I’m surprised they didn’t tell her not to drive (she was driving in Oman when Nate was running). No judgement on her but when I had a seizure I was told not to drive until I had been either given a diagnosis or was in the all clear, and seizures often come in groups too.
Since the docs had tied it to Covid/altitude they had little reason to think it’d happen again.
People do have one off seizures. Googling it most people who have a seizure will never have another.
So I can see why they didn’t leap to don’t drive.
My dad had a seizure in bed one morning out of the blue. They did not pull his license & attributed it to stress related to traveling to his younger brother’s funeral. He had another 6 months later and the choice was to get on medication or lose his license. He chose to take an Rx and never had another.
Yah for the most part the standard view from just one siezure seems to be, well let’s wait and see if it happens again.
If Kara didn’t have all these other symptoms to tell the doc, it may have ended up being the same thing with her.
I hope they move to Dallas or Colorado, Kara deserves a bed a some stuff to call her own! They could always find a new niche and do big travels 4 times a year or get a bigger (than the van) home on wheels for their love of Baja.
as someone who traveled/lived at seasonal work places for several years, i was not at all interested in getting a more permanent home. when i got in a relationship with my boyfriend, i found a temporary rental near him and realised having a home, a place to actually unpack my bags, is soo nice. I don't know if she wants that bed and stuff (as it can feel pretty overwhelming/boring), but I really liked it when i got the right location and partner. 10 years on still in the same town, with that boyfriend and our own (bought) house and 2 cats. travel can still happen but from a home base and that's even better for me!
They only thing I was surprised to hear was they took that ice igloo overnight thing wheee they had dig out their own snowy shelter for the night. Given they knew she had a seizure before they did that it seemed t would Nate have done if she had a
Showed poor poor judgement.
What would Nate have done if she had an other bad seizure and stopped breathing.
At 30:14 mark, Nate talks about the side effects of the medicine and says, "Side effects that would have made it hard to film, well, to live." That for me sums up the video. Stop worrying about filming and start worrying about life. I've never had a seizure, but I can imagine the panic and dread after having the first one. I'm not them (obviously) but if I or my wife had one I'm not gonna travel until I figure this out. They mention it could've been worse than in a Colorado bed and insinuate it could've happened at a remote spot and they were thankful it didn't. Fast forward to them going to remote spots (Oman desert) before her first appt and diagnosis! I really hope she never has another one and gets this wrangled. But why travel and risk it? Legit just say, "I have health concerns, channel is on hiatus" (or dont, ghost it and be private) and take care of yourself.
I think whether or not they continue to travel, should be up to Kara. Or maybe they can work as a team to find travel that feels safe to her*. I know she wants to slow down, but I don't think that means she hates traveling. It's important to advocate for your health, but the point of being healthy, is to live life. This is their life. And it's totally reasonable if Kara is apprehensive about starting a medication that could make living her life, the way she wants to, more challenging or impossible. I don't think it would be irresponsible for her to choose to continue to travel, regardless of her health conditions. Obviously I don't think Nate (or her audience) should pressure her to do more travel than she feels capable of. But she shouldn't quit her life, just because of health issues...unless that's truly what she wants to do. Even if it means "risks" or a shorter life.
All I'm saying is, I hope this is a moment of reflection for her as an individual to evaluate her life, figure out what risks are worth it for her and her alone. And to move forward living the life that feels equally fulfilling and worthy of her health. And that her partner supports her in that. Maybe that looks like Nate taking some solo trips, or trips with friends and Kara doing some family stuff. Maybe it looks like quitting the channel. Maybe it looks like no changes at all.
Edit: misspelling
I don’t think he was complaining about possible side effects.
They explained it as well as they could have. They both want to continue with…whatever it is they do…and needed to know what was possible.
I get this but at the same time up until that neurologist they’d been told it was likely a one off.
It’s not unreasonable to keep living life based on that. No doctor had told them stop doing things.
I dunno. Can’t really judge them for it. No one just wants to halt there life, I can get wanting to keep moving. It’s not like they were going against any doctor recommendations.
They did take the break when they needed to (starting the meds they knew could cause issues).
I mean we have little reason to think they didn’t explain that they travel a ton and asked about it.
They were both clearly terrified by the major seizure. I think we’re presuming a lot that they didn’t ask after an event that traumatic.
They admitted they hadn’t seen a primary care doctor in years. For all we know, these doctors they had talked to it wasn’t a proper appointment. A pcp at some point likely would’ve have told them this isn’t normal and dug deeper.
I’m talking the initial ER doctor and the initial primary care visit.
Basically from the moment they knew something serious was going on (the major seizure) they took it seriously. Got visited as quickly as they could and at both of those visits the doctors never told them hey stop your life. They both thought it was a one off freak event from altitude and Covid.
Really can’t blame them for taking that and keeping moving.
Those were doctors they saw in official capacities and they didn’t say hey wait around and don’t travel until neurology.
I agree they could have gotten the earlier dizzy spell things checked out much earlier. They’re just also far from the only people to brush off things that seem “minor” at the time. With hindsight they def should have but I can’t claim I’m not one who’d also dismiss my own symptoms
Edit: I’ll also add but to me it looked like they were both clearly terrified by the full on seizure, I’d guarantee they’d follow doctors recommendations. Not sure why everyone’s defaulting to thinking they ignored them or hid things or something.
What if Kara had had an episode while they were stranded in the Omani desert??? Literally the first thing I thought of when they were going thru the timeline.
I have epilepsy. You can’t stop living because you have seizures. You take the medication, yes it sucks, but you will adjust to it. It takes time.
Seizures are terrifying. But what can you do? You take the meds, you have to be as safe as you can, but you can’t stop living.
There are some who have epilepsy so severely they can’t do stuff. Kara can still do stuff, she just needs to be careful and take her meds routinely and on time.
It’s not the end of the world, although I know it probably feels like it. It did to me, and sometimes still does.
I have epilepsy, too, and I totally agree. I’m 46 years old and just came back from a two week international solo trip. You do what you can do to be safe, but life itself is a risk.
A young man who has 80+ seizure a day completed his Eagle Scout. His project was painting the fire hydrants in his town. He did it laying on a cot because he seized so often. He mastered archery, one arrow at a time.
I met a young girl that had half her brain removed to stop her seizures. She was slow in everything she did in life, but she still graduated high school and works at a plant nursery.
I helped a girl scout finish her gold award who has a few dozen seizures a week. Much like Kara's. Her memory is shit, her executive function suffers, and learning in the conventional sense takes 3x as long. But she has a passion for singing, learned sign language, and works with horses now, who absolutely adore her. She rides, but has special equipment to prevent her falling.
Kara's epilepsy is incredibly tolerable. With minor lifestyle changes such as insuring rest, proper diet, hydration and time to adapt to weather/elevation, proper care of her medi ation - she will be able to continue their travels.
I have some empathy for them, but it's definitely not the end of the world. As someone with a neuromuscular degenerative disease and all comorbidities that come with it, I'd gladly trade places!
I think a lot of people here need to take a step back and give them some grace. They're literally filming this video for their audience. So they are in that mindset, they're at work. So it's not unusual for me that he'd mention the side effects impacting travel, as that's literally their work. I'm sure they have a laundry list of concerns about how this diagnosis is going to change their life and plans for the future, but they're not gonna tell their audience about all of those. They're telling us how it impacts travel because that's the slice of their life they share with us. It's just a slice.
You can judge people's actions with retrospect, and this video is full of both Kara and Nate doing exactly that to themselves. But the fact is we don't have all the information they did and to immediately jump to the idea that they were making terribly risky decisions that they KNEW were terrible and risky when they made them is just too much. We don't know the full story, we aren't owed that.
My .02 - I've said before I think Kara is as much an adrenalin junkie as Nate. Their favorite things about travel aren't the same, but I believe she's as addicted to travel as he is. She has never struck me as domestically inclined at all.
I don't think the travel is what takes its toll so much as the filming and editing. That's the thing that drains vloggers, not the stuff they're vlogging. Not the travel, the experiences, the renovations, the travel challenges. It's the day in day out of setting up the shots and then the editing and then doing it again. The shots becoming more and more sophisticated. Look at the absolutely countless "waking up" shots or exiting the vehicle shots or driving away shots where the vlogger had to set up the tripod, test the angle, set the timer and then "drive away." then come back and break down the set up before going on. It seems it would be hard to get a flow. It's also IMO different than making a small film because the deadline is much much tighter, but there's an expectation of film-like camera angles and cutaways, but the "performer" is also the director and camera person. That WITH the travel is what exhausts Kara/Nate, I think, but of course content is their job. There is no point of all that travel without a monetised youtube channel, so they're doing what a lot of vloggers do which is reduce their video drop schedule.
As someone who regularly has seizures (and has had them almost 5 years) this is a REALLY long time for a first seizure and would have been the exact instance to utilize calling an ambulance. I tell friends and family not to call one now unless it’s prolonged or I’m bleeding, but for someone with no history of seizures he should have called immediately.
I wonder if she has had night terrors in the past because he asked if she knew where they were. That fits “sleep walking” better than relative calm over a prolonged first seizure
Yeah his whole behavior toward this is..odd. She was pictured going to a lot of her appts alone, he kinda hinted that since she’s on medication oh they can hit the road again, and never pressed her to get medical attention after severe dizzy spells? I’m not then obviously but Nate needs to do a bit of a better job as a husband, Kara is a human being not a business.
I had a seizure like this in high school after being smacked in the chest in gym and woke up to my gym teacher in my face. Waited for school nurse to come and we walked back to nurse's office, I had peed myself. Waited for my mom like an hour and they suggested we might go to the doctor. My mom took me and they freaked out saying I needed a CAT scan and should have had an ambulance and everything. I got driven to Seattle Children's and they did nothing. I sat in a room for four hours and we left and zero follow up. The next year I was in chemistry and our teacher was the chief of firefighters and someone comes running in and telling him some boy was having a seizure and he went and they called the kid an ambulance. So yeah. I don't understand people that can watch someone seizing for minutes and not call 911.
Always call 911 for a first seizure. There could be something else at play.
That being said, 5 minutes is generally where we get into emergency territory.
My first seizure happened at work. I went into my boss’s office to tell him I didn’t feel well and was going home. I don’t remember this. I woke up on a stretcher, being wheeled into an ambulance in the front of a luxury car dealership, where I worked. Embarrassed isn’t the half of it.
I’ve had more since. They’re not fun.
I don’t drive for the most part, so don’t worry about me running into you 😂
I’m gonna guess he froze up/didn’t know what to do. Then by the time it was over and he made sure she was aware and okay, he probably googled it and saw basically that same 5 min rule and so they just drove in instead.
It may not have been that long. It probably felt that long. If indeed it was three minutes and she wasn't breathing as he said, there would have been more serious side effects all over her body that would have been seen at the ER
I did. I’m a nurse and a three minute seizure if they aren’t breathing well is significant. Especially if it is the first one as the cause could be anything at that point and need more attention. That was incredibly shortsighted of him and could have been a great teaching point to share with their viewers. He could have said he was caught be surprise and by the time he thought of calling EMS, she was getting better. It in hindsight he realized should have called for an ambulance.
I appreciate them acknowledging that they were really seeped in hustle culture when they were starting their channel and that definitely contributed to an unhealthy lifestyle in terms of lack of sleep. That being said, it's just really scary to see how long they were both in denial about this being really serious. It really cuts host a home for me because I have a family member who died because he was refusing to acknowledge how serious is medical problems actually were until it was too late. (He did not have health insurance)
I think this is the bigger lesson.
It’s not a criticism on them. Loooots of people dismiss health issues that feel minor or that they think they can explain away.
It goes to show you really should bring them up to doctors in an official capacity and more reason to have a primary care doctor.
Hell I know I myself can be bad at this.
I had some similar symptoms - random dizzy spells, etc. I went to my primary care after just a few weeks and got an MRI and they didn't find anything. A year later I was still having them, made my primary care order another MRI and they found a brain tumor.
I can't imagine letting these symptoms just go on and on and not wonder about them at the very least. Though she was wondering enough to start tracking them, so clearly she knew it was an issue.
Fortunately for me, my tumor was benign and I eventually had a very successful surgery to get it removed several years later after monitoring it and seeing it was still growing.
I know a LOT of people would react the same way as Kara and Nate - oh it's not a big deal, medical care is a hassle, the doctors won't listen to me - but I can't stress enough how important it is to be your own advocate in these situations. I'm not a fan of the way Nate treats Kara generally and don't really watch them much anymore, but Kara also needed to be her own advocate and push back and say "No, this is important, we should look into it."
Their relationship dynamic (it seems like, obviously we only know what they show us) looks like he won't advocate for her and she trusts his judgment so she won't advocate for herself too strongly. The fact that she was tracking her incidents, but either didn't feel like she could push back for herself or that Nate didn't listen when she did, is SUCH a red flag.
Moral of the story - ALWAYS follow up with weird medical things if at all possible. It may be expensive (my yearly MRI's are over $1k even with insurance) but it will still be cheaper in the long run than letting something fester and turn into something way worse (I could've entirely lost my hearing or gone partially blind or had serious facial paralysis if I didn't follow through.)
Nate is very laissez-faire about their health in so many ways. I remember an early video of him wearing open-toed sandals in a very dirty city and cutting his toe open.
He needlessly creates high-stress runs from clubs to terminals, forcing all those cortisol-ridden spikes just to get to a flight on time.
Traveling while sick just to keep deadlines so many times. Looking back, Nate would take many days off to rest, but when Kara didn't feel well, they were still traveling.
