Solange Knowles is getting candid about her health.
The singer, 38, recently hopped in the comments of an Instagram post from fellow musician Shaun Ross to share her “debilitating” battle with multiple autoimmune disorders.
Shaun, 33, was discussing his experience with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a condition that Solange also suffers from, alongside Sjögren’s syndrome and mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), which she has been battling since 2018.
“Sending u so much love and strength Shaun and to all in the comments struggling with the debilitating, confusing, and lonely symptoms of POTS!!” the singer-songwriter penned.
“I got diagnosed with POTS, Sjogren’s, and Mcas in 2018 and really relate to not wanting your health to be your identity,” she added.
POTS is a chronic condition that affects the autonomic nervous system, which regulates breathing, blood pressure, and heart rate.
Sjogren’s syndrome, on the other hand, is an autoimmune disorder characterized by three common symptoms – chronic, unusual dryness in the eyes, mouth, and vagina.
MCAS is a multi-systemic condition in which mast cells, a type of white blood cell, inappropriately and mistakenly release too many chemical mediators, resulting in intense episodes of diarrhea, itching, muscle weakness, and shortness of breath.
In her message, Solange gave a shoutout to Dysautonomia International, a non-profit that according to its website, “seeks to improve the lives of individuals living with autonomic nervous system disorders through research, physician education, public awareness and patient empowerment programs.”
“The good folks at @dysautonomiaintl were really an incredible resource for me and I feel really grateful for the spoonie community for holding me down during my times of complete uncertainty! Sending an abundance of love your way!” she raved.
Ross replied.
“Thank you so much, Solange. You’ve known me since I was a teen and how energetic I can be. This definitely changed my entire outlook on so much try to navigate this entirely. I appreciate you so much. Sending love.”
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This isn’t the first time Solange has been open about her health journey.
In 2017, the “Cranes in the Sky” revealed she was “quietly” dealing with an undisclosed autonomic disorder after she canceled her New Year’s Eve performance at the Afropunk Festival in South Africa because of her systems.
The singer-actress wrote in a since-deleted post, “[It’s] been a journey that hasn’t been easy on me… Sometimes I feel cool, and other times not so cool at all.”
Although she kept her diagnosis under wraps at the time, Solange said it was “complicated” and that she was “still learning so much.”
Then in 2021, on the second anniversary of her album “When I Get Home,” the “Bring It All Or Nothing” star revealed she was “quite literally fighting” for her life.
“When I first started creating ‘When I Get Home’ I was quite literally fighting for my life,” she wrote.
“In and out of hospitals (s/out Park Plaza on Binz! 🙂) with depleting health and broken spirits asking God to send me a sign I would not only survive, but that if he let me make it out alive, I would step into the light whatever that meant.”
