You know the pain. The mental and emotional annihilation. When your stomach drops and your heart tightens. It happens to everyone. Multiple times. Throughout your life, that feeling will waver and heighten over and over again. It will occur in friendships, romances, with peers, in the workplace, around strangers, and every other type of setting … Continue reading Emotional destruction
Tag: Gastroparesis
What’s the alternative?
I’ve lost count of the number of prescription medications that I have tried. At last count, the number was creeping into the upper 50s. Yep. From the time of my first, body-destroying migraine until today, I have tried over fifty separate pharmaceutical drugs. I’m not counting the intravenous or in-hospital abortive meds. Just the pills, … Continue reading What’s the alternative?
The day after
Two of my least favorite things to hear from doctors and non-sufferers is, “Pain is all in the head” and “Mind over matter”. There are strong truths in both statements. Modern science has proven that pain is an interpretation by the brain. It does not originate where we feel it. Science has also shown that … Continue reading The day after
Crushed by assumptions
People with bent and broken bodies are often presumed to be weak. We are thought to have the same mental and emotional deficits that our external selves display. This becomes even more complicated with invisible disabilities. Looking healthy but having physical challenges means that people assume laziness and lies on top of the incorrect belief … Continue reading Crushed by assumptions
Trickiness of time
Someone recently asked me how long ago my medical issues started. With a blank stare and stuttered excuse, I realized that I couldn’t answer that question accurately. I began to wonder if I was lacking as a proactive patient. Here's the thing, I’m not sure that I want to have a perfect schedule and exact … Continue reading Trickiness of time
Slogging through hygiene
It’s the more unspoken part of dealing with chronic illness. If being able to get out of bed or going to a doctor’s appointment is a big win, taking care of your daily hygiene needs makes up all the tiny victories in between. It seems so simple. Just take a few minutes to clean yourself … Continue reading Slogging through hygiene
Air travel
I use to travel, a lot. Multiple times a year, different countries, long trips and short trips, all of which I did with relative ease. I started traveling at a very young age, the simplicity and near-comfort that I felt with the entire airport routine (regardless of my location) has been a part of my … Continue reading Air travel
Zebra looking for an umbrella
Having more than one disease complicates everything. Most of those diseases being rare and understudied turn those complications into catastrophes. Doctors don’t know what to do with you and they truly don’t care to try. When you are already suffering from a mystery, the last thing you want is for your doctor to quit helping. … Continue reading Zebra looking for an umbrella
I’m just a girl – Diagnosing part 1 (Gastroparesis)
I was 18 years old and living in the American south. It was a new adventure after moving to the U.S just a few years prior. Being eighteen and still adjusting to a new culture, my life was a combination of amazing and incredibly stressful. It was a time before social media. The Internet was … Continue reading I’m just a girl – Diagnosing part 1 (Gastroparesis)
When they ask, “What’s wrong with you?”
My officially diagnosed conditions and their medical definitions are as follows: Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) - Hypermobility type: “A group of disorders that affect connective tissues supporting the skin, bones, blood vessels, and many other organs and tissues. Defects in connective tissues cause the signs and symptoms of these conditions, which range from mildly loose joints to life-threatening … Continue reading When they ask, “What’s wrong with you?”
Always Bent Sometimes Broken 