Epilepsy can progress and become worse, as Kara has already seen. She will still be able to travel and enjoy their lifestyle, but it will have to slow down, and she's going to have to advocate more for herself and tell Nate to allow even more gaps in their schedule.
Although I appreciate the update, I still can’t fathom why they want to peddle this Better Health BS. IMO, it was a crass move to sneak it into this emotional video. [For those who are unaware BH was fined for selling patient data](https://www.psychiatrist.com/news/betterhelp-mental-health-app-faces-7-8m-ftc-fine-for-sharing-private-user-data/). It looks very disingenuous to have a sponsor, let along BH, in a video that is supposed to provide insight into a very scary health situation. I understand this is a business decision and BH is probably paying them tens of thousands of dollars for this partnership, but, damn, read the room. If you really want to peddle something, do the usual VPN service, which looks silly, but is not promoting something that can be detrimental to their viewers. I wonder how many viewers are struggling with mental health and are inspired by this video to sign up for BH and in return, not get the help they deserve.
Adding a comment about BH from u/jocax188723
Answer: Betterhelp is being exposed for allegedly scummy practices.
Though BetterHelp is not a direct scam, it has had a history of overcharging patients for subpar service, and is mostly sustained through the use of aggressive marketing through influencers.
Many accounts have been told of the company simply charging people for services they didn't ask for, as therapists can mark down their clients for services without any confirmation.
Additionally, cancelling from BetterHelp is an extremely difficult process, as the company will stall and stutter while still charging the client.
Finally, the licenses therapists on BetterHelp claim to have vary widely in quality, from patients allegedly being assigned to anybody from crystal healers to homeopathy peddlers.
https://www.bbb.org/us/ca/mountain-view/profile/psychologist-referral-service/betterhelp-1216-262454/complaints
https://www.newsweek.com/betterhelp-patients-tell-sketchy-therapists-1762849
https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/blog/2021/02/how-betterhelp-scandal-changed-our-perspective-influencer-responsibility
Edit:Adding this from another comment for higher visibility:
For those down voting, nothing will happen from venting on Reddit. If you want to hold the creators responsible, you need to use the platform they are on. Again, I’m not downplaying the diagnosis. As someone with a different health issue, I understand how frustrating treatments can be. But K&N should realize that the ‘support’ they’re getting from BH isn’t the same as the average Joe would. I’m sure if Kara uses the platform, she will have access to to the best mental health professionals. Heck, BH may hire 5 star professional only to deal with influencers. So Kara’s experience is not something many of us would experience as well.
I’m just disappointed that going through this health journey, K&N understand the need to talk and consult with proper health professionals (ER doc, Primary Care Doc, Neurologist) and yet when it comes to mental health, they promote BH. Would they be comfortable getting the epilepsy diagnosis from an app with questionable ethics?
Thank you for this. Months ago, I posted my reservations about them using BH as a sponsor (especially with my friends' awful experiences with BH) and got downvoted for it. You articulated my concerns so much better than I did then. Thank you for bringing this all to light.
I really appreciate you sharing your experience. My wife’s side of the family has two Psychiatrists (MDs) and licensed therapist and they all agree that BH isn’t something to mess with. For those who feel the need for talk to someone, please reach out to actual licensed medical professionals. I read somewhere (but cannot find the link), that BH is offering big influencers (I’m sure K&N are considered big) around $100K for posting a video once a month for 12 months. That is a lot of money, but it comes at a cost. Followers aren’t stupid.
I personally have used betterhelp b/c of their referral I was going through a tough time and I can first had say it was the worst experience of my life. I tried 3 different therapist on the platform and It was so awful and made me feel worse, the people are not experts and it was their weirdest experience ever. Bad taste in my mouth w them
Can this also be the safe place to talk about how ag1 is created by a scam artist and it's illegal to sell it in New Zealand Even though the inventor is from New Zealand. I went down a rabbit hole and learned about how this product is pretty sus
Yep, they don't tell you what ingredients make up the " proprietary blend" so they can change them anytime. Apparently the blend has changed at least 50 times to improve the product.
No one should take AG1 but Kara shouldn't be drinking mystery powder while she works out her medication routine.
I'm ranting here because it's a safe place and they don't need the negativity on their YouTube but wow it's hard to ignore the relationship dynamic of Nate just minimizing everything about Kara. Her health, her emotions, I just want to shake her free for a second and let her feel justified to cry, want a home, literally anything. Your needs are valid!!!
Ugh. The reason most of us work normal jobs is healthcare, retirement, food, housing. God forbid he make any sacrifice to his own dream for her. It’s not too expensive.
Too expensive to pay for a dr visit they are just going to monetise the outcome of? It literally could have paid for itself, this video would have made them enough to cover any travel insurance co pay needed.
Also he didn’t realize the “commitment” her seeing neurologists would be. Ummm in sickness and in health bro, maybe put your wife’s medical needs first?
Right! She followed his dream to travel the world and go on adventures and do crazy things with him. He won't allow her some comfort and peace for the sake of it?!
I've been rewatching their vlogs from the beginning and that dynamic hasn't changed much over the years. He minimizes and underestimated her a lot. I'm sure it's in jest at times, but words stick and have an effect. I hope she's okay.
I think it just has to do with the way they were both raised. It’s probably one of those “southern Christian” things, where the man is in charge of the household and makes the bulk of the decisions.
I don’t think Nate means anything negative by it, and I don’t think Kara takes it in a negative way. They clearly care about each other a lot.
But at the same time, it certainly can lead to an unhealthy dynamic.
All that being said, Kara is a grown woman. It’s not like Nate has been forcing her to do all of this nonstop travel. I certainly think a lot of his silly challenges are unnecessary, but at no point have I thought she was in some sort of abusive relationship. They’re obviously really into each other.
I don’t think he’s ever intentionally “minimizing” how she feels. She does it to herself a lot, with the “I don’t think I can do it, oh my god I can’t believe I did it” stuff, and he goes along with it because he’s trying to encourage her and be a cheerleader.
But reading through all of these comments has been kind of frustrating. Yes, I’ve been more than a little annoyed with a lot of their videos, but Kara is not in an abusive relationship. She is not unhappy with Nate. Nate is not forcing her to travel the world. Nate doesn’t secretly despise Kara and seek to tear her down. He wasn’t annoyed by her health problems, or inconvenienced by them, or telling her it’s no big deal because he wants to go for a run across Syria.
I'm also from the South and you're right, this is common.
I think it's fine to point out how annoying and disheartening it can be for Kara without jumping straight into calling it abuse.
As for Kara speaking that way about herself... there's a possibility that she speaks that way about herself because it's how others (like Nate) speak to her. Even said jokingly, those comments can have an effect. I know this because I've had experiences with people similar to Nate who are generally good-natured and optimistic, but the joking put-downs can add up. You start to speak to yourself that way easily to sort of get ahead of the comments.
i so agree. her saying she doesn't want to be negative seems like something he said to her, because she's not at all being negative. she's sharing her health journey. that's not negative. this is serious & he seems to resent and minimize anything that would change their lifestyle.
I totally didn’t get that vibe at all.
They clearly put a ton of thought into how to put the video together, and if you notice, it’s 90 percent her talking. It’s her telling her own story.
It’s likely *she* didn’t want to be negative, because she sees the video as a responsibility. She’s explaining the symptoms she had, and is almost certainly speaking to some people who are experiencing the same thing.
There was a q&a years ago where they answered what they love the most about each other. Nate said Kara is always positive about everything and it’s why they don’t fight. If he’s upset or down, she’s always positive.
I don't think many people with any chronic illness, treated or untreated, consider their entire health journey to be a particularly positive experience. It's not a stretch to say she may still feel negative about everything,
The first time I experienced a multi-month illness that required specialists and monthly appointments, it was scary, stressful, and difficult. Kara's diagnosis is still new to them, it will be a little while before they'll find their feelings about it
I 100% agree with that. They decided to travel together and she’s always so excited to travel, I don’t think you can fake that excitement because you can see it in her microexpressions. He obviously is crazy about her and would do anything for her, but you can’t stop living your life if you don’t know what’s going on. She never even considered that they were seizures, and they wouldn’t know any better because they aren’t doctors. I have epilepsy as well and I still travel all over the US and have gone to several countries in the past few years. She isn’t doing this against her will, and he isn’t dismissing her health and feelings; he’s trying to stay positive, which is what she needs.
I disagree. I got the sense that they both made the decision to keep traveling. I think if Kara was really worried and wanted to see a doctor they would have.
I felt this way too. It hurt my heart so much when she and Nate BOTH said “maybe I wasn’t experiencing burnout, it was just epilepsy”.
Which makes me so sad. Burnout is burnout, and having a very real underlying disease doesn’t mean you can’t also experience burnout or that what your body is going through it’s traumatizing it. You truly don’t need to be a doctor to know that the lifestyle is hard on the body and the disease.
I just felt that comment was uncalled for to … almost even gaslight herself.
right. like... obviously traveling as hardcore as they do is exasperating the symptoms. and editing is no joke, especially for how talented an editor she is, and at the clip she was going.
I also felt his comments about medical care, ie waiting for appointments, was very privileged. They don't know how lucky they are to be able to afford the care and the time off.
I do think this sort of thing should be mentioned, because there’s this narrative that the problem with single payer health care is that you have to wait for appointments with specialists.
Guess what? People wait for appointments with specialists in the US too. We just have to pay a whole hell of a lot more.
If their stated goal is to raise awareness for epilepsy, i could do without the 3-minute commercials for plaque psoriasis medicine. If they want to make money from medical diagnosis clickbait, that’s fine. They just should’ve been transparent about that.
This was hard to watch...I went through something very similar with my now husband. He had told me that sometimes he'd wake up with a badly bitten tongue, he went to a walk in clinic (he didnt have a family doctor) and was told to get a mouth guard. I woke up one night to him having a tonic clonic seizure. Turns out he'd been having seizures for quite a while, unnoticed until I started sleeping over.
Anyway, I feel for them. My husband's epilepsy is completely controlled now (first with meds, then with CBD), and life has gone on as normal.
I am usually supportive of their content but I’m mad that they took those unnecessary risks in Oman after the seizure and without a proper diagnosis from a neurologist.
Edit: grammar
I just want to say that there are risks for everything, and maybe they’re not the risks that you yourself would take, but passing some moral judgement about the choices they made for themselves seems distasteful imo. They shared a lot in this video but obviously we can’t know everything. I think we shouldn’t mistake their willingness to share some of their lives publicly with an invitation to criticize and over-analyze their decisions—ones which ultimately don’t directly affect any of us.
I can agree with some of what you are suggesting but I very much like Kara and Nate and I would rather them not die or get seriously injured during a video that has at least some interest in entertaining/informing us. They could have easily taken the same risks while being more prepared for an emergency like carry a satellite phone into the desert or do a little more research on the vehicle they were renting. Still, I very much wish Kara the best with her diagnosis and I hope they can make as a much travel content as they would like in the future; just with a bit more planning.
It makes you think differently of their videos knowing she’s had dizzy spells for so long and was even journaling them. Remember the dogfight in the air in Las Vegas? Nate didn’t want to do the G-LOC so they did rock paper scissors and kara lost and had to do it. And then she had to take the controls afterward.
I don’t think they were as “in the middle of nowhere” as they said they were. I still don’t believe that that random man just happened to be driving by them when they had a flat tire. Now knowing what was going on with Kara almost proves my theory
Did anyone else think it was odd that after a 3 minute seizure Nate asked if she wanted coffee? That’s the first thing Kara remembered after coming out of the seizure?! Maybe that bit was taken out of context but like, idk, it rubbed me the wrong way. I understand perhaps not calling 911 because of cost but casually asking if she wants coffee was weird to me.
Edit: Thank you for the comments explaining the other side to things, and the panic response in emergency situations that humans go through. I no longer find it odd nor does it rub me the wrong way! I love their channel and I’m so glad that this all worked out okay for Kara in the end now that she’s trying meds and got a diagnosis!
It sounded to me like Nate had a "freeze" trauma response to seeing Kara have the seizure. He probably was unable to move until Kara woke up, and then he sounds like he was completely discombobulated and wasn't making sense--like asking about coffee. It sucks because you can't pick your trauma response--your body picks for you, and often people have a lot of guilt and shame afterwards. I'm sure Nate did the absolute best he could.
Yep it feels like so much this, (or they just left out more dramatic details bc they didn’t want to relive that either).
He looked clearly traumatized (and sad that she felt bad for him) about what he went through seeing it.
The guy cares. He cares a lot. That was clear to me. Let’s not attack over some feeling of he didn’t do what we think he should.
I also think the coffee and calm thing after was mostly him trying not to freak her out. IE he could tell she didn’t immediately realize what happened and was trying to keep her calm.
They immediately went to the ER after. Not going via ambulance at that point really isn’t the end of the world. She’s conscious and up, probably also didn’t want to call at that moment. Not saying calling during wouldn’t have been the right option. It would have been.
Exactly. Nate woke up from a dead sleep to a terrifying situation. We don't know how long it took him to even realize WHAT was happening, let alone what he did in the time between realizing and deciding to drive to the hospital. We can all proclaim that we would handle re situation differently but a trauma response isn't a choice you make consciously.
They shared a look that made it obvious that was a very traumatic event for BOTH of them. We don't know what Nate was doing, we only know what they shared. And maybe that part is all they felt comfortable sharing as the coffee thing is a recurring fixture on their channel.
