko (07:10.158)
It is, and it's just so normalized by them. seems like it shouldn't be, but it is.

Brandy Schantz (07:16.94)
Truly, and these are all largely women's diseases or disorders. And we can't say it any other way, 90 % of POTS patients are women. Obviously women are the ones suffering through things like endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome. We make up 80 % of all autoimmune disease patients. A large percentage of these various dysautonomias are triggered by

that kind of a response, that autoimmune response. So we're just not doing enough to address women's issues. And that's why we're sitting where we're at. We're learning more every day, more and more when I go into a doctor, no matter what their specialty is, they say, aha, yes, POTS, I know. And that's a big change from four years ago when I was going to doctors saying, what's wrong with me, what's wrong with me, healthy.

Women don't just stop being able to exercise. We don't just suddenly become fatigued all day long. What is this? And everybody shrugged. So we're in a different place, but we still haven't gotten very far. Especially since so many of these things come together, these dysautonomias, they have a little pack they like to run with. And you know, it's stuff like MCAS. It's stuff like L or Stanlose.

You know, you see a lot of people with dysautonomia who are also dealing with rarer conditions like children's. So you have been dealing with something that I'm starting to hear a lot in the dysautonomia groups. You're dealing with reactive hypoglycemia and you're allergic to corn. Not the only person I know with this problem. So tell me how did that come about?

Ayden Kosko (08:59.272)
So.

Ayden Kosko (09:04.104)
Yeah, the reactive hypoglycemia came up in June. I started just feeling really...

I was like, something's really wrong here. I was driving and I kind of kept getting tunnel vision. I was like, okay. So I used to be on metformin. So I had one of the finger pokes for the blood glucose and I decided, you know what? I'll do it. My blood pressure looked good. My pulse was good. Oxygen was good. So maybe it's this. Let's just try it. And I was at 2.9 and I ate an hour before that. And I was like, I don't think that should be like that at all. So...

Brandy Schantz (09:13.39)
Mm-hmm.

Brandy Schantz (09:38.606)
Mm-hmm.

Ayden Kosko (09:40.072)
I've been wearing the continuous glucose monitors and I'll eat and it'll go way up. I've had up to 18 within a couple minutes of eating and then within that hour it drops right back down to the threes or the twos.

Brandy Schantz (09:48.034)
wow.

Brandy Schantz (09:54.414)
Mmm.

Ayden Kosko (09:54.874)
Like that's not normal at all. So especially with the flare-ups if PCOS decides, you know, we're gonna do this with your cycle or endometriosis, it's recipe for disaster with that. The blood sugars go very crazy. And then with the corn, it came out of nowhere. It was just over a year ago now.

Brandy Schantz (10:07.31)
Mm-hmm.

Ayden Kosko (10:17.256)
and I started getting hives all over my neck, my tongue was getting fat, and I wasn't feeling good at all. Like there's something going on here. I cut out corn and it helped with that and I started reacting to other things. So I have a little bit of a list now. I'm like okay I know I'm reacting to these, know that these are some sensitivities, but it's corn is huge. Every single place in the world, everywhere you go, it's it's there.

Brandy Schantz (10:35.886)
Mm-hmm.

Brandy Schantz (10:46.348)
It's in everything. It's interesting when you brought up the corn because a woman who works for my husband suddenly became allergic to corn. And my husband was telling me about her journey and how much she struggled. And it just blew my mind because you don't think about corn being in everything. She lost a ton of weight and

Ayden Kosko (10:47.61)
Yeah, it is.

Brandy Schantz (11:12.404)
really struggled until she finally found a doctor that would listen and really help her and they've got her a plan. She's still, it's hard trying to find anything that you can eat or drink is a struggle.

Ayden Kosko (11:23.889)
Yeah.

Thanks.

It is right and even the non-food items like I had to re-go through all my makeup, my skincare, my soaps and like this is crazy. So it's re-going through every step of life almost as to what is actually safe and what isn't safe and it can take me down the rabbit hole sometimes because I can buy something in the store and if it says just one ingredient I'm like okay this should be safe. I reach out to the companies and

Brandy Schantz (11:35.598)
you

Brandy Schantz (11:43.319)
Yes.

