Gymnast McKayla Maroney Says 'I Just Want To Be Normal' In Health Update
By Afouda Bamidele on October 4, 2023 at 7:15 AM EDT
Professional gymnast McKayla Maroney is giving new updates about her health situation.
The singer dropped a post on her Instagram, spilling all the details about her journey and where she's at mentally and spiritually. Maroney, who helped the FBI take down sexual abuser Larry Nassar in 2021, was a highly decorated American team member at the 2011 World Championships.
McKayla Maroney Finds The Root Cause Of Her Sleeplessness
Maroney shared significant news about her health status with a series of pictures, including her being transfused and holding a food sensitivity test pack.
More slides showed her taking notes for the doctor, looking emotional on a video call, and taking screenshots of texts with friends. She accompanied the intriguing post with a heartfelt caption which read:
"Hey girl😍It’s been forever. Hopefully you had a hot girl summer because I definitely did not. I had a summer of severe insomnia😫. I slept a total of 10 days out of 3 months. I’d like to say it was a nightmare, but you have to sleep to have nightmares."
She added that she had visited many doctors and had only "just begun to get to the root cause" of her health spiral crisis. She eventually discovered that she has histamine intolerance, which causes a severe adrenaline problem for her.
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"When it got really bad, high histamine foods made me feel internally itchy, like I was getting bit by mosquitoes all night🙂 I only just recently connected it to histamine, and cut those foods out, added in a DAO supplement (that helps break down excess histamine) and I've started to sleep again. PRAISE GOD," explained the Olympic gold medalist.
While she's still yet to figure out what causes the histamine intolerance, Maroney demanded "a round of applause" for her bravery. The athlete disclosed that she also has a bad anemia and is trying to improve. According to her:
"I found out high oxalate foods (like spinach, almonds, potatoes) give me massive fatigue, and weird neuropathy issues at night, that was also ruining my sleep. 😣🍠🥔."
Maroney confessed she still feels shy about her health issues and food sensitivities, stressing that she "hates how high maintenance they've made me when I just want to be normal." But she will not let that stop her from living life and helping people as she wrote:
"But it is what it is. I'm just gonna share about it, and hopefully help someone!! My next posts will be more helpful I promise— this was more of a trauma dump😂😂."
In June, the athlete launched Glohe, a new Instagram account strictly for wellness and health. Per Heavy in 2021, the "Bones" actress shared that her passion for health and wellness came from personal experiences like her journey with keratosis pilaris, which bore her love for skincare.
Her interest in mental health was also awakened by her struggles with binge eating and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The 27-year-old stated that while these experiences were painful, they taught her "valuable lessons" and placed her "on a much better path." She concluded the post with words of encouragement as she wrote:
"I'm here to remind you, that beauty is within, but it's okay to want the physical results. With God, knowledge, patience, and love we can achieve better results, better health, better skin and glow from the inside out."
The 'Hart Of Dixie' Star Previously Batlled With Kidney Stones
Two years ago, the gymnast underwent a major surgical procedure to remove some kidney stones that would not come out naturally. As if that was not enough, she experienced a scary fall right before the procedure, where she hit her head but was quickly rescued by her mom. Maroney said:
"The morning before removal I started feeling so sick, I passed out and hit my head on the corner of my bedroom wall. I had to call my mom to come get me and take me to my appointment lol. Rough month! but I am through the worst of it, and in the light."
Even after the surgery, the decorated athlete revealed she suffered a painful infection and "constantly felt nauseous." However, she appeared very healthy on her IG post as she detailed her experience and left fans with an important tip on kidney stones. Maroney wrote:
"I did learn from almost 12 different doctors now that the biggest prevention to kidney stones is to drink tons of water. So please!! Drink your water, and have a great week."