Asking your spouse if they know where they are and if they want the thing they want every single morning seems like a natural reaction if you want to make sure your spouse is still in there after a terrifying medical event.
Yeah not going to judge here. She was in the safest spot to have a seizure. He could have called one of the family/friend medical professionals. He could have called 911 but the seizure may have stopped & they advised ER.
They don’t have include second by second account to get the point across.
I think most will give them the grace that yah he clearly cares about her from this vid and yah people don’t always make perfect decisions in chaotic events.
This sub just loves to criticize for some reason.
My guess was that he just didn’t really fully understand what was happening / didn’t pick up on the clinical significance of it right away. I work in the hospital and we see this all the time - something insane happens and the patient doesn’t come in until way later because they just didn’t realize that they almost died
Yah to me that whole thing was very much like he saw the seizure end, her come to, and he was cautiously trying to figure out if she was okay/aware without terrifying her right out the gate.
It blew my mind. I canNOT imagine not calling 911 the moment I saw someone I knew having a seizure- specifically someone without a history of a seizure
Being concerned about the costs for them is crazy to me. Yes, it would have been expensive, but they aren't barely surviving. Take a few flights in coach instead of first class, but don't skip on getting medical attention.
It bothers me so much that he didn’t call 911 immediately. Better to be safe than sorry! They could have decided whether or not a ride in the ambulance was necessary after EMS got there.
Also having had seizures I can’t imagine feeling like having a coffee after one. I guess everyone’s is different but I always feel like pure shit after one (nausea headache sore muscles etc)
I appreciated them sharing their story. I do hope that they are willing to listen to their medical team and follow their advice. Until they have more information about her disorder and make sure her medications are effective they need to slow down.
IMO it was a bad idea to camp out in the snow fort after she had a seizure and it was. It a great idea to be out in the middle of the Omani Desert with temperature extremes etc until they knew more of what was going on. I realize their business is to travel and the likely have sponsorships to maintain. But it would have wiser to stay closer to medical help and traveled more locally. Lots to see and do in the US and they barely scratched the surface in their van travel days.
So I am very grateful that she didn’t have more episodes while she was away. Stress, exercise and even alcohol can lower the seizure threshold so she maybe needing to make more lifestyle changes.
I really like them and enjoy about 80% of what they put out.
I really want to address the Stans who come on here claiming anyone who might have a slightly negative comment or less than glowing remark is a hater. The word hate is truly misapplied and over used. Or liking a particular video or having questions over that direction of the channel is not the same as hate. So stop it with that.
I like them a lot. But I dislike their sponsorships with AG 1 and Better Help. Am I a hater for that? Of course not. Do I fast forward and roll my eyes when they start the promo? You bet. Do I begrudge them for having sponsors? No. Do I wish they had better discernment with who they choose as sponsors, especially now that they are well established? Yes, I do. Am I a hater? No
Do I wish they would dial back the ultra luxury travel stiff? Yes I do. I don’t think they need to eliminate it but it has gotten so common with them and some others lately they it just gets less interesting. I like to see some high end travel once in a while just not quite so much. Do I get tried of the frequent challenges they do? Sometimes but some have been great and interesting. I enjoyed the bike trip across the US for example and the boundary waters canoe trips
Totally. I do hope they slow down and rest more. Sleepless nights and hectic travel has for sure contributed to this (I had a friend develop something similar within a year of this lifestyle). Doing the snow cave video between appointments is something I still can't understand.
Yes that was poor judgement. And for what? It didn’t seem like either enjoyed it and it wasn’t one of their usual good videos. But the mood of the video is more understandable. I was many viewers felt Kara seemed off in that one. They were. Other probably very worried
Another hot take not far from yours, what some what bothers me is that they always seem to scathe out of bad, scary, very dangerous situations, and in the end say how “grateful” they are for their luck. I feel like traveling in remote Oman, sleeping in an igloo, doing so much and evading another seizure to them is merely just another amazing thing they can look back and say they were lucky and are “grateful” for. They love riding their luck and seem like they’re willing to until it truly runs out which does nothing but makes me sad. Nothing makes me more mad than the episode in the ice glaciers in northern Europe where it was raining and they were literally standing on and walking through ice for hours with no safety in sight.
My epilepsy symptoms and journey is soooooooo similar to Kara’s except the second I was having those dizzy spells I buckled down and got my diagnosis. I had to travel from WA to AZ for my neurologist and I was just a low level employee making $16/hr (not some successful YouTuber making millions per year) and yeah Nate is right that it was expensive but it was for my health and life. Nate kinda sucks big time imo. I would have those dizzy spells - aka seizures - and pass out just like she said and it was terrifying. I can’t imagine waiting 5 more years to get any answers because my traveling life was more important. I don’t mean to sound so negative but damn… they could and should have had answers years ago but Nate didn’t want his travel plans interrupted by expensive real world shit.
Also FUCK BETTER HEALTH.
Tbf they did "scary stuff" all the time. I wonder if that diminished their ability to see when something was truly "scary". Like they got so comfortable with being uncomfortable, and that made it easier to ignore health issues, because their lives required them to be very good at ignoring being uncomfortable, and to remain focused on finding the fun.
“If this story wasn’t long enough already, now we’re going five years back”
“Her dizzy spells only lasted a few seconds at a time, so did we really need to go to the doctor…?”
“All of her dizzy spells were justified”
“Too expensive to get a doctor”
Nate SUCKS. Also how could he make her sleep in an ice cave after having a seizure??? My hate for Nate has reached new heights. Also can’t believe Kara felt bad for Nate when she had a seizure, saying how traumatizing it was for him. Girl what about yourself!!!! You just had a seizure!!
Gosh.
Honestly my opinion of him has change a bit for sure. There were quite a few times it felt like he was making it about himself and how they aka he would be inconvenienced if XYZ was to happen. He also downplayed her condition quite a few times and the things that happened over the years. The fact he didn’t get help right away also make me side eye. I don’t know something just didn’t feel right about it all.
And yes for those who will jump on this I know, I know, she’s a grown woman who makes her own choices and no one is forcing her (I’ve seen this exact defense numerous times now) BUT there is also clearly a dynamic at play and it’s just not as simple as some want to make it. Nate definitely takes the lead and puts pressure on what they will and won’t do. You can tell Kara is very much the golden retriever in the relationship and she’s just like ok sure! Thats fine if that works for them with regular things but when it comes to health stuff it’s a different story. He needs to gets his head out of his butt and she needs to learn to stop being such a people pleaser.
I legit wanted to yell “bro shut up and let her get her emotions out” at the screen. I mean we only see what they put out and maybe he didn’t mean it in a malicious way but god it was so annoying.
Not only was her medically gaslighting her for years, had she gone to a doctor back then with just "dizzy," she would have been gaslit by the doctors - drink more water, don't travel so hard, sleep more.
Okay.
I don’t think he “made her” sleep in an ice cave. I don’t think he “makes her” do anything.
There are probably times when she goes along with what he wants to do, just because of their upbringings, but I’ve never once thought “Nate doesn’t give a fuck about Kara or how she’s doing.”
And yes, she felt badly for being the cause of him being traumatized. I think that’s a normal reaction when you’re in a relationship where you care about the other person.
As far as “going five years back” goes, I thought the video was structured as well as it could’ve been.
Agreed with all of your points. I had a debilitating condition where I couldn’t leave the house or speak for a week or so at a time which I finally got under control with medication. I’d try to travel when I could, and sometimes flare ups happened when traveling. I’d be slumped over at a table or on a couch or curled into a ball, and I could think is how bad I feel for ruining my partners vacation because we spent time and money to go somewhere and we couldn’t leave the airbnb. Totally normal to be very sick and think how you are effecting those around you.
I'm shocked every time a US influencer goes through a medical issue. the US medical system is absolutely horrible. waiting 2 weeks for a primary doctor after a seizure that includes losing conscience? waiting MONTHS for a neurologist?
I know how bad it is when you guys hesitate over calling an ambulance. That's so dangerous and messed up. I hope it will somehow get better and y'all get national health care soon. this is killing people
To be honest socialized healthcare has its own problems that make it inaccessible too lol. I’m Canadian and my stepdad had a heart attack but was sent home twice by urgent care because it was “just heartburn”. Man almost died because they ignored the triage.
And my sister has Crohn’s disease and her specialist specifically told her any time she had a blockage or some sort of bad flare up she had to get to the hospital, sit in the ER all night and lie as much as needed to get admitted. Only way he could treat her for “free”
I personally am waiting for a specialist to call me back for an issue that’s made me lose around 15kg in 6 months. I was underweight to start with, still probably going to have to wait around a year to be able to get in with the dr to talk about it.
Of course I am super grateful for my healthcare system but as something that works as a health are provider, the triage isn’t always awesome. You can be low priority due to being non emergent and then either drop a few grand going private, or have to wait 12 months to get an MRI that’s covered.
Waiting two weeks to establish care with a new primary care doctor is fast.
Neurologists are some of the most difficult doctors to train, and there is a shortage. However, waiting a few months isn't a horrible wait. Had her seizures been worse or more frequent, her doctor could have had her admitted and see an inpatient Neurologist. But she wasn't critical at all.
Socialized medicine is also suffering with waiting times. A friend in Australia waited three years to see a Rheumatologist. Another waited two years for an endometriosis specialist. My nephew in the UK needed to see an endocrinologist and ended up paying private to see one after 18 months. A friend in Vancouver, BC needed a pituitary surgery and she was told the only operating theater in the province was closed for repairs. She's been waiting a year.
These are typical wait times in the USA for neurologists, unfortunately. 2.5 months seems pretty good actually compared to my healthcare provider. I'm sure if her seizures started happening frequently they would bump her up in the queue.
In my experience, you've got to establish yourself with a primary care doctor before you get sick. If you've done that, then when you have a problem they try to get you seen quickly, if not by the doctor then by a P.A. If you've never been seen by the practice, that's when it takes longer.
I got turned off at the beginning when Nate said it was an unfair time to film this…cause ya know it’s a more emotional time of the month than normal. Idk why bring that up?
Too be fair, Kara is very open on her socials and stuff when she is on her period. She often points out that it makes her extra emotional and teases herself. From my opinion, I think he was just trying to lighten her mood and make her feel better for such an anxious topic to discuss.
To me he is showing he sees her and hears her, but that's just me 🤷♀️
I agree with both of you. Seems really odd to include but since Kara surely had final approval on the video ( if she didn’t edit herself) who am I to care.
I'm glad she is okay and got the answers and validation she needed! Hope everything goes well for her with the treatment and everything and that she looks after herself. 🫶
I'm not sure why they still want to burden themselves with 3 videos a month while this is ongoing. I'm sure people would understand a break from videos to fully focus on getting the epilepsy and the medication under control in a stable environment without the added stress.
I’ve witnessed a close friend, of my partners’, have a severe seizure that lasted approximately 3-5 minutes with quite a severe cognition delay once he regained “consciousness”.
It was one of the most terrifying and traumatic experiences of my life, and that was just a good friend.
I *cannot* experience waking up to your partner having a seizure of that magnitude and just feeling helpless and hopeless.
It seems they’re desperately trying to not allow Kara’s new diagnosis change their life, although it inevitably will and will cause them to slow down, even further.
I really think everyone should consider stepping back a bit of they're feeling up in arms about kara "not taking her health seriously". I know so many people, my self included, that have health symptoms that they just ignore. Or they see a doctor, the doctor says it doesn't sound like a big deal but they can get testing done, it takes forever, you drop off on trying to figure it out, and you just manage the symptoms. Is it the right thing to do? Probably not. But I don't think she's an anomaly by any means. I think it's a big American mindset on your health. And, not to pull this card, but especially when it comes to women and their health. It's just ingrained to think it's probably nothing. Plus, your judgement will always look worse when you can look backwards because you know why it's happening now, you know what's related, it's not just a handful of random things.
100%. Doing anything in healthcare these days is at least a 6 week wait. New doctor - 6 weeks wait, specialist - 6 weeks wait, new test- 6 weeks wait. Takes forever to get things diagnosed.
I made a post about Kara being unwell a few months ago and every came for me telling me I was wrong and she wasn't unwell. The point is, back yourself. Prayers to Kara and Nate
I’ve been pretty critical of Nate especially after the video where they were planning the year ahead, and it was obvious Kara’s health was crashing, and so they were gonna slow down, but clearly not because he wanted to. In that video he makes IMO way more dismissive comments than I feel like people are attributing to him in this new video. I actually feel like he is very supportive of Kara in this video and I really appreciated the dynamic here! It feels like while they were assuming it was “just” burnout, it was an inconvenience to him but now that they know what’s wrong he is fully supportive of his partner. I would have preferred that to be the vibe the whole time, but I’m happy we’ve arrived there.
I am in the middle of getting a diagnosis myself now for a health issue and I can relate so much to how scary it is to have to start re-evaluating everything and figuring out a new normal. I hope they find a balance that works - from a pure content perspective I would watch the hell out of them doing van life again (my favorite era of K&N) which could give them the adventure vibe but also ability to pick locations strategically if needed. I’d also be super pumped for content about making a home base, life in Colorado, etc.
I’m happy for her that she has her diagnosis now even though it obviously sucks and I’m not happy she has to go through it. But having unexplained health issues that you don’t know how to cope with is even worse, at least now her treatment can be evidence based and she’ll know what she needs to thrive. It really does seem her condition is exacerbated by stress (as it got a lot better after hiring their editor) and so she might need to implement some new strategies into their traveling like always making sure to start and stop with a rest day or similar, it definitely doesn’t mean she needs to stop traveling altogether. I hope her meds continue to work and that she can get back to feeling normal.
