Posts

Taboo Illnesses

With illnesses like Ankylosing Spondylitis, allergies, Hereditary Angioedema, and even Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, sure I get the average …

Calling an Ambulance

On the topic of medical phone calls, let's discuss what goes into a call to an ambulance. For people who are chronic illness sufferers…

That Medical Phone Call

You know you need to make a call and book an appointment, but you spend hours - even days - just staring at your phone or your 'to-do …

First Month of the Year

Well... Within the first month of 2019 I ended up in the Emergency Room. Over one day I wound up going to Urgent Care, going home, having…

*Warning TMI*

Saw a post today: When you go through something difficult, instead of asking "why is this happening to me", trying asking yourse…

Balloons

Ever want to say something to someone but are not sure how to put it into words? I have heard, recently, from a few of my readers, that th…

Slooowing Down

Well - those cortisone injections lasted longer than last time. Total win. This kind of timeline makes it worth the pain of the injection…

Optometry Appointment

Why is it that even when I have a good appointment it is still not only good ... and I always end up in tears anyways?? Chronic illness of…

Weird Allergies and Intolerances

I hate it when I am watching a show where someone has an odd intolerance to food and other people don't believe them - and make it very…

I Am Not My Illness

I am not my illness. Not just my illness, anyways. This blog is primarily about my illnesses and navigating through life with chronic il…

Disclaimer

*This is a simple reminder that this blog is very personal and deals primarily with my own experiences, thoughts, opinions, and feelings. …

A Lesson in Empathy

With all of the arguments and the anger that we see online, I think we could all use some practice in empathy - including myself. The bigg…

Being Dramatic

I was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis in 2013. Around eight months earlier is when I first started experiencing symptoms. My hips we…

Recuperation Time Frustration

Yesterday when my hubby and I had to go out and get a couple of things, I felt uncontrollably frustrated. It felt as though I was on Predn…

Surprise Dinner

Want to know what happens when we are out and I suddenly need an immediate washroom? We were out picking up Rj's truck from the shop,…

Illness Blogging

There has become this trend regarding illness blogging. There are thousands of different blogs out there of people telling their stories a…

8/10 Pain from a Paint Day

Yesterday I had one of my favourite days. A friend had me over and we had a total painting day. I have never really painted before other …

Hospital Hobby

When I was a teenager I spent a lot of time at the Children's Hospital. Most of my time was spent as an outpatient or going to smaller…

Chronic Illness and its Various Meanings

What is the true definition of a Chronic Illness? Further to that, does the most basic definition really capture the widespread severity o…

The Many-Faced Ill

There is not much a difference in the physical illness between these three faces. While any amount of energy is a positive day - especiall…

Craving the Outdoors

Every single year I tend to get a bit of cabin fever in the winter. Even though I cannot do much hiking (if any at all) anymore, and I def…

Fight the Fusion Week 2019

Did you know that there are over 100 different types of Arthritis and related diseases? Did you know that many of these illnesses are not …

Fight the Fusion

Out of every disease that I suffer from, two of the most terrifying for me are Hereditary Angioedema (HAE) and Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS…

Yoga at Home

When I was officially diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis and had to eventually stop playing certain higher impact sports like volleyball…

Ostomy Covers and Resources

Twelve years ago, I had my large intestine removed and had an ileostomy bag for seven months. That amount of time is just a blink of an ey…

Dinner Date

Last night I had a really tough time sleeping through the entire night. After I attempted to get back to sleep, only to find myself starin…

Self-Diagnosis and Googling Symptoms

An interesting topic came up today: How much should we rely on google search when experiencing worrisome symptoms? On one hand, self-diag…

Active Resting

This is a notion not well understood. Active Rest. Complete oxymoron at first glance. A paradox even. Here's a simple way to describ…

Cimzia - Dose 2

Last night I did a second dose of Cimzia. Cimzia is a new biologic I am trying in hopes that it will help to reduce inflammation in my SI …

Distraction

In an earlier post I laid out my top 5 ways to cope with pain without medication. The most important one, in my opinion, is distraction. D…

Creature of Habit

We are creatures of habit. When our routine is threatened or forcibly altered, it can be devastating. So what happens when our routine is…

Zofran Really Does Its Job

Zofran is one of the most effective anti-nausea medications. It's a power-house for nausea. When I am taking a certain antibiotic, I c…