The term “hives” immediately brings to mind a body full of welts. I was always under the impression that they were caused by two things, anxiety or skin allergies. Growing up, I never suffered from hives or frequent rashes. My main allergy was/is dust. It causes my nose to run, eyes to itch, and a … Continue reading I’m just a girl – Diagnosing part 6 (Chronic Idiopathic Uticaria)
Tag: symptom management
Keep up!
It is one of the toughest times of the year for many people… the holidays. Throw a little 2020 chaos into the mix. Add a dash of pandemic. Twist in economic collapse. There’s nothing peaceful and easy about this ending. Currently, I live in America. This is the season (pretty much October through January) of … Continue reading Keep up!
Failed fluffy friend
I’m an animal person. I’ve been around pets and wild animals for most of my life. I know how to care for and interact with them. It’s all very natural for me. That being said, I haven’t had my own critter for a very long time. With a busy life, moving around, and travelling frequently, … Continue reading Failed fluffy friend
Flying with a broken wing
Sometimes my pain is all consuming and other times it plays in the background like a bad song that won’t end. When a new issue pops up, I straddle two worlds. The first is my hour-to-hour existence. The second is my larger picture. It’s a balance between deciding what I need to do to make … Continue reading Flying with a broken wing
I’m just a girl – Diagnosing part 5 (Small Fiber Autonomic Neuropathy)
Numbness on the outside of my right leg. That was the starting point for my entire Small Fiber Autonomic Neuropathy journey. It’s a long one. Hold onto your hats and cozy up with a cup of tea. Here we go: I had recently come back to the United States after working overseas for a few … Continue reading I’m just a girl – Diagnosing part 5 (Small Fiber Autonomic Neuropathy)
Skimming pills
Most chronic illness and pain sufferers take medications. We require synthetic and natural interventions to live our lives. Certain meds make things significantly better, others keep us at maintenance levels, and some have the very heavy burden of keeping us alive. Because of this dependency, our relationships with medical providers and pharmacists are of the … Continue reading Skimming pills
Emotional destruction
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
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
Coming around
It seems fake. I mean, whose legs aren’t restless? Is there anyone who can sit or lay comfortably in one position without needing to shift? Everyone needs to move from time to time. But, it turns out that Restless Leg Syndrome is a just a terrible name for a real disorder. I think it falls … Continue reading Coming around
Always Bent Sometimes Broken 