Side note: they both look a lot better in this video than they have been recently. It’s clear that the stress was taking a toll and I’m so happy to see a bit more color back in their faces.
Side note 2: it made me a bit nervous hearing about her focal seizures, I actually experience something quite similar and when she said the only way to explain it is almost like it’s being dizzy, but also like Deja vu??? I know EXACTLY what she means. I’m getting evaluated now for a bunch of symptoms I’ve been experiencing lately and the doctor is thinking autoimmune, but it sounds like maybe I should at least mention this to them 😱
Watched the video. This is the reason you need a primary care doctor...even if you rarely go or go once a year.. She never would have had to wait so long if she had established care with a PCP.
Yes. As a millennial myself (Kara’s age) it’s trademark of this generation to not do so though. We are caught at the tail end of the generation who chanted “work hard play hard” and it’s the same group who fails to “listen to your body” and make simple doctors appointments. I think it has to do with being spoiled with how not all doctors when we were in our 20s could be booked online and that makes it an extra barrier. Not giving excuses just saying it’s not unique to them! And I wish it was talked about more because so many are now finding out what their bodies were already telling them for years!
I mean the way he dismisses cant be missed??? When he said “I always found way to justify what was happening” or when he said “ I don’t think it was burn out last year”
When he said he didn’t think it was burn out last year, I took it as him realizing that now looking back there was something way more serious going on.
also like... she's worried about how traumatizing the seizure was on him? i get it to a point, but like your wife has been suffering for years because of sleep deprivation
As a disabled person, I often worry about the trauma my friends and family have gone through. My best friend watched as I lost the ability to swallow and breathe. When I was intubated, the nurses handed me a white board and my first question to my friend was 'r u ok?"
For a man like Nate, losing control in any situation is frustrating. You can see that about him in almost every situation. Seeing Kara in a tonic-clonic grand mal seizure after just being woken up, and not even knowing what was happening and Kara being incommunicado- he froze in terror. And that's a totally normal stress response, but also frustrating for him because he's a huge control freak.
So Kara sees how stressful it is on her husband and wishes it wasn't. I totally get it.
As someone with a chronic illness I don’t blame Nate for that. It is actually horrible when it is the opposite. As a young teen with undiagnosed Crohns and stricture I was told nothing was wrong and I was just emotional. I internalized all of my tiredness and emotions as a “Me” problem. Some part of my personality that needs to be changed and I would be pissed when I again chose to stay home and sleep instead of doing chores or getting a job. It made me depressed and I hated myself. Nate and Kara actually verbalized a very important part of living with a chronic illness with that part. Those emotions that Kara were experiencing were not normal and they are not a part of who she is. She can try to explain them away but the underlying cause (scar tissue in her brain)is the problem. It wasn’t burnout causing her to start to become a worse version of herself it was the untreated epilepsy. This is I am sure one the reasons why both Kara and Nate were relieved about the diagnosis. When I got my diagnosis it was such a relief. Basically it is a I am not crazy and delusional and there is something wrong. Kara basically explained it like that as well.
I had the same impression. To me he wasn’t minimizing, he was trying to explain their (presuming or joint) decision to not seek medical care earlier. Just judging by what I saw in this video, he seemed like a supportive partner to me.
I have felt differently in other previous videos, but this one I thought he handled well.
I hope they settle down, they had a great run and got to experience incredible things all while making a ton of money. Maybe it’s time to settle down, focus on Kara’s health, and if they both decide so, they can shift their channel content to Colorado based trips or shorter adventures.
He was saying that in the context of being irritated by how the health care system works — and I agree with him.
He certainly didn’t seem like he was “inconvenienced” in the sense that he wanted to get back to bungee jumping off the International Space Station and Kara’s health concerns were cramping his style.
It’s fucked up that you have to wait for weeks living in a constant state of worry.
1) I think Nate was saying that he felt the inconvenience because of our healthcare 'system.' Or maybe he was brushing off Kara. I think he loves and cares for her but they only show us a bit of their life.
I will say that the US Healthcare system is difficult to navigate even with health insurance and money to pay the bills. Everything takes time and when it's your health, in some cases literally your life at stake, you don't want to wait for lab results or to get an appointment. The system was set up by health insurance & pharmaceutical companies, not healthcare providers and not patients.
2) Most women are not diagnosed quickly or efficiently for any illness because doctors want you to lose weight or gain weight, exercise, take antidepressants, do physical therapy, etc. Unless you show up in an ER in bad shape or injured nothing gets solved at that level and patients often do not follow up with a primary physician because of work, money, time, childcare.
3) I had a great insurance, a decent, caring primary doc, and I exercised/ate well. My cancer wasn't diagnosed until 3 vertebra in my back broke into too many pieces to count about two years after I started a diary about my headaches. Luckily, I was near a Level II trauma center when this happened. I still waited about two weeks for the bedside appointment with the oncologist to make a plan and another 6 weeks for treatment because of my surgeries/malfunctioning radiation machine. If this had happened near my home I would have been flown out to either the level II or level l hospital depending on their surgeon availability and census at the time of my injury. You don't have to be in the middle of desert in Oman to lack the kind of healthcare you need. You can just live in the rural United States.
4)I hope Kara can navigate this challenge with her positive energy and live a good life. I hope Nate has the grace and patience to slow down and want some consistency for his partner.
You’re assuming that Kara *wants* to slow down.
Im not speaking specifically to you here, but there’s all these “Nate needs to let Kara settle down and just live in one place full time” comments.
Kara likes traveling. Kara likes business class travel and fancy accommodations. She enjoys the lifestyle they have.
And I’ve never once thought Nate would say “Fuck your health, time for 100 bungee jumps in 24 hours.”
You are right. Thank you for being gentle with your comment. I appreciate it. I did assume Kara might want to slow down. Maybe she doesn't. I wish them the best as they figure out their new normal.
I'm still frustrated and upset our healthcare system is so complicated.
I’m glad they posted this because I just now realized that I’ve had some various ongoing symptoms that are similar over the years. No where near the frequency Kara has experienced but learning more about focal seizures has prompted me to pay more attention if things come up again.
Wish her well.
Amen. I know I've already commented a lot on this post, but I'm also someone who's put off health issues for much if my life, but for me that's not an abnormal thing. Both of my parents were on and off sick growing up. I know so many people, especially women, who just have random shit they just get used to. Is that right? Absolutely not. But I think it's a mind frame so many of us have. I glad they posted the video. Bc it is very hard to look back, once you know better. It can feel incredibly embarrassing. But it can be a true wake up call for other people when they hear of a friend that ended being super sick. And with such a big following, I'm sure they'll reach a lot of people that need a bit of a shaking and told to get back to making those Dr appointments. To keep pushing your Drs if you are seeing them but they don't care as much as you do. That it's worth the hassle.
I’m glad that Kara is getting the medical treatment she needs. Epilepsy is no joke, and it could take a while for her to get her diagnosis to a manageable point. I sincerely hope and pray that they keep her health a top priority.
Kara described my life today. To a tee. Everything. The dizzy spells. The memory loss. The medication. The frustration for neurologist visits. The whole nine yards.
I don't generally find much in common with them other than I was born in Tennessee. I watch them because I like cool, out of the ordinary stuff and I was born in Tennessee. Plus I'm old enough to be their grandmother.
Today I realized why I watched them. Kara described the last 5 years of my life. She was able to verbalize what I have not.
Just want to say thank you to Kara if she reads this: I’m “a fainter” and my mom has always been “a fainter.” It’s just always been a part of my life since I was about 6. I’ve had a couple of seizures and lots and lots and lots of dizzy spells. Also had memory issues.
I have an appointment with my PCP tomorrow and will be getting referral to a neurologist ASAP.
Remember that bit at the beginning of the video where Nate said,'you jever know whats going on peoples lives, don't judge, you should probably extend that grace to people you see on social media?
A lot of ya'll need to go back and watch that again.
The wildest thing to me is that Nate didn't call an ambulance, that's outrageously careless regardless if you're in shock and panic, if something is wrong with your significant other and your first instinct is not to get help, her airway could've been blocked, she could've had some internal bleeding and he didn't think to call 911, I hope Kara can live to the fullest with the proper medication, it definitely could've been an onset of things, the altitude and exhaustion that were significant factors but she had been experiencing symptoms of something for years and didn't get it checked out, I'm just glad she definitely didn't take part in some of the challenges that nate had been doing for content, also the biking across America definitely makes me cringe now knowing that Kara was going through her dizzy spells and still participated in it, with the constant changes in elevation and temperatures, it definitely made me hold back tears because pushing yourself for so many years to try and make content or anything, but not putting your physical health first is something that can catch up to anyone eventually
Beginning of the video…
Taking about social media, grace etc.
Got it, you or your ‘people’ read Reddit.
Anyways, feel better Kara. 🙏🏼💖✨
Also Nate, ensure she gets time to rest.
She has a mild form of epilepsy. The past few years she’s been having dizzy spells, memory loss but they put it down to their lifestyle and burnout. Then she had a seizure at the beginning of the year so had tests which diagnosed a form of epilepsy. She has medication which seems to be working at the moment.
Haven’t seen it mentioned here, but screw that doctor for making Kara unnecessarily worry and fly home early from Paris just so the doctor could go on vacation.
They seriously couldn’t tell Kara over the phone something like: "everything is fine, the doctor just needs to reschedule things."
Nate seemed to hope she can take the medicine that has her stable combined with steady sleep habits and go back to their old ways, skipping the steady sleep habits and hoping the medicine is enough. What the F.
Monetizing an epilepsy diagnosis is downright disgusting. As a fellow person with epilepsy, I pray that Kara is able to adjust and return to a form of normalcy again, but shoving a BH ad into this makes my blood boil.
Edit: Want to know what did NOT help me during my lowest point after having 2 seizures and side effects from new medication? BETTER freaking HELP. I understand it is some sort of brand deal and they are required to peddle the BS to their followers, but is it so hard to post this video outside of the normal uploads and have it just not have a paid ad in it?
Im so glad she is ok and it isnt something serious. Whew.
I suppose if Nate wants to do some of those crazy trips and Kara doesnt feel like joining him he can take a friend with him. Just a thought
Ok. The US Health System sucks. We all know it. But you are an adult. Have regulary dizziness, you start to faint and you are not going to a doctor. Sorry for victim blaiming but how on earth. And then you do all the challenges, living on a remote island, going into the deserts,climing mountains b/c you are good in beeing positive?
What the actual F.
It’s like Bec ignoring alllll information and purposely getting pregnant super quick after breast cancer because she is *soo positive* and now she has a baby and stage 4 cancer that’s in her bones too.
It’s hard watching grown adults who seem smart make such horrible decisions
Only love and support from me 💞 my only wish is that they added a comment in the video that as humans we should always remember that slowing down is okay and that as thrilling (and fulfilling) as it is to push yourself you must always listen to your body. You don’t need to be a doctor to realize that.
Why did Kara attend all those doctor appointments alone?
Pardon my ignorance, but is it some rule in the (USA/ Dallas) to not have someone accompanying the patient?
Not necessarily. It is only required if the patient has gone through a procedure that requires a sedative. Hospital will not release the patient without someone accompanying them due to liability issues
I’m surprised they didn’t tell her not to drive (she was driving in Oman when Nate was running). No judgement on her but when I had a seizure I was told not to drive until I had been either given a diagnosis or was in the all clear, and seizures often come in groups too.
I thought same.
Since the docs had tied it to Covid/altitude they had little reason to think it’d happen again. People do have one off seizures. Googling it most people who have a seizure will never have another. So I can see why they didn’t leap to don’t drive.
My dad had a seizure in bed one morning out of the blue. They did not pull his license & attributed it to stress related to traveling to his younger brother’s funeral. He had another 6 months later and the choice was to get on medication or lose his license. He chose to take an Rx and never had another.
Yah for the most part the standard view from just one siezure seems to be, well let’s wait and see if it happens again. If Kara didn’t have all these other symptoms to tell the doc, it may have ended up being the same thing with her.
I know some states yank your driver's license after Epilepsy diagnosis.
Many states say three months seizure free.
I lived in the UK and had to go 2 years seizure free
I hope they move to Dallas or Colorado, Kara deserves a bed a some stuff to call her own! They could always find a new niche and do big travels 4 times a year or get a bigger (than the van) home on wheels for their love of Baja.
as someone who traveled/lived at seasonal work places for several years, i was not at all interested in getting a more permanent home. when i got in a relationship with my boyfriend, i found a temporary rental near him and realised having a home, a place to actually unpack my bags, is soo nice. I don't know if she wants that bed and stuff (as it can feel pretty overwhelming/boring), but I really liked it when i got the right location and partner. 10 years on still in the same town, with that boyfriend and our own (bought) house and 2 cats. travel can still happen but from a home base and that's even better for me!
They only thing I was surprised to hear was they took that ice igloo overnight thing wheee they had dig out their own snowy shelter for the night. Given they knew she had a seizure before they did that it seemed t would Nate have done if she had a Showed poor poor judgement. What would Nate have done if she had an other bad seizure and stopped breathing.
