#autoimmunedisease

Dear Diary, I came across a message while scrolling that stopped me in my tracks. I do not know where the words originated, but they stayed with me: “You are not a burden. You have a burden—which, by definition, is too heavy to carry on your own.” Whew. Sometