Receiving a Fibromyalgia diagnosis can be overwhelming, but don’t worry, while there is no cure there are Fibromyalgia treatment options. I’m fairly confident that in the last ten years I’ve tried most of them! Some work better than others, and each answer is individual, but a Fibromyalgia diagnosis is not a death sentence. So here’s…Continue reading The ultimate guide to Fibromyalgia and how to treat it
Category: Living with chronic illness
6 influential women with disability from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME
There are so many women in history who lived with disability and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) or myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). Unfortunately, there is little information about them available so they can’t individually be a part of my Disabled Women in History series. However, in honor of chronic fatigue syndrome / myalgic encephalomyelitis awareness month and…Continue reading 6 influential women with disability from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME
Disabled Women in History: Florence Nightingale and Fibromyalgia
Florence Nightingale and Fibromyalgia seem like an unusual parring, but May is Fibromyalgia Awareness Month and it’s time to raise awareness of Florences’ Fibromyalgia like symptoms that disabled her for most of her life. She was a hero and inspiration to many women through nursing, but no matter how hard she worked, doctors still said…Continue reading Disabled Women in History: Florence Nightingale and Fibromyalgia
Disabled Women in History: Barbara Jordan breaking barriers
Today’s badass disabled woman is Barbara Jordan. Her story includes so many “firsts” it’s hard to keep track of them all. A not exhaustive list of Barbara Jordan’s firsts: First African American to give the keynote address at either party’s political convention First African American to serve in the Texas State Senate since Reconstruction First…Continue reading Disabled Women in History: Barbara Jordan breaking barriers
6 tangible ways to help someone with chronic pain
I’ve written before about supporting someone with chronic illness by believing them and validating what they’re going through. Today though, we’re talking about tangible ways that can help someone with chronic pain and make a difference in someone’s day. My love language is food. I love to bake bread and share it with people, because…Continue reading 6 tangible ways to help someone with chronic pain
Badass Disabled Women in History: Wilma Mankiller
Today, I have an extraordinary story of Wilma Mankiller, a badass disabled woman. She participated in the occupation of Alcatraz, was the Time woman of the year, was the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, won the medal of freedom in 1998, and lived with polycystic kidney disease. The first thing you notice…Continue reading Badass Disabled Women in History: Wilma Mankiller
How the opioid crisis can lead those with chronic pain to suicide
1 out of 10 suicides is due to chronic pain, and yet the link between chronic pain and suicide is often ignored. Furthermore, no one connects the opioid crisis to chronic pain suicide even though they’re all related to each other. Society demands that pain be concealed I’ve long struggled with finding the words to…Continue reading How the opioid crisis can lead those with chronic pain to suicide
What no one tells you about coping with chronic illness
When you get diagnosed with a chronic illness there are some things your doctor will never tell you. Coping with a chronic illness is a complicated topic that even your friends with chronic illness may not approach. Sometimes because it’s not a “polite” topic of conversation, sometimes people think they’re the only one experiencing something,…Continue reading What no one tells you about coping with chronic illness
The devastating impact of Covid 19 on disabled people
Covid and disabled people feel like a topic that has been touched on many times. Somehow though, it feels like the news articles miss the mark. So today I want to talk being disabled in a pandemic. In February 2020, I didn’t know I was disabled. Hard to believe, right? I knew I was in…Continue reading The devastating impact of Covid 19 on disabled people
Where did everybody go? Losing friends to chronic illness
Someone once told me that losing friends to chronic illness or disability was not a thing, and if I felt alone it was all my fault. Words failed me. Years later, I have a better response. It struck me that this is what people don’t understand about chronic illness or disability. In their lives, if you…Continue reading Where did everybody go? Losing friends to chronic illness