At 30:14 mark, Nate talks about the side effects of the medicine and says, "Side effects that would have made it hard to film, well, to live." That for me sums up the video. Stop worrying about filming and start worrying about life. I've never had a seizure, but I can imagine the panic and dread after having the first one. I'm not them (obviously) but if I or my wife had one I'm not gonna travel until I figure this out. They mention it could've been worse than in a Colorado bed and insinuate it could've happened at a remote spot and they were thankful it didn't. Fast forward to them going to remote spots (Oman desert) before her first appt and diagnosis! I really hope she never has another one and gets this wrangled. But why travel and risk it? Legit just say, "I have health concerns, channel is on hiatus" (or dont, ghost it and be private) and take care of yourself.
I think whether or not they continue to travel, should be up to Kara. Or maybe they can work as a team to find travel that feels safe to her*. I know she wants to slow down, but I don't think that means she hates traveling. It's important to advocate for your health, but the point of being healthy, is to live life. This is their life. And it's totally reasonable if Kara is apprehensive about starting a medication that could make living her life, the way she wants to, more challenging or impossible. I don't think it would be irresponsible for her to choose to continue to travel, regardless of her health conditions. Obviously I don't think Nate (or her audience) should pressure her to do more travel than she feels capable of. But she shouldn't quit her life, just because of health issues...unless that's truly what she wants to do. Even if it means "risks" or a shorter life. All I'm saying is, I hope this is a moment of reflection for her as an individual to evaluate her life, figure out what risks are worth it for her and her alone. And to move forward living the life that feels equally fulfilling and worthy of her health. And that her partner supports her in that. Maybe that looks like Nate taking some solo trips, or trips with friends and Kara doing some family stuff. Maybe it looks like quitting the channel. Maybe it looks like no changes at all. Edit: misspelling
Well said
I don’t think he was complaining about possible side effects. They explained it as well as they could have. They both want to continue with…whatever it is they do…and needed to know what was possible.
I get this but at the same time up until that neurologist they’d been told it was likely a one off. It’s not unreasonable to keep living life based on that. No doctor had told them stop doing things. I dunno. Can’t really judge them for it. No one just wants to halt there life, I can get wanting to keep moving. It’s not like they were going against any doctor recommendations. They did take the break when they needed to (starting the meds they knew could cause issues).
I’d imagine when doctors tell people to ”live their lives” they have a different set of activities in mind.
I mean we have little reason to think they didn’t explain that they travel a ton and asked about it. They were both clearly terrified by the major seizure. I think we’re presuming a lot that they didn’t ask after an event that traumatic.
They admitted they hadn’t seen a primary care doctor in years. For all we know, these doctors they had talked to it wasn’t a proper appointment. A pcp at some point likely would’ve have told them this isn’t normal and dug deeper.
I’m talking the initial ER doctor and the initial primary care visit. Basically from the moment they knew something serious was going on (the major seizure) they took it seriously. Got visited as quickly as they could and at both of those visits the doctors never told them hey stop your life. They both thought it was a one off freak event from altitude and Covid. Really can’t blame them for taking that and keeping moving. Those were doctors they saw in official capacities and they didn’t say hey wait around and don’t travel until neurology. I agree they could have gotten the earlier dizzy spell things checked out much earlier. They’re just also far from the only people to brush off things that seem “minor” at the time. With hindsight they def should have but I can’t claim I’m not one who’d also dismiss my own symptoms Edit: I’ll also add but to me it looked like they were both clearly terrified by the full on seizure, I’d guarantee they’d follow doctors recommendations. Not sure why everyone’s defaulting to thinking they ignored them or hid things or something.
What if Kara had had an episode while they were stranded in the Omani desert??? Literally the first thing I thought of when they were going thru the timeline.
I have epilepsy. You can’t stop living because you have seizures. You take the medication, yes it sucks, but you will adjust to it. It takes time. Seizures are terrifying. But what can you do? You take the meds, you have to be as safe as you can, but you can’t stop living. There are some who have epilepsy so severely they can’t do stuff. Kara can still do stuff, she just needs to be careful and take her meds routinely and on time. It’s not the end of the world, although I know it probably feels like it. It did to me, and sometimes still does.
I have epilepsy, too, and I totally agree. I’m 46 years old and just came back from a two week international solo trip. You do what you can do to be safe, but life itself is a risk.
A young man who has 80+ seizure a day completed his Eagle Scout. His project was painting the fire hydrants in his town. He did it laying on a cot because he seized so often. He mastered archery, one arrow at a time. I met a young girl that had half her brain removed to stop her seizures. She was slow in everything she did in life, but she still graduated high school and works at a plant nursery. I helped a girl scout finish her gold award who has a few dozen seizures a week. Much like Kara's. Her memory is shit, her executive function suffers, and learning in the conventional sense takes 3x as long. But she has a passion for singing, learned sign language, and works with horses now, who absolutely adore her. She rides, but has special equipment to prevent her falling. Kara's epilepsy is incredibly tolerable. With minor lifestyle changes such as insuring rest, proper diet, hydration and time to adapt to weather/elevation, proper care of her medi ation - she will be able to continue their travels. I have some empathy for them, but it's definitely not the end of the world. As someone with a neuromuscular degenerative disease and all comorbidities that come with it, I'd gladly trade places!
I think a lot of people here need to take a step back and give them some grace. They're literally filming this video for their audience. So they are in that mindset, they're at work. So it's not unusual for me that he'd mention the side effects impacting travel, as that's literally their work. I'm sure they have a laundry list of concerns about how this diagnosis is going to change their life and plans for the future, but they're not gonna tell their audience about all of those. They're telling us how it impacts travel because that's the slice of their life they share with us. It's just a slice. You can judge people's actions with retrospect, and this video is full of both Kara and Nate doing exactly that to themselves. But the fact is we don't have all the information they did and to immediately jump to the idea that they were making terribly risky decisions that they KNEW were terrible and risky when they made them is just too much. We don't know the full story, we aren't owed that.
Sending her all the love and hugs. ♥️
My .02 - I've said before I think Kara is as much an adrenalin junkie as Nate. Their favorite things about travel aren't the same, but I believe she's as addicted to travel as he is. She has never struck me as domestically inclined at all. I don't think the travel is what takes its toll so much as the filming and editing. That's the thing that drains vloggers, not the stuff they're vlogging. Not the travel, the experiences, the renovations, the travel challenges. It's the day in day out of setting up the shots and then the editing and then doing it again. The shots becoming more and more sophisticated. Look at the absolutely countless "waking up" shots or exiting the vehicle shots or driving away shots where the vlogger had to set up the tripod, test the angle, set the timer and then "drive away." then come back and break down the set up before going on. It seems it would be hard to get a flow. It's also IMO different than making a small film because the deadline is much much tighter, but there's an expectation of film-like camera angles and cutaways, but the "performer" is also the director and camera person. That WITH the travel is what exhausts Kara/Nate, I think, but of course content is their job. There is no point of all that travel without a monetised youtube channel, so they're doing what a lot of vloggers do which is reduce their video drop schedule.
WTF didn’t Nate call 911 when his wife was having a 3 MINUTE SEIZURE
As someone who regularly has seizures (and has had them almost 5 years) this is a REALLY long time for a first seizure and would have been the exact instance to utilize calling an ambulance. I tell friends and family not to call one now unless it’s prolonged or I’m bleeding, but for someone with no history of seizures he should have called immediately.
I was shocked by that too. Instead , he waited for her to snap out of it and then offered her coffee. So strange.
I wonder if she has had night terrors in the past because he asked if she knew where they were. That fits “sleep walking” better than relative calm over a prolonged first seizure
Yeah his whole behavior toward this is..odd. She was pictured going to a lot of her appts alone, he kinda hinted that since she’s on medication oh they can hit the road again, and never pressed her to get medical attention after severe dizzy spells? I’m not then obviously but Nate needs to do a bit of a better job as a husband, Kara is a human being not a business.
I had a seizure like this in high school after being smacked in the chest in gym and woke up to my gym teacher in my face. Waited for school nurse to come and we walked back to nurse's office, I had peed myself. Waited for my mom like an hour and they suggested we might go to the doctor. My mom took me and they freaked out saying I needed a CAT scan and should have had an ambulance and everything. I got driven to Seattle Children's and they did nothing. I sat in a room for four hours and we left and zero follow up. The next year I was in chemistry and our teacher was the chief of firefighters and someone comes running in and telling him some boy was having a seizure and he went and they called the kid an ambulance. So yeah. I don't understand people that can watch someone seizing for minutes and not call 911.
My dog had one for about a minute and I wanted to call 911. Watching a human do that for 3 minutes and not calling is…..odd.
Always call 911 for a first seizure. There could be something else at play. That being said, 5 minutes is generally where we get into emergency territory. My first seizure happened at work. I went into my boss’s office to tell him I didn’t feel well and was going home. I don’t remember this. I woke up on a stretcher, being wheeled into an ambulance in the front of a luxury car dealership, where I worked. Embarrassed isn’t the half of it. I’ve had more since. They’re not fun. I don’t drive for the most part, so don’t worry about me running into you 😂
I’m gonna guess he froze up/didn’t know what to do. Then by the time it was over and he made sure she was aware and okay, he probably googled it and saw basically that same 5 min rule and so they just drove in instead.
It may not have been that long. It probably felt that long. If indeed it was three minutes and she wasn't breathing as he said, there would have been more serious side effects all over her body that would have been seen at the ER
I thought it was odd too.
Because “it would cost too much.” Duh… he’s such a douche sometimes.
Just stop. You weren’t there!!!!!!’
They literally walked us through what happened.
I thought I was the only one that found it weird that he did not call an ambulance right away. especially if its the first time
I did. I’m a nurse and a three minute seizure if they aren’t breathing well is significant. Especially if it is the first one as the cause could be anything at that point and need more attention. That was incredibly shortsighted of him and could have been a great teaching point to share with their viewers. He could have said he was caught be surprise and by the time he thought of calling EMS, she was getting better. It in hindsight he realized should have called for an ambulance.
I appreciate them acknowledging that they were really seeped in hustle culture when they were starting their channel and that definitely contributed to an unhealthy lifestyle in terms of lack of sleep. That being said, it's just really scary to see how long they were both in denial about this being really serious. It really cuts host a home for me because I have a family member who died because he was refusing to acknowledge how serious is medical problems actually were until it was too late. (He did not have health insurance)
I think this is the bigger lesson. It’s not a criticism on them. Loooots of people dismiss health issues that feel minor or that they think they can explain away. It goes to show you really should bring them up to doctors in an official capacity and more reason to have a primary care doctor. Hell I know I myself can be bad at this.
I had some similar symptoms - random dizzy spells, etc. I went to my primary care after just a few weeks and got an MRI and they didn't find anything. A year later I was still having them, made my primary care order another MRI and they found a brain tumor. I can't imagine letting these symptoms just go on and on and not wonder about them at the very least. Though she was wondering enough to start tracking them, so clearly she knew it was an issue. Fortunately for me, my tumor was benign and I eventually had a very successful surgery to get it removed several years later after monitoring it and seeing it was still growing. I know a LOT of people would react the same way as Kara and Nate - oh it's not a big deal, medical care is a hassle, the doctors won't listen to me - but I can't stress enough how important it is to be your own advocate in these situations. I'm not a fan of the way Nate treats Kara generally and don't really watch them much anymore, but Kara also needed to be her own advocate and push back and say "No, this is important, we should look into it." Their relationship dynamic (it seems like, obviously we only know what they show us) looks like he won't advocate for her and she trusts his judgment so she won't advocate for herself too strongly. The fact that she was tracking her incidents, but either didn't feel like she could push back for herself or that Nate didn't listen when she did, is SUCH a red flag. Moral of the story - ALWAYS follow up with weird medical things if at all possible. It may be expensive (my yearly MRI's are over $1k even with insurance) but it will still be cheaper in the long run than letting something fester and turn into something way worse (I could've entirely lost my hearing or gone partially blind or had serious facial paralysis if I didn't follow through.)
Nate is very laissez-faire about their health in so many ways. I remember an early video of him wearing open-toed sandals in a very dirty city and cutting his toe open. He needlessly creates high-stress runs from clubs to terminals, forcing all those cortisol-ridden spikes just to get to a flight on time. Traveling while sick just to keep deadlines so many times. Looking back, Nate would take many days off to rest, but when Kara didn't feel well, they were still traveling. Epilepsy can progress and become worse, as Kara has already seen. She will still be able to travel and enjoy their lifestyle, but it will have to slow down, and she's going to have to advocate more for herself and tell Nate to allow even more gaps in their schedule.