Ayden Kosko (11:58.746)
And if they do get back to me, sometimes they're like, we actually don't know what else is in that. Like we don't get to build. And I'm like, this is where it's weird. If you're getting things from suppliers, but you can't tell consumers what exactly is in it.

Brandy Schantz (12:05.579)
gosh.

Ayden Kosko (12:15.056)
is kind of a red flag off the start for anyone I would think, even those without food allergies. just even if they like chocolate, for example, some companies will use cornstarch in the molds, but they don't have to classify cornstarch being in there. So it's like, if you're super sensitive, you get a reaction. What if you blame it on the chocolate? But it's actually going to be the corn. And it's so hard.

Brandy Schantz (12:17.324)
Mm-hmm.

Brandy Schantz (12:27.949)
Wow.

Brandy Schantz (12:40.328)
start.

What a nightmare. my gosh. Yeah, what a nightmare. Yes, I can't even imagine. Like I said, when I first heard about my very first, know, the very first time I heard about a coron allergy, the woman who works for my husband, I thought, my gosh, I cannot imagine. But of course, I think it's societal thing, right? The more we started to learn about celiac disease and

Ayden Kosko (12:50.448)
Yeah, brutal.

Brandy Schantz (13:14.53)
The more people we got to know with celiac disease, the more we started to identify gluten and everything. And now if you want to say that you're gluten free, we have standards around that. And you have to, you know, if there was cross contamination, you have to say, hey, there could have been cross contamination. Hopefully we get to a place like that with things like corn or anything. I mean, we should probably know what is in the food that we're buying. It's a little concerning that a company would say we don't really know.

Ayden Kosko (13:23.708)
Mm-hmm.

Ayden Kosko (13:44.898)
exactly or the ones that won't give you any information is another big thing which weirds me out in a way if I'm hey can you just let me know if there's corn in this or kind of an ingredient list and it isn't allowed to be told it's just a little odd to me it's I'm not trying to steal anything I just want to know if I'm safe to have it safe to use it but it's very odd in that sense too and a lot of the times two companies will say

Brandy Schantz (13:49.582)
Mmm.

Ayden Kosko (14:14.962)
things are corn free if the corn protein is gone. So it can still be derived from corn, but if there's no corn protein, they claim it to all be corn free. So that's another big thing that doesn't.

Brandy Schantz (14:26.702)
Hmm.

Ayden Kosko (14:29.198)
add up to those who are super sensitive because if I'm having a derivative of corn it's of course not as bad as if it's straight corn protein but it's still in there and if you're gonna claim something's corn free none of it should be from corn.

Brandy Schantz (14:46.764)
Right. So what is the difference between something derived from corn and a corn protein? Because I don't think we hear about that at all.

Ayden Kosko (14:54.408)
No, so with that, for example, I needed vitamin C. So I got a vitamin C powder. They told me there's no corn in it. So I'm like, okay, perfect. And as I started having it, I started having reactions. So I gave them a call back and they said, well, we only take part of it. There's no corn protein left in it. It's that process. It's that highly refined. There is no protein of corn left, but it's all made from corn no matter what.

Brandy Schantz (15:09.549)
Mm-hmm.

Ayden Kosko (15:22.832)
So they're saying if it's that highly refined, that process, there is no protein to be classified as corn anymore. So that's where it gets tricky is that if you're making a product that's solely from one thing, it really isn't free from it. It's just one of the hundred and eighty some derivatives of it.

Brandy Schantz (15:23.726)
Hmm.

Brandy Schantz (15:31.886)
Mm.

Brandy Schantz (15:42.86)
Right. And corn, I believe, is used for darn near everything. I mean, we can eat it, we can use it to fuel ourselves, the cars, can, I mean, you name it, we can use corn for it, really.

Ayden Kosko (15:51.88)
Thank

Ayden Kosko (15:56.185)
Exactly, right. And even industrial use. Like I read online when I was first starting this that like some companies will dust cornstarch on brand new tires in the factories or it's used in some dry walls. And I'm like, that's absurd to me. It's literally everywhere I look.

Brandy Schantz (16:10.222)
Mm-hmm.

Brandy Schantz (16:13.8)
That's insane. I just want an entire, who knows all this stuff about corn? I want an entire episode where we just talk corn. What is it corn in? That's wild. Tires, fuel, food. Is it in my hair products? Makeup, you said you had to get rid of makeup.

Ayden Kosko (16:27.688)
Yeah.

Ayden Kosko (16:31.6)
makeup. There was a lot, like even some of the mascaras I used to use, was xanthan gum, which can sometimes come from corn, it can come from a bunch of other things too, but then I'm like, okay, so I have to call these companies and say, hey, is there corn in your mascara or the foundation? And just figuring out all this, like sometimes if I'd rather just not do that and find something without it, it's hard. Yeah, it's...

Brandy Schantz (16:57.348)
my gosh. Yeah, we need a whole episode to just talk about corn, honestly. I mean, this is just, this is a lot. What can't we use it for? I'm a little concerned. Why do we use it for everything? That's fascinating. And so scary at the same time. But you even had trouble getting your diagnosis there. And know, again, we just.

Ayden Kosko (17:02.213)
you

Brandy Schantz (17:23.662)
We have to talk about what it's like for women because we do disproportionately make up these, you know, POTS diagnosis, you know, the various dysautonomia, the...

autoimmune diseases, and of course, know, endometriosis and, you know, women specific, we're all having issues. And you had issues also around getting your diagnosis for corn and for that allergy and the other issues you were having and how doctors judged you at your weight.

Ayden Kosko (17:56.709)
Yes, that was a really big thing for sure because with any of the conditions I've had it's been hard to get the diagnosis or even the specialty that I need to get the help for all of that because I knew when all these allergies started I took it up with a couple doctors. I'm like, hey, like I think I need an allergist or I need someone to talk to because I've cut it out. I'm not reacting, but when I have it, I'm having really bad reactions. So there's something going on here.

and I got asked to be referred all over Alberta where I'm from, Saskatchewan, I even found some in Ontario that we could fax the referral to and I even reached out all over the states myself just to try and find something but it was more so I was getting rejected for being too complex but isn't that what they're there for? If I'm dealing with so much of something going on

Brandy Schantz (18:52.43)
Right.

Ayden Kosko (18:55.858)
they're the ones who can help me and kind of gain that understanding. And it was just rejections upon rejections from specific allergists. And I'm like, this doesn't make any sense to me. And there was one place in New York who said, like, we'd love to help you, but this is how much it costs because we have the universal health care here. There is some things you can pay out of pocket, but most of it's covered.

Brandy Schantz (19:09.624)
Mm-hmm.

Ayden Kosko (19:23.448)
And if I went to the States, it's the flights, the hotels, the medical care, and it was upwards of close to $18,000. That's insane to me. Like to be able to get help to gain more of an understanding right off the start would have been so nice, but who can fork up 18 grand and just go, right? So that was a big, big struggle. then

Brandy Schantz (19:27.234)
Mm-hmm.

Brandy Schantz (19:30.999)
Yeah.

Brandy Schantz (19:44.002)
Right.

Ayden Kosko (19:50.345)
when I even had flare-ups like ovarian cysts, I had a really bad one in May and I knew something was going on. I knew it wasn't just my endometriosis kicking in and went to the hospital and I think I sat in the waiting room for a good eight hours and I'm like this isn't good. Like I'm at the point where I can't even walk. So they brought me back and they bring in my children's Tylenol. I'm like I can't have that. There's corn in that but

Brandy Schantz (20:06.861)
Mm.

Ayden Kosko (20:20.294)
I'm here to figure out what's going on and if you need me on meds I'll take it to my pharmacist. I have a lovely one who can compound without corn. And he comes in and he tells me it's me being a woman and it's normal woman pain. And I'm like, this isn't though. This is not normal. This shouldn't be happening. But went home after that. There was nothing they would do for that. And I went back the next night. It's the same doctor. It's the same story.

Brandy Schantz (20:36.182)
No.

