So… the spine clinic. 😮💨 Whew. That was a lot. But let me be real with y’all for a second. That appointment? It was the most anxiety-inducing medical visit I have ever had, and I think it stemmed from a combination of uncertainty and the weight of the decisions at hand. I was sweating, shaking, nauseous—full-on…
Category: Autoimmune Journey
When Pain Gets Weird: Living with Fibromyalgia Beyond the Obvious
Fibromyalgia. That word alone can make a chronic illness warrior sigh in exhaustion, pain, or both. When people hear the term, they often think “muscle pain” and maybe “tired all the time” — but friend, that’s just the beginning. This condition is like the trickster of chronic illnesses, showing up in ways that are downright…
The Weird, Ridiculous, and Downright Painful: Nail Pain & Foot Flares with PsA
Let’s talk about one of the least talked about and honestly most ridiculous symptoms of Psoriatic Arthritis… nail pain. Yes. You heard me. Nail pain. Not like, “Oh I broke a nail” pain. No, this is “My fingernails hurt like someone lit them on fire and then ran them over with a tiny emotional dump truck” kind of pain. It’s sneaky….
Finally… A Good Set of Labs!
Today, I cried—but not from pain, fear, or frustration. I cried tears of joy. After years of struggle, uncertainty, and appointments that left me feeling more unseen than helped (IYKYK), I finally got a good set of labs back. And let me tell you—it feels like a freaking miracle. It’s amazing how the body and…
A Rough Start: When Hands Won’t Cooperate
Some mornings just don’t start out the way we hope—and today was one of those mornings. Living with a mix of arthritis, carpal tunnel, and nerve damage means that I never really know how cooperative my hands will be when I wake up. Will I have grip strength today? Will I drop everything I touch? Will my…
A Long Drive for the Right Care: Why Advocating for Yourself Matters
There are days when chronic illness and autoimmune life feel like an endless series of appointments, pills, scans, and dismissive doctors who barely skim your file before deciding who you are. Days when your body screams for answers while the system quietly shrugs, leaving you to navigate a maze of uncertainty and frustration. The waiting rooms become…
Skin Sensitivity and Fibromyalgia: Living with Allodynia
If you’ve ever winced in pain just from the feeling of a soft blanket brushing your skin, you’re not alone — and you’re not imagining things. This is a very real and often misunderstood symptom of Fibromyalgia called Allodynia. Allodynia can make everyday sensations, such as a light touch or the pressure from clothing, feel agonizingly painful, leading…
Transform Your Morning Ritual with Everyday Dose: An HONEST Review!
For years, my mornings started with a familiar ritual: the smell of freshly brewed coffee filling the air, the warmth of a mug in my hands, and that first sip of rich, bold comfort that signaled the beginning of a new day. As I sat quietly at my kitchen table, the world outside slowly awakened,…
IBS-C/D: My Gut’s a Drama Queen…
Let’s have an unfiltered, uncomfortable, totally necessary conversation. I live with multiple chronic illnesses, but one that regularly makes me feel like I’m losing a war with my own body is IBS-C/D—that’s both constipation and diarrhea, for those lucky enough not to know the full extent of this digestive hellscape. This relentless condition causes my…
When the Doctor Stops Listening: A Battle Cry for the Dismissed
There’s a specific kind of heartbreak that comes when a doctor looks at you—not with compassion, not with curiosity, not with hope—but with defeat. That moment when you realize they’ve silently decided you’re too much, too complicated, or worse, not worth figuring out. It’s the second you start talking about symptoms they can’t see on a chart….