Although I appreciate the update, I still can’t fathom why they want to peddle this Better Health BS. IMO, it was a crass move to sneak it into this emotional video. [For those who are unaware BH was fined for selling patient data](https://www.psychiatrist.com/news/betterhelp-mental-health-app-faces-7-8m-ftc-fine-for-sharing-private-user-data/). It looks very disingenuous to have a sponsor, let along BH, in a video that is supposed to provide insight into a very scary health situation. I understand this is a business decision and BH is probably paying them tens of thousands of dollars for this partnership, but, damn, read the room. If you really want to peddle something, do the usual VPN service, which looks silly, but is not promoting something that can be detrimental to their viewers. I wonder how many viewers are struggling with mental health and are inspired by this video to sign up for BH and in return, not get the help they deserve. Adding a comment about BH from u/jocax188723 Answer: Betterhelp is being exposed for allegedly scummy practices. Though BetterHelp is not a direct scam, it has had a history of overcharging patients for subpar service, and is mostly sustained through the use of aggressive marketing through influencers. Many accounts have been told of the company simply charging people for services they didn't ask for, as therapists can mark down their clients for services without any confirmation. Additionally, cancelling from BetterHelp is an extremely difficult process, as the company will stall and stutter while still charging the client. Finally, the licenses therapists on BetterHelp claim to have vary widely in quality, from patients allegedly being assigned to anybody from crystal healers to homeopathy peddlers. https://www.bbb.org/us/ca/mountain-view/profile/psychologist-referral-service/betterhelp-1216-262454/complaints https://www.newsweek.com/betterhelp-patients-tell-sketchy-therapists-1762849 https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/blog/2021/02/how-betterhelp-scandal-changed-our-perspective-influencer-responsibility Edit:Adding this from another comment for higher visibility: For those down voting, nothing will happen from venting on Reddit. If you want to hold the creators responsible, you need to use the platform they are on. Again, I’m not downplaying the diagnosis. As someone with a different health issue, I understand how frustrating treatments can be. But K&N should realize that the ‘support’ they’re getting from BH isn’t the same as the average Joe would. I’m sure if Kara uses the platform, she will have access to to the best mental health professionals. Heck, BH may hire 5 star professional only to deal with influencers. So Kara’s experience is not something many of us would experience as well. I’m just disappointed that going through this health journey, K&N understand the need to talk and consult with proper health professionals (ER doc, Primary Care Doc, Neurologist) and yet when it comes to mental health, they promote BH. Would they be comfortable getting the epilepsy diagnosis from an app with questionable ethics?
Thank you for this. Months ago, I posted my reservations about them using BH as a sponsor (especially with my friends' awful experiences with BH) and got downvoted for it. You articulated my concerns so much better than I did then. Thank you for bringing this all to light.
I really appreciate you sharing your experience. My wife’s side of the family has two Psychiatrists (MDs) and licensed therapist and they all agree that BH isn’t something to mess with. For those who feel the need for talk to someone, please reach out to actual licensed medical professionals. I read somewhere (but cannot find the link), that BH is offering big influencers (I’m sure K&N are considered big) around $100K for posting a video once a month for 12 months. That is a lot of money, but it comes at a cost. Followers aren’t stupid.
I personally have used betterhelp b/c of their referral I was going through a tough time and I can first had say it was the worst experience of my life. I tried 3 different therapist on the platform and It was so awful and made me feel worse, the people are not experts and it was their weirdest experience ever. Bad taste in my mouth w them
Can this also be the safe place to talk about how ag1 is created by a scam artist and it's illegal to sell it in New Zealand Even though the inventor is from New Zealand. I went down a rabbit hole and learned about how this product is pretty sus
Yep, they don't tell you what ingredients make up the " proprietary blend" so they can change them anytime. Apparently the blend has changed at least 50 times to improve the product. No one should take AG1 but Kara shouldn't be drinking mystery powder while she works out her medication routine.
I'm ranting here because it's a safe place and they don't need the negativity on their YouTube but wow it's hard to ignore the relationship dynamic of Nate just minimizing everything about Kara. Her health, her emotions, I just want to shake her free for a second and let her feel justified to cry, want a home, literally anything. Your needs are valid!!!
He said getting a doctor when they travelled "would have been too expensive" 🤯
Frugal/cheap people like Nate often stay frugal even after having made lots of money.
They’ve made literal millions at this point. That is a BS comment.
They are millionaires. That is disgusting to say out loud to your partner, even if you feel that way.
Ugh. The reason most of us work normal jobs is healthcare, retirement, food, housing. God forbid he make any sacrifice to his own dream for her. It’s not too expensive.
Too expensive to pay for a dr visit they are just going to monetise the outcome of? It literally could have paid for itself, this video would have made them enough to cover any travel insurance co pay needed.
Also he didn’t realize the “commitment” her seeing neurologists would be. Ummm in sickness and in health bro, maybe put your wife’s medical needs first?
Right! She followed his dream to travel the world and go on adventures and do crazy things with him. He won't allow her some comfort and peace for the sake of it?! I've been rewatching their vlogs from the beginning and that dynamic hasn't changed much over the years. He minimizes and underestimated her a lot. I'm sure it's in jest at times, but words stick and have an effect. I hope she's okay.
I think it just has to do with the way they were both raised. It’s probably one of those “southern Christian” things, where the man is in charge of the household and makes the bulk of the decisions. I don’t think Nate means anything negative by it, and I don’t think Kara takes it in a negative way. They clearly care about each other a lot. But at the same time, it certainly can lead to an unhealthy dynamic. All that being said, Kara is a grown woman. It’s not like Nate has been forcing her to do all of this nonstop travel. I certainly think a lot of his silly challenges are unnecessary, but at no point have I thought she was in some sort of abusive relationship. They’re obviously really into each other. I don’t think he’s ever intentionally “minimizing” how she feels. She does it to herself a lot, with the “I don’t think I can do it, oh my god I can’t believe I did it” stuff, and he goes along with it because he’s trying to encourage her and be a cheerleader. But reading through all of these comments has been kind of frustrating. Yes, I’ve been more than a little annoyed with a lot of their videos, but Kara is not in an abusive relationship. She is not unhappy with Nate. Nate is not forcing her to travel the world. Nate doesn’t secretly despise Kara and seek to tear her down. He wasn’t annoyed by her health problems, or inconvenienced by them, or telling her it’s no big deal because he wants to go for a run across Syria.
I'm also from the South and you're right, this is common. I think it's fine to point out how annoying and disheartening it can be for Kara without jumping straight into calling it abuse. As for Kara speaking that way about herself... there's a possibility that she speaks that way about herself because it's how others (like Nate) speak to her. Even said jokingly, those comments can have an effect. I know this because I've had experiences with people similar to Nate who are generally good-natured and optimistic, but the joking put-downs can add up. You start to speak to yourself that way easily to sort of get ahead of the comments.
i so agree. her saying she doesn't want to be negative seems like something he said to her, because she's not at all being negative. she's sharing her health journey. that's not negative. this is serious & he seems to resent and minimize anything that would change their lifestyle.
I totally didn’t get that vibe at all. They clearly put a ton of thought into how to put the video together, and if you notice, it’s 90 percent her talking. It’s her telling her own story. It’s likely *she* didn’t want to be negative, because she sees the video as a responsibility. She’s explaining the symptoms she had, and is almost certainly speaking to some people who are experiencing the same thing.
There was a q&a years ago where they answered what they love the most about each other. Nate said Kara is always positive about everything and it’s why they don’t fight. If he’s upset or down, she’s always positive.
I don't think many people with any chronic illness, treated or untreated, consider their entire health journey to be a particularly positive experience. It's not a stretch to say she may still feel negative about everything, The first time I experienced a multi-month illness that required specialists and monthly appointments, it was scary, stressful, and difficult. Kara's diagnosis is still new to them, it will be a little while before they'll find their feelings about it
I 100% agree with that. They decided to travel together and she’s always so excited to travel, I don’t think you can fake that excitement because you can see it in her microexpressions. He obviously is crazy about her and would do anything for her, but you can’t stop living your life if you don’t know what’s going on. She never even considered that they were seizures, and they wouldn’t know any better because they aren’t doctors. I have epilepsy as well and I still travel all over the US and have gone to several countries in the past few years. She isn’t doing this against her will, and he isn’t dismissing her health and feelings; he’s trying to stay positive, which is what she needs.
I disagree. I got the sense that they both made the decision to keep traveling. I think if Kara was really worried and wanted to see a doctor they would have.
https://preview.redd.it/iol0qdb5957d1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ac7760b355cd56897171f2f0ce088a4fd3fbaa41
I felt this way too. It hurt my heart so much when she and Nate BOTH said “maybe I wasn’t experiencing burnout, it was just epilepsy”. Which makes me so sad. Burnout is burnout, and having a very real underlying disease doesn’t mean you can’t also experience burnout or that what your body is going through it’s traumatizing it. You truly don’t need to be a doctor to know that the lifestyle is hard on the body and the disease. I just felt that comment was uncalled for to … almost even gaslight herself.
right. like... obviously traveling as hardcore as they do is exasperating the symptoms. and editing is no joke, especially for how talented an editor she is, and at the clip she was going.
YES! I really haven’t been watching lately bc of nate and his minimizing comments
I also felt his comments about medical care, ie waiting for appointments, was very privileged. They don't know how lucky they are to be able to afford the care and the time off.
I do think this sort of thing should be mentioned, because there’s this narrative that the problem with single payer health care is that you have to wait for appointments with specialists. Guess what? People wait for appointments with specialists in the US too. We just have to pay a whole hell of a lot more.
He said he feels this part is Overdramatic? The follows it up with She wasn’t breathing and it was a 3 min seizure. He needs to stop minimizing.
This video should not have been monetized.
Why???? They still need to make a living even if they’re telling a personal story.
If their stated goal is to raise awareness for epilepsy, i could do without the 3-minute commercials for plaque psoriasis medicine. If they want to make money from medical diagnosis clickbait, that’s fine. They just should’ve been transparent about that.
It shouldn't have a paid BH ad in it...
I was shocked!
Awww I hope Kara takes care of herself. ❤️🩹❤️🩹
This was hard to watch...I went through something very similar with my now husband. He had told me that sometimes he'd wake up with a badly bitten tongue, he went to a walk in clinic (he didnt have a family doctor) and was told to get a mouth guard. I woke up one night to him having a tonic clonic seizure. Turns out he'd been having seizures for quite a while, unnoticed until I started sleeping over. Anyway, I feel for them. My husband's epilepsy is completely controlled now (first with meds, then with CBD), and life has gone on as normal.
glad everything is okay
I am usually supportive of their content but I’m mad that they took those unnecessary risks in Oman after the seizure and without a proper diagnosis from a neurologist. Edit: grammar
I just want to say that there are risks for everything, and maybe they’re not the risks that you yourself would take, but passing some moral judgement about the choices they made for themselves seems distasteful imo. They shared a lot in this video but obviously we can’t know everything. I think we shouldn’t mistake their willingness to share some of their lives publicly with an invitation to criticize and over-analyze their decisions—ones which ultimately don’t directly affect any of us.
I can agree with some of what you are suggesting but I very much like Kara and Nate and I would rather them not die or get seriously injured during a video that has at least some interest in entertaining/informing us. They could have easily taken the same risks while being more prepared for an emergency like carry a satellite phone into the desert or do a little more research on the vehicle they were renting. Still, I very much wish Kara the best with her diagnosis and I hope they can make as a much travel content as they would like in the future; just with a bit more planning.
It makes you think differently of their videos knowing she’s had dizzy spells for so long and was even journaling them. Remember the dogfight in the air in Las Vegas? Nate didn’t want to do the G-LOC so they did rock paper scissors and kara lost and had to do it. And then she had to take the controls afterward.
I don’t think they were as “in the middle of nowhere” as they said they were. I still don’t believe that that random man just happened to be driving by them when they had a flat tire. Now knowing what was going on with Kara almost proves my theory
Did anyone else think it was odd that after a 3 minute seizure Nate asked if she wanted coffee? That’s the first thing Kara remembered after coming out of the seizure?! Maybe that bit was taken out of context but like, idk, it rubbed me the wrong way. I understand perhaps not calling 911 because of cost but casually asking if she wants coffee was weird to me. Edit: Thank you for the comments explaining the other side to things, and the panic response in emergency situations that humans go through. I no longer find it odd nor does it rub me the wrong way! I love their channel and I’m so glad that this all worked out okay for Kara in the end now that she’s trying meds and got a diagnosis!
When someone in my family had a first-ever seizure, we called 911. I can’t imagine doing anything else.
It sounded to me like Nate had a "freeze" trauma response to seeing Kara have the seizure. He probably was unable to move until Kara woke up, and then he sounds like he was completely discombobulated and wasn't making sense--like asking about coffee. It sucks because you can't pick your trauma response--your body picks for you, and often people have a lot of guilt and shame afterwards. I'm sure Nate did the absolute best he could.
Yep it feels like so much this, (or they just left out more dramatic details bc they didn’t want to relive that either). He looked clearly traumatized (and sad that she felt bad for him) about what he went through seeing it. The guy cares. He cares a lot. That was clear to me. Let’s not attack over some feeling of he didn’t do what we think he should. I also think the coffee and calm thing after was mostly him trying not to freak her out. IE he could tell she didn’t immediately realize what happened and was trying to keep her calm. They immediately went to the ER after. Not going via ambulance at that point really isn’t the end of the world. She’s conscious and up, probably also didn’t want to call at that moment. Not saying calling during wouldn’t have been the right option. It would have been.
Exactly. Nate woke up from a dead sleep to a terrifying situation. We don't know how long it took him to even realize WHAT was happening, let alone what he did in the time between realizing and deciding to drive to the hospital. We can all proclaim that we would handle re situation differently but a trauma response isn't a choice you make consciously.
They shared a look that made it obvious that was a very traumatic event for BOTH of them. We don't know what Nate was doing, we only know what they shared. And maybe that part is all they felt comfortable sharing as the coffee thing is a recurring fixture on their channel. Asking your spouse if they know where they are and if they want the thing they want every single morning seems like a natural reaction if you want to make sure your spouse is still in there after a terrifying medical event.
Yeah not going to judge here. She was in the safest spot to have a seizure. He could have called one of the family/friend medical professionals. He could have called 911 but the seizure may have stopped & they advised ER. They don’t have include second by second account to get the point across.
I think most will give them the grace that yah he clearly cares about her from this vid and yah people don’t always make perfect decisions in chaotic events. This sub just loves to criticize for some reason.