Ayden Kosko (20:49.288)
pretty much and I'm like, okay, I can't do this. So I waited till the next doctor came on shift, went back in, explained the whole thing and he said, you had a cyst and it ruptured. And also your gallbladder has sludge in it. Like you're having a gallbladder issue at the same time. So no wonder why you're in pain. I'm like, this is where you get the line of there's some doctors who just automatically look and they're like, can't be that bad if you know.

Brandy Schantz (21:01.845)
gosh.

Brandy Schantz (21:08.973)
Yeah.

Ayden Kosko (21:17.436)
you came here or you're walking, but it is that bad. Life doesn't stop. You're going to have to walk somewhere at some point, right? Or you're going to have to do something. So it's been very difficult even just to gain the understanding after the diagnosis, which is hard.

Brandy Schantz (21:20.075)
Right.

Brandy Schantz (21:36.654)
Yeah, you know, it's interesting, even in the year 2025, you know, we've come so far as women, think, well, I know people view women very differently today than they did, you know, 25, 30 years ago when I was starting out life as an adult and definitely, you know, 50 years ago, you know, when I was coming into this world. But still, there's so many people that just seem to think that women are weak, doctors especially.

and dismiss us. And I don't know how to emphasize this enough. We will push through almost anything. Yes, I'm still walking. Yes, I brought myself here. I am self-reliant most days. I do what I need to. Heck, I have worked through some of the most horrific medical catastrophes.

and had doctors pull my laptop out of my hand saying, okay, no, you are done. Now get ready to go to sleep because we're putting you down. We're not weak people. Where does this, I understand that's what people thought 50, a hundred years ago. How is this still a thing?

Ayden Kosko (22:53.816)
It shouldn't be and it doesn't make sense.

Brandy Schantz (22:55.874)
Yeah, none, none at all, none at all. I always wonder what women do you men know? You know, when the rest of us were dying, my mother was still pushing through everything to make sure that the house ran, everything kept going. Like what women do you know?

Ayden Kosko (23:03.234)
Right?

Ayden Kosko (23:13.89)
That's just it, right? Especially like when you're chronically ill, you can see how much people are doing or even through the groups on Facebook. I'm in some of them just reading like, hey, this is what I did today and I didn't think I could do it. It's like, that's amazing. Even if it's the smallest thing, you're still doing something, right?

Brandy Schantz (23:27.019)
Yeah.

Brandy Schantz (23:32.066)
Yeah, it's frustrating, but it's also dangerous. You had a doctor twice dismiss you and you were having a very, very serious medical issue. We shouldn't be turned away from ERs for nonsense. I don't know what it's like being an ER doctor, but let me tell you, whatever stress you're having, you need to figure out a way to deal with it so that you can give proper care.

Ayden Kosko (23:55.619)
Exactly right, especially when someone's coming in. Because the last place anyone wants to be, especially those who are chronically ill who are around doctors so much, is in a hospital. That's the last place. Yeah.

Brandy Schantz (24:05.646)
There's nothing I hate. There's nothing I hate more than an ER. Nothing. And even there's one, there's a newer, well, you know, I'm gonna be very careful what I say, because I do not want to reveal my secret. There's a newer ER somewhere in the proximity of my house that people still don't know about. And I know those guys pretty well. you know, we have an understanding, but even still, you know, after a couple hours, I'm like, guys, can we just get me out of here? Can you let me go home, please?

I'd rather just sleep on my couch if you don't mind. Give me some meds. You know, I have my way. We all do, right? I'll ask you what yours is. Mine, you know, my comfort and chronic illness. If something bad's happening, I want to be on my couch probably. At this point, we still live the life in my marriage where we won't allow TVs in the bedroom. So I have a great...

Ayden Kosko (24:35.716)
Exactly! Write so much better and then you're in the own comfort and way better place.

Brandy Schantz (25:01.516)
bed that I can zoom up and have myself lifted up to watch TV. But I don't have a TV in the bedroom. We haven't broken that rule yet in 17 years. So I'm down on the couch, and I'm putting on my Real Housewives. And there's no limit on the number of times I can re-watch Real Housewives of New York, let me tell you, because that's the goat. And I just put on my housewives, and I lay there with my favorite blanket around me. And that's how I'm going to do things. What do you like to do?

