A few years back, in my early 30s, I was diagnosed with ADHD. It was something I had suspected for decades, but was always told I didn’t have it, that all my concentration problems came from my OCD (which was diagnosed when I was 8 years old). The diagnosis was … Read more
My birthday just past, and while I used to love birthdays, I’ve come to hate them since getting sick. Maybe it’s because I’m at a “certain age”, maybe it’s because I’m chronically ill, but I just want to skip over it. It was my 37th birthday the other day, and
How many times a day does a person exchange simple pleasantries with someone they see? “How are you?”, “How are things?”, “What’s going on?” The greetings are endless, and when you have one or more chronic illness, they are more weighted than people realize.
Our responses will often be “I’m
People who suffer with chronic illnesses have so much to deal with on a daily basis, and on top of it all, so many people don’t even believe us when we say we’re sick. On top of everything, trolling exists, and people think it’s necessary to bring down people who
Living in a world where it’s completely routine for someone, even a doctor, to tell you to “manifest” what you want has become the everyday norm. Most people hear it, roll their eyes, and move on. Others hear it and decide they want to try to apply it to their
A couple of weeks ago, a medical journal was published that has absolutely devastated the POTS community, myself included. Not only was it completely inflammatory, but it was extra personal to me. You see, one of the doctors who published this article (I think all the doctors who are listed
When people hear you’re chronically ill and unable to work, they will often say things like “Lucky! I wish I could stay home and do nothing all day!”, as if we’re just sitting home relaxing all day, having the time of our lives. What people don’t realize though is we
It’s been a full decade since my symptoms first began, and while so much has happened (yet somehow also nothing at all), it feels like it was just yesterday. A little over 10 years ago now, I was what I would consider a generally healthy person, at least in comparison.
Something I’ve thought about recently is the importance of distinguishing the difference between sympathy and empathy, and how it relates to chronic illness. Once you understand the difference between the two, you’ll understand why we’re looking for your empathy, not your sympathy.
Most people don’t really think about what each
I just came back from my first real vacation in a long time– my first beach vacation in years. I love anything that makes my life easier, and while traveling, that’s a must. Another must is anything that keeps me organized (something I’m not so good at in regular life,