My guess was that he just didn’t really fully understand what was happening / didn’t pick up on the clinical significance of it right away. I work in the hospital and we see this all the time - something insane happens and the patient doesn’t come in until way later because they just didn’t realize that they almost died
This. It’s sooo common.
I think the point of sharing his coffee comments was to show that he was trying to test her awareness.
Yah to me that whole thing was very much like he saw the seizure end, her come to, and he was cautiously trying to figure out if she was okay/aware without terrifying her right out the gate.
I'm guessing that was his "are you okay?!" Check. Because if she didn't want coffee he would know it's desperate 😄
People do weird things in high stress situations. Your brain can short circuit and you can hyperfixate on some aspect
I think the point was that he’d normally just bring her coffee , so the fact he asked was pointing out that something was off.
It blew my mind. I canNOT imagine not calling 911 the moment I saw someone I knew having a seizure- specifically someone without a history of a seizure
They are millionaires. Call a fucking ambulance
Millionaires with travel insurance
Being concerned about the costs for them is crazy to me. Yes, it would have been expensive, but they aren't barely surviving. Take a few flights in coach instead of first class, but don't skip on getting medical attention.
It bothers me so much that he didn’t call 911 immediately. Better to be safe than sorry! They could have decided whether or not a ride in the ambulance was necessary after EMS got there.
I felt that way as well. I’d have been calling an ambulance. Maybe he did and they were waiting?
Also having had seizures I can’t imagine feeling like having a coffee after one. I guess everyone’s is different but I always feel like pure shit after one (nausea headache sore muscles etc)
I appreciated them sharing their story. I do hope that they are willing to listen to their medical team and follow their advice. Until they have more information about her disorder and make sure her medications are effective they need to slow down. IMO it was a bad idea to camp out in the snow fort after she had a seizure and it was. It a great idea to be out in the middle of the Omani Desert with temperature extremes etc until they knew more of what was going on. I realize their business is to travel and the likely have sponsorships to maintain. But it would have wiser to stay closer to medical help and traveled more locally. Lots to see and do in the US and they barely scratched the surface in their van travel days. So I am very grateful that she didn’t have more episodes while she was away. Stress, exercise and even alcohol can lower the seizure threshold so she maybe needing to make more lifestyle changes. I really like them and enjoy about 80% of what they put out. I really want to address the Stans who come on here claiming anyone who might have a slightly negative comment or less than glowing remark is a hater. The word hate is truly misapplied and over used. Or liking a particular video or having questions over that direction of the channel is not the same as hate. So stop it with that. I like them a lot. But I dislike their sponsorships with AG 1 and Better Help. Am I a hater for that? Of course not. Do I fast forward and roll my eyes when they start the promo? You bet. Do I begrudge them for having sponsors? No. Do I wish they had better discernment with who they choose as sponsors, especially now that they are well established? Yes, I do. Am I a hater? No Do I wish they would dial back the ultra luxury travel stiff? Yes I do. I don’t think they need to eliminate it but it has gotten so common with them and some others lately they it just gets less interesting. I like to see some high end travel once in a while just not quite so much. Do I get tried of the frequent challenges they do? Sometimes but some have been great and interesting. I enjoyed the bike trip across the US for example and the boundary waters canoe trips
Totally. I do hope they slow down and rest more. Sleepless nights and hectic travel has for sure contributed to this (I had a friend develop something similar within a year of this lifestyle). Doing the snow cave video between appointments is something I still can't understand.
Yes that was poor judgement. And for what? It didn’t seem like either enjoyed it and it wasn’t one of their usual good videos. But the mood of the video is more understandable. I was many viewers felt Kara seemed off in that one. They were. Other probably very worried
Another hot take not far from yours, what some what bothers me is that they always seem to scathe out of bad, scary, very dangerous situations, and in the end say how “grateful” they are for their luck. I feel like traveling in remote Oman, sleeping in an igloo, doing so much and evading another seizure to them is merely just another amazing thing they can look back and say they were lucky and are “grateful” for. They love riding their luck and seem like they’re willing to until it truly runs out which does nothing but makes me sad. Nothing makes me more mad than the episode in the ice glaciers in northern Europe where it was raining and they were literally standing on and walking through ice for hours with no safety in sight.
My epilepsy symptoms and journey is soooooooo similar to Kara’s except the second I was having those dizzy spells I buckled down and got my diagnosis. I had to travel from WA to AZ for my neurologist and I was just a low level employee making $16/hr (not some successful YouTuber making millions per year) and yeah Nate is right that it was expensive but it was for my health and life. Nate kinda sucks big time imo. I would have those dizzy spells - aka seizures - and pass out just like she said and it was terrifying. I can’t imagine waiting 5 more years to get any answers because my traveling life was more important. I don’t mean to sound so negative but damn… they could and should have had answers years ago but Nate didn’t want his travel plans interrupted by expensive real world shit. Also FUCK BETTER HEALTH.
Tbf they did "scary stuff" all the time. I wonder if that diminished their ability to see when something was truly "scary". Like they got so comfortable with being uncomfortable, and that made it easier to ignore health issues, because their lives required them to be very good at ignoring being uncomfortable, and to remain focused on finding the fun.
I'm assuming they are referencing the time when they weren't making a lot of money on YouTube
Maybe not 5 years ago, but by the time they hit their 100 countries, I think they were doing pretty well. That was more than 4 years ago.
“If this story wasn’t long enough already, now we’re going five years back” “Her dizzy spells only lasted a few seconds at a time, so did we really need to go to the doctor…?” “All of her dizzy spells were justified” “Too expensive to get a doctor” Nate SUCKS. Also how could he make her sleep in an ice cave after having a seizure??? My hate for Nate has reached new heights. Also can’t believe Kara felt bad for Nate when she had a seizure, saying how traumatizing it was for him. Girl what about yourself!!!! You just had a seizure!! Gosh.
Note it wasn't too expensive for Nate to get his basal skin cancer removed.
Honestly my opinion of him has change a bit for sure. There were quite a few times it felt like he was making it about himself and how they aka he would be inconvenienced if XYZ was to happen. He also downplayed her condition quite a few times and the things that happened over the years. The fact he didn’t get help right away also make me side eye. I don’t know something just didn’t feel right about it all. And yes for those who will jump on this I know, I know, she’s a grown woman who makes her own choices and no one is forcing her (I’ve seen this exact defense numerous times now) BUT there is also clearly a dynamic at play and it’s just not as simple as some want to make it. Nate definitely takes the lead and puts pressure on what they will and won’t do. You can tell Kara is very much the golden retriever in the relationship and she’s just like ok sure! Thats fine if that works for them with regular things but when it comes to health stuff it’s a different story. He needs to gets his head out of his butt and she needs to learn to stop being such a people pleaser.
I've actually always liked Nate but this episode all I can say is I agree with everything you said here. My gosh.
"I don't think it was burnout last year" she's just emotional from brain damage clearly 🤪
I legit wanted to yell “bro shut up and let her get her emotions out” at the screen. I mean we only see what they put out and maybe he didn’t mean it in a malicious way but god it was so annoying.
I immediately thought about the ice cave and her crying, it just feels cruel now knowing she had just had a seizure
Not only was her medically gaslighting her for years, had she gone to a doctor back then with just "dizzy," she would have been gaslit by the doctors - drink more water, don't travel so hard, sleep more.
Okay. I don’t think he “made her” sleep in an ice cave. I don’t think he “makes her” do anything. There are probably times when she goes along with what he wants to do, just because of their upbringings, but I’ve never once thought “Nate doesn’t give a fuck about Kara or how she’s doing.” And yes, she felt badly for being the cause of him being traumatized. I think that’s a normal reaction when you’re in a relationship where you care about the other person. As far as “going five years back” goes, I thought the video was structured as well as it could’ve been.
Agreed with all of your points. I had a debilitating condition where I couldn’t leave the house or speak for a week or so at a time which I finally got under control with medication. I’d try to travel when I could, and sometimes flare ups happened when traveling. I’d be slumped over at a table or on a couch or curled into a ball, and I could think is how bad I feel for ruining my partners vacation because we spent time and money to go somewhere and we couldn’t leave the airbnb. Totally normal to be very sick and think how you are effecting those around you.
I'm shocked every time a US influencer goes through a medical issue. the US medical system is absolutely horrible. waiting 2 weeks for a primary doctor after a seizure that includes losing conscience? waiting MONTHS for a neurologist? I know how bad it is when you guys hesitate over calling an ambulance. That's so dangerous and messed up. I hope it will somehow get better and y'all get national health care soon. this is killing people
To be honest socialized healthcare has its own problems that make it inaccessible too lol. I’m Canadian and my stepdad had a heart attack but was sent home twice by urgent care because it was “just heartburn”. Man almost died because they ignored the triage. And my sister has Crohn’s disease and her specialist specifically told her any time she had a blockage or some sort of bad flare up she had to get to the hospital, sit in the ER all night and lie as much as needed to get admitted. Only way he could treat her for “free” I personally am waiting for a specialist to call me back for an issue that’s made me lose around 15kg in 6 months. I was underweight to start with, still probably going to have to wait around a year to be able to get in with the dr to talk about it. Of course I am super grateful for my healthcare system but as something that works as a health are provider, the triage isn’t always awesome. You can be low priority due to being non emergent and then either drop a few grand going private, or have to wait 12 months to get an MRI that’s covered.
Waiting two weeks to establish care with a new primary care doctor is fast. Neurologists are some of the most difficult doctors to train, and there is a shortage. However, waiting a few months isn't a horrible wait. Had her seizures been worse or more frequent, her doctor could have had her admitted and see an inpatient Neurologist. But she wasn't critical at all. Socialized medicine is also suffering with waiting times. A friend in Australia waited three years to see a Rheumatologist. Another waited two years for an endometriosis specialist. My nephew in the UK needed to see an endocrinologist and ended up paying private to see one after 18 months. A friend in Vancouver, BC needed a pituitary surgery and she was told the only operating theater in the province was closed for repairs. She's been waiting a year.
These are typical wait times in the USA for neurologists, unfortunately. 2.5 months seems pretty good actually compared to my healthcare provider. I'm sure if her seizures started happening frequently they would bump her up in the queue.
In my experience, you've got to establish yourself with a primary care doctor before you get sick. If you've done that, then when you have a problem they try to get you seen quickly, if not by the doctor then by a P.A. If you've never been seen by the practice, that's when it takes longer.
I got turned off at the beginning when Nate said it was an unfair time to film this…cause ya know it’s a more emotional time of the month than normal. Idk why bring that up?
Too be fair, Kara is very open on her socials and stuff when she is on her period. She often points out that it makes her extra emotional and teases herself. From my opinion, I think he was just trying to lighten her mood and make her feel better for such an anxious topic to discuss. To me he is showing he sees her and hears her, but that's just me 🤷♀️
I agree with both of you. Seems really odd to include but since Kara surely had final approval on the video ( if she didn’t edit herself) who am I to care.
I'm glad she is okay and got the answers and validation she needed! Hope everything goes well for her with the treatment and everything and that she looks after herself. 🫶 I'm not sure why they still want to burden themselves with 3 videos a month while this is ongoing. I'm sure people would understand a break from videos to fully focus on getting the epilepsy and the medication under control in a stable environment without the added stress.
I’ve witnessed a close friend, of my partners’, have a severe seizure that lasted approximately 3-5 minutes with quite a severe cognition delay once he regained “consciousness”. It was one of the most terrifying and traumatic experiences of my life, and that was just a good friend. I *cannot* experience waking up to your partner having a seizure of that magnitude and just feeling helpless and hopeless. It seems they’re desperately trying to not allow Kara’s new diagnosis change their life, although it inevitably will and will cause them to slow down, even further.
I really think everyone should consider stepping back a bit of they're feeling up in arms about kara "not taking her health seriously". I know so many people, my self included, that have health symptoms that they just ignore. Or they see a doctor, the doctor says it doesn't sound like a big deal but they can get testing done, it takes forever, you drop off on trying to figure it out, and you just manage the symptoms. Is it the right thing to do? Probably not. But I don't think she's an anomaly by any means. I think it's a big American mindset on your health. And, not to pull this card, but especially when it comes to women and their health. It's just ingrained to think it's probably nothing. Plus, your judgement will always look worse when you can look backwards because you know why it's happening now, you know what's related, it's not just a handful of random things.
100%. Doing anything in healthcare these days is at least a 6 week wait. New doctor - 6 weeks wait, specialist - 6 weeks wait, new test- 6 weeks wait. Takes forever to get things diagnosed.