Ayden Kosko (25:11.24)
process.

Ayden Kosko (25:21.32)
Yeah.

Ayden Kosko (25:29.096)
Yeah, exactly right. Modern Family is my go-to show. I have watched it over and over again. Also in bed, I have a heated blanket. I'll wrap myself up in it and I will watch my show over and over again.

Brandy Schantz (25:39.073)
Mmm.

Brandy Schantz (25:42.83)
Yes, that's, you know what, that's the real stuff. And I don't know why this is my go-to comfort beverage, but it's actually a mocktail. do, well, I guess that's what they call it. I'm sure in another life we all used to drink this normally, but now we give it a name, a mocktail. I do tart cherry juice with some soda water and fresh lime juice spritzed in. And that's my comfort drink while I'm sick.

Ayden Kosko (26:06.841)
you-

Brandy Schantz (26:11.436)
that or I do turmeric tea with honey in it and my housewives. That's, it's, it's, how I get through. Do you have a favorite?

Ayden Kosko (26:15.278)
yeah.

Just my water. But I have my water bottle with me everywhere I go. Like, it's always with me, no matter what.

Brandy Schantz (26:23.032)
Just the water. Yeah.

Brandy Schantz (26:30.018)
That's how you identify a POTS patient. If you see somebody clinging to their water bottle or their water or my bottles downstairs with my element tea in it, but you know, I still have my favorite peach water. I always have water. You know, if you try to take my water away from me, I'm like, whoa.

Ayden Kosko (26:40.196)
Yeah, you have a drink somewhere. You'll have something soon. Yeah.

Ayden Kosko (26:48.74)
right? Like what if I faint or what if I pass out? I want my water.

Brandy Schantz (26:51.566)
We're not doing this. Don't you, don't you do this, dude. It's got my element tea in there. I need that. And then of course, you know, and you'll learn like in another 20 years, you know, it also has my creatine in it, you know, cause we, gotta keep the muscle on. We can't have any muscle loss at my age. element tea and creatine. We're just, you know, problem solving over here in my water bottle.

Ayden Kosko (26:58.152)
Bye.

Ayden Kosko (27:13.062)
There you go, at least we have them together, right?

Brandy Schantz (27:21.062)
And yeah, I think normal people look at me like I'm crazy, but my husband now he's so used to it. He's like, yeah, she's got to drink like at least 90 ounces of water a day. She's just always drinking water. Just leave her alone.

Ayden Kosko (27:26.088)
you

Ayden Kosko (27:32.346)
Exactly right, because you bring it everywhere. You always have it, like no matter where you are.

Brandy Schantz (27:35.618)
Yeah. And it looks weird too, you know, I'll go out, you know, with friends or something and we're in a restaurant or a bar and I also have my water bottle with me. And I'm like, Hey guys, I'll order some stuff here. Don't worry. But this has the LMNT in it and I don't see LMNT on your menu. So sorry guys.

Ayden Kosko (27:57.075)
Yep, you have to bring it, you have to, and he has funny looks everywhere about it.

Brandy Schantz (27:59.457)
Yeah.

Brandy Schantz (28:03.028)
Yeah, one day I'll open up a bar just for Potsies or something and we'll have drinks like Elementi hot chocolate or our own special mocktails with Elementi. Elementi, are you listening? We have a business venture here.

Ayden Kosko (28:12.646)
Was that it?

Ayden Kosko (28:22.328)
I took some sponsorship.

Brandy Schantz (28:25.014)
You know? Come on now. Bringing you into bars as it is. There's like normal people out there, you know, having lovely wines and vodkas. And I'm like, woohoo, got my element tea, I'm good.

Ayden Kosko (28:35.464)
Exactly right. It would be nice if there was accommodation for that. That would be a cool idea.

Brandy Schantz (28:43.246)
We need that. really do need that. So tell me about, you're still out there, doing great living life and working and all the best things. So tell me about some of the great stuff going on in your life and how you've learned to live with all this.