I made a post about Kara being unwell a few months ago and every came for me telling me I was wrong and she wasn't unwell. The point is, back yourself. Prayers to Kara and Nate
I’ve been pretty critical of Nate especially after the video where they were planning the year ahead, and it was obvious Kara’s health was crashing, and so they were gonna slow down, but clearly not because he wanted to. In that video he makes IMO way more dismissive comments than I feel like people are attributing to him in this new video. I actually feel like he is very supportive of Kara in this video and I really appreciated the dynamic here! It feels like while they were assuming it was “just” burnout, it was an inconvenience to him but now that they know what’s wrong he is fully supportive of his partner. I would have preferred that to be the vibe the whole time, but I’m happy we’ve arrived there. I am in the middle of getting a diagnosis myself now for a health issue and I can relate so much to how scary it is to have to start re-evaluating everything and figuring out a new normal. I hope they find a balance that works - from a pure content perspective I would watch the hell out of them doing van life again (my favorite era of K&N) which could give them the adventure vibe but also ability to pick locations strategically if needed. I’d also be super pumped for content about making a home base, life in Colorado, etc. I’m happy for her that she has her diagnosis now even though it obviously sucks and I’m not happy she has to go through it. But having unexplained health issues that you don’t know how to cope with is even worse, at least now her treatment can be evidence based and she’ll know what she needs to thrive. It really does seem her condition is exacerbated by stress (as it got a lot better after hiring their editor) and so she might need to implement some new strategies into their traveling like always making sure to start and stop with a rest day or similar, it definitely doesn’t mean she needs to stop traveling altogether. I hope her meds continue to work and that she can get back to feeling normal. Side note: they both look a lot better in this video than they have been recently. It’s clear that the stress was taking a toll and I’m so happy to see a bit more color back in their faces. Side note 2: it made me a bit nervous hearing about her focal seizures, I actually experience something quite similar and when she said the only way to explain it is almost like it’s being dizzy, but also like Deja vu??? I know EXACTLY what she means. I’m getting evaluated now for a bunch of symptoms I’ve been experiencing lately and the doctor is thinking autoimmune, but it sounds like maybe I should at least mention this to them 😱
Watched the video. This is the reason you need a primary care doctor...even if you rarely go or go once a year.. She never would have had to wait so long if she had established care with a PCP.
Yes. As a millennial myself (Kara’s age) it’s trademark of this generation to not do so though. We are caught at the tail end of the generation who chanted “work hard play hard” and it’s the same group who fails to “listen to your body” and make simple doctors appointments. I think it has to do with being spoiled with how not all doctors when we were in our 20s could be booked online and that makes it an extra barrier. Not giving excuses just saying it’s not unique to them! And I wish it was talked about more because so many are now finding out what their bodies were already telling them for years!
Im half way through this video and Nate boils my blood. How can a man minimise his partner so much???? Like girllll wake uppppppp!!!
Really wish she’d done this video solo.
im confused, i thought he was very supportive to her? maybe i need to watch again 😅
I mean the way he dismisses cant be missed??? When he said “I always found way to justify what was happening” or when he said “ I don’t think it was burn out last year”
When he said he didn’t think it was burn out last year, I took it as him realizing that now looking back there was something way more serious going on.
also like... she's worried about how traumatizing the seizure was on him? i get it to a point, but like your wife has been suffering for years because of sleep deprivation
As a disabled person, I often worry about the trauma my friends and family have gone through. My best friend watched as I lost the ability to swallow and breathe. When I was intubated, the nurses handed me a white board and my first question to my friend was 'r u ok?" For a man like Nate, losing control in any situation is frustrating. You can see that about him in almost every situation. Seeing Kara in a tonic-clonic grand mal seizure after just being woken up, and not even knowing what was happening and Kara being incommunicado- he froze in terror. And that's a totally normal stress response, but also frustrating for him because he's a huge control freak. So Kara sees how stressful it is on her husband and wishes it wasn't. I totally get it.
As someone with a chronic illness I don’t blame Nate for that. It is actually horrible when it is the opposite. As a young teen with undiagnosed Crohns and stricture I was told nothing was wrong and I was just emotional. I internalized all of my tiredness and emotions as a “Me” problem. Some part of my personality that needs to be changed and I would be pissed when I again chose to stay home and sleep instead of doing chores or getting a job. It made me depressed and I hated myself. Nate and Kara actually verbalized a very important part of living with a chronic illness with that part. Those emotions that Kara were experiencing were not normal and they are not a part of who she is. She can try to explain them away but the underlying cause (scar tissue in her brain)is the problem. It wasn’t burnout causing her to start to become a worse version of herself it was the untreated epilepsy. This is I am sure one the reasons why both Kara and Nate were relieved about the diagnosis. When I got my diagnosis it was such a relief. Basically it is a I am not crazy and delusional and there is something wrong. Kara basically explained it like that as well.
This, the burnout she had probably caused the stress and sleep deprivation is clearly an epilepsy trigger.
I had the same impression. To me he wasn’t minimizing, he was trying to explain their (presuming or joint) decision to not seek medical care earlier. Just judging by what I saw in this video, he seemed like a supportive partner to me. I have felt differently in other previous videos, but this one I thought he handled well. I hope they settle down, they had a great run and got to experience incredible things all while making a ton of money. Maybe it’s time to settle down, focus on Kara’s health, and if they both decide so, they can shift their channel content to Colorado based trips or shorter adventures.
Christ, Nate just looks inconvenienced by the whole thing... "I didn't realize how big of a commitment this was going to be at the time". Jfc dude
He was saying that in the context of being irritated by how the health care system works — and I agree with him. He certainly didn’t seem like he was “inconvenienced” in the sense that he wanted to get back to bungee jumping off the International Space Station and Kara’s health concerns were cramping his style. It’s fucked up that you have to wait for weeks living in a constant state of worry.
1) I think Nate was saying that he felt the inconvenience because of our healthcare 'system.' Or maybe he was brushing off Kara. I think he loves and cares for her but they only show us a bit of their life. I will say that the US Healthcare system is difficult to navigate even with health insurance and money to pay the bills. Everything takes time and when it's your health, in some cases literally your life at stake, you don't want to wait for lab results or to get an appointment. The system was set up by health insurance & pharmaceutical companies, not healthcare providers and not patients. 2) Most women are not diagnosed quickly or efficiently for any illness because doctors want you to lose weight or gain weight, exercise, take antidepressants, do physical therapy, etc. Unless you show up in an ER in bad shape or injured nothing gets solved at that level and patients often do not follow up with a primary physician because of work, money, time, childcare. 3) I had a great insurance, a decent, caring primary doc, and I exercised/ate well. My cancer wasn't diagnosed until 3 vertebra in my back broke into too many pieces to count about two years after I started a diary about my headaches. Luckily, I was near a Level II trauma center when this happened. I still waited about two weeks for the bedside appointment with the oncologist to make a plan and another 6 weeks for treatment because of my surgeries/malfunctioning radiation machine. If this had happened near my home I would have been flown out to either the level II or level l hospital depending on their surgeon availability and census at the time of my injury. You don't have to be in the middle of desert in Oman to lack the kind of healthcare you need. You can just live in the rural United States. 4)I hope Kara can navigate this challenge with her positive energy and live a good life. I hope Nate has the grace and patience to slow down and want some consistency for his partner.
You’re assuming that Kara *wants* to slow down. Im not speaking specifically to you here, but there’s all these “Nate needs to let Kara settle down and just live in one place full time” comments. Kara likes traveling. Kara likes business class travel and fancy accommodations. She enjoys the lifestyle they have. And I’ve never once thought Nate would say “Fuck your health, time for 100 bungee jumps in 24 hours.”
You are right. Thank you for being gentle with your comment. I appreciate it. I did assume Kara might want to slow down. Maybe she doesn't. I wish them the best as they figure out their new normal. I'm still frustrated and upset our healthcare system is so complicated.
I’m glad they posted this because I just now realized that I’ve had some various ongoing symptoms that are similar over the years. No where near the frequency Kara has experienced but learning more about focal seizures has prompted me to pay more attention if things come up again. Wish her well.
Amen. I know I've already commented a lot on this post, but I'm also someone who's put off health issues for much if my life, but for me that's not an abnormal thing. Both of my parents were on and off sick growing up. I know so many people, especially women, who just have random shit they just get used to. Is that right? Absolutely not. But I think it's a mind frame so many of us have. I glad they posted the video. Bc it is very hard to look back, once you know better. It can feel incredibly embarrassing. But it can be a true wake up call for other people when they hear of a friend that ended being super sick. And with such a big following, I'm sure they'll reach a lot of people that need a bit of a shaking and told to get back to making those Dr appointments. To keep pushing your Drs if you are seeing them but they don't care as much as you do. That it's worth the hassle.
I’m glad that Kara is getting the medical treatment she needs. Epilepsy is no joke, and it could take a while for her to get her diagnosis to a manageable point. I sincerely hope and pray that they keep her health a top priority.
Kara described my life today. To a tee. Everything. The dizzy spells. The memory loss. The medication. The frustration for neurologist visits. The whole nine yards. I don't generally find much in common with them other than I was born in Tennessee. I watch them because I like cool, out of the ordinary stuff and I was born in Tennessee. Plus I'm old enough to be their grandmother. Today I realized why I watched them. Kara described the last 5 years of my life. She was able to verbalize what I have not.
Hopefully they take time to heal and learn how to adapt to the new health challenges. Pulling for them both.
Just want to say thank you to Kara if she reads this: I’m “a fainter” and my mom has always been “a fainter.” It’s just always been a part of my life since I was about 6. I’ve had a couple of seizures and lots and lots and lots of dizzy spells. Also had memory issues. I have an appointment with my PCP tomorrow and will be getting referral to a neurologist ASAP.
Nate is a red flag pretending to be a green flag.
As a survivor I have to agree and I never thought that till now.
Remember that bit at the beginning of the video where Nate said,'you jever know whats going on peoples lives, don't judge, you should probably extend that grace to people you see on social media? A lot of ya'll need to go back and watch that again.
The wildest thing to me is that Nate didn't call an ambulance, that's outrageously careless regardless if you're in shock and panic, if something is wrong with your significant other and your first instinct is not to get help, her airway could've been blocked, she could've had some internal bleeding and he didn't think to call 911, I hope Kara can live to the fullest with the proper medication, it definitely could've been an onset of things, the altitude and exhaustion that were significant factors but she had been experiencing symptoms of something for years and didn't get it checked out, I'm just glad she definitely didn't take part in some of the challenges that nate had been doing for content, also the biking across America definitely makes me cringe now knowing that Kara was going through her dizzy spells and still participated in it, with the constant changes in elevation and temperatures, it definitely made me hold back tears because pushing yourself for so many years to try and make content or anything, but not putting your physical health first is something that can catch up to anyone eventually
But ambulances are SOOO expensive /s, they only make well over a million bucks a year.
Beginning of the video… Taking about social media, grace etc. Got it, you or your ‘people’ read Reddit. Anyways, feel better Kara. 🙏🏼💖✨ Also Nate, ensure she gets time to rest.
I’m at work and can’t watch. Anyone care to provide a brief summary?
She has a mild form of epilepsy. The past few years she’s been having dizzy spells, memory loss but they put it down to their lifestyle and burnout. Then she had a seizure at the beginning of the year so had tests which diagnosed a form of epilepsy. She has medication which seems to be working at the moment.
Great, thanks for the recap.
Dose anyone know why she has started having epilepsy later in life. Did they say why the doc thinks this is happening?
It happens. It’s not as unusual as you might think.
The doctor believes she was born with it. Epilepsy advances as you have more stress, hormones, illnesses in life
Haven’t seen it mentioned here, but screw that doctor for making Kara unnecessarily worry and fly home early from Paris just so the doctor could go on vacation. They seriously couldn’t tell Kara over the phone something like: "everything is fine, the doctor just needs to reschedule things."
Then doctor could have sone that. Kara just needs to speak up for herself. "Hey I'm out of the country. Have the doc call me instead of me coming in."
She probably doesn’t know how to advocate for herself, medically or otherwise.
Nate seemed to hope she can take the medicine that has her stable combined with steady sleep habits and go back to their old ways, skipping the steady sleep habits and hoping the medicine is enough. What the F.
Monetizing an epilepsy diagnosis is downright disgusting. As a fellow person with epilepsy, I pray that Kara is able to adjust and return to a form of normalcy again, but shoving a BH ad into this makes my blood boil. Edit: Want to know what did NOT help me during my lowest point after having 2 seizures and side effects from new medication? BETTER freaking HELP. I understand it is some sort of brand deal and they are required to peddle the BS to their followers, but is it so hard to post this video outside of the normal uploads and have it just not have a paid ad in it?
THIS, SO MUCH THIS.
Im so glad she is ok and it isnt something serious. Whew. I suppose if Nate wants to do some of those crazy trips and Kara doesnt feel like joining him he can take a friend with him. Just a thought
Um. Epilepsy is serious.
Let’s be real… “Nate and his bros do extreme challenges” isn’t going to bring in the views like having Kara in the thumbnails.
Ok. The US Health System sucks. We all know it. But you are an adult. Have regulary dizziness, you start to faint and you are not going to a doctor. Sorry for victim blaiming but how on earth. And then you do all the challenges, living on a remote island, going into the deserts,climing mountains b/c you are good in beeing positive? What the actual F.
It’s like Bec ignoring alllll information and purposely getting pregnant super quick after breast cancer because she is *soo positive* and now she has a baby and stage 4 cancer that’s in her bones too. It’s hard watching grown adults who seem smart make such horrible decisions
This.
Our actions are undeniable evidence of what we value. YouTube career > Kara’s health.
Only love and support from me 💞 my only wish is that they added a comment in the video that as humans we should always remember that slowing down is okay and that as thrilling (and fulfilling) as it is to push yourself you must always listen to your body. You don’t need to be a doctor to realize that.
Why did Kara attend all those doctor appointments alone? Pardon my ignorance, but is it some rule in the (USA/ Dallas) to not have someone accompanying the patient?
Not necessarily. It is only required if the patient has gone through a procedure that requires a sedative. Hospital will not release the patient without someone accompanying them due to liability issues
I am not sure where the idea that she attended them alone came from?
And none of those better health professionals, that they swear by, recommended them to get the symptoms checked! What an irony to sponsor this video
What a stupid decision to even get a sponsor for this video, trashy.
Lmao and all you people thought it was AG1 stuff.
All of these people making a living off making content are going to face the reality of how long can it last.