Ayden Kosko (29:02.568)
Yeah, I think a lot of my mind shift a month and a bit ago when I was in the hospital. was a tough journey being in there because I was there for 16 days, I was admitted, between two different hospitals and that was hard. So I think my whole life vision kind of changed. I was like, you know what? I'm just going to appreciate every little thing. You wake up in the morning, that's great. The sun's out. That's wonderful. It could, you know, it could be raining. It could be snowing, but it's not.

Brandy Schantz (29:14.061)
Mm.

Brandy Schantz (29:25.614)
Mm-hmm.

Ayden Kosko (29:33.116)
So then it's kind of looking at the perspective of every little thing of, you know, this is going really good in my life, or I'm a little confused with this, but that's okay because I know I'm going on the right path of things here.

and figuring out, you know, what I truly want to do in life is hard. I feel like some people are so far ahead of me. But I'm like, if someone was in my shoes who had what I have or, you know, dealt with what I do with my health.

Brandy Schantz (29:56.526)
Hmm.

Ayden Kosko (30:04.666)
I don't know where they would be, but the fact I'm still here, I'm still working, I have my own business at home that I do for aesthetics. There's so many things to look forward to and so many things I can push through. And I think looking at the other side of it as it could be worse, I could still be in the hospital, I could not be here today for something, right? So looking at that other perspective of like each day and every little thing is just such a blessing is the biggest part.

Brandy Schantz (30:35.764)
Yeah, it's, yeah, you're right. It's shifting that perspective. You know, and I have to say, as somebody who spent many years struggling with even just admitting that I was chronically ill and,

you know, wrapping my head around what had happened to me and embracing my new life. You know, it's not a timeline, you know, you can get knocked back. Sure. Maybe your cohort, you know, mostly graduated college already or is already in grad school or maybe so many of your friends have already made partner at that law firm or got that C-suite position.

You know, we're allowed to rebirth ourselves as often as we like and redefine our life how we want. isn't a timeline. And, you know, I'm sitting here at that midlife point and redefining my life and saying, okay, you know what? I'm not the person I was before. That's fine. I get to be a new person. That's how I look at it. Not everybody gets that opportunity. I just, you know, get to say, rebirth. Let's start again. This is me now.

chronic illness and all. So I think that's really important to remind everybody living with this. It's okay. We're not on a timeline.

Ayden Kosko (32:00.995)
Exactly, right? Like, I know a lot of us probably do grieve that life we had before. I could do this and I could do that and now I can't. But the whole perspective, just like you said, of this is a rebirth. It's a new you. It's still who you are. Just could be a new better version. That's a little bit different then, right?

Brandy Schantz (32:06.9)
Mmm, yes.

Brandy Schantz (32:17.486)
Mm.

Brandy Schantz (32:23.082)
Yeah, it was, know, for so many years, I think I believed, you you had to be on some sort of a timeline and some sort of an upward trajectory, right? You know, you have to do this and then you progress and then you progress and then you progress. And I've learned that it's okay to do this and then this and then this straight across, then back up again. And you know, you're allowed to be a different person. You're allowed to change.

I've changed. used to be pretty rigid, you know, I like things dress right dress. And now I've learned a lot about being flexible and just going with the flow a little bit more and saying, okay, pivot.

Ayden Kosko (33:05.914)
Right? Exactly. Because yeah, growth is not linear at all. That took me a little bit to learn is that it's not gonna go perfect. It's gonna be there's ups, there's downs, but you're still getting to the end goal. You're still getting where you want to be no matter what.

Brandy Schantz (33:07.309)
Hmm.

Brandy Schantz (33:11.703)
No.

Ayden Kosko (33:23.59)
You can't grow unless you're uncomfortable. You go through things, you learn. And that's one of the biggest things too, especially with health. You have to, you know, feel everything and be like, okay, well this is going on. How can I do this better for myself? Or what can I learn more about this? And just kind of educate yourself to self-advocacy, because that's really all we can do.

Brandy Schantz (33:26.67)
Mmm.

Brandy Schantz (33:48.428)
Yep, that is all we can do. Yeah. And that's a great point to really encapsulate the whole conversation. You're right, that's all we can do. And we're doing our best. And you're doing a great job out there. So, well done and keep fighting, keep doing the good stuff. And you're real.

Ayden Kosko (33:51.688)
That's a card.

Ayden Kosko (34:07.27)
Thank you.

Brandy Schantz (34:15.766)
You're a real warrior, real chronic illness warrior.

Ayden Kosko (34:18.598)
Thank you, I appreciate it because I kind of kept it hidden for, you know, like some family knew, my friends knew, but I never really put it out there until about a month ago when I made the post on my Instagram. And then I kindly, like I felt like I could breathe. And the FAIR group, Food Allergy Research and Education, posted my story too and that's...

Brandy Schantz (34:25.71)
Mm-hmm.

Brandy Schantz (34:31.566)
Hmm.

Brandy Schantz (34:36.312)
Yeah.

Brandy Schantz (34:42.478)
Hmm.

Ayden Kosko (34:43.24)
That got a lot of people commenting and talking and I'm like, okay, like reading a couple comments as to I have no idea who you are, but like you're just like me. Like thank you for sharing this. And I'm like, that's, that's exactly it. Like if someone reads something or listens and they say, you know what, I can relate to that or that helped me feel so much, not like an alien or an outsider. That's the part is because when you

Brandy Schantz (34:45.326)
Mm-hmm.

Brandy Schantz (35:08.684)
Yes. Yes.

Ayden Kosko (35:12.924)
first kind of get anything. It's like I feel so weird and almost like guilty that I have this. Like you feel so different from the normal person, but you're not, you got a chronic illness, but that doesn't change anything about who you are.

Brandy Schantz (35:20.174)
Mm-hmm.

Brandy Schantz (35:30.038)
Yeah, absolutely. And there's so many of us out there and that's what's so important about people getting out there. It's not a silly thing to do to jump on Instagram, go to Facebook or TikTok or Twitter or X, I'm sorry. I'll still call it Twitter to the day I die. know, wherever you are and talk about having these things because it's a shared experience and all of us feel crazy.

Ayden Kosko (35:48.872)
you

Brandy Schantz (36:00.046)
all of us feel alone until you reach out and realize that there are other people dealing with this. So that's why it's so important to share because if you're out there right now and you're going through this for the first time or just encountering it and you feel crazy, you feel alone, yep, you and everybody else who's ever gone through this. We all go through that, yeah.

Ayden Kosko (36:21.81)
Thanks. Right? And we'll make it through. We have. You've gone through the worst processing moment of finding out, this is what I have. You've gone through symptoms of it. And honestly, if you have your mindset as to, it's all right. Like, I'm still me.

Brandy Schantz (36:26.894)
Mm-hmm.

Ayden Kosko (36:39.118)
I'll do this, I'll do that, it's gonna become a better you and you'll be a new version of yourself and not let it take over because the crazy outsider feeling is insane from anything, right? And you're like, wow, what I would give to be normal or to have, you know, this person's pancreas where their blood sugars are normal or, you know, things like that. But then once you kind of shift that thinking into, know...

Brandy Schantz (36:39.522)
Mm-hmm.

Brandy Schantz (36:45.666)
Yeah.

Brandy Schantz (37:00.823)
Yes.

Ayden Kosko (37:08.2)
I can make the best of what I got. You got the cards of your doubts and if you take it as best as you can and you do honestly what's best for you, you're gonna live a good life as much as you can.

Brandy Schantz (37:12.174)
Mm-hmm.

Brandy Schantz (37:21.068)
Yep, no, absolutely. And it's up to us to do our best to get there. absolutely. Well, thank you so much for coming on the show, Aiden. This was so great. And again, love what you're doing out there. Keep it up. You're making this world a better place.

Ayden Kosko (37:28.592)
Yeah.

Ayden Kosko (37:39.57)
Thank you so much. really happy. So thank you for having me.

Brandy Schantz (37:43.886)
Thank you for coming on Living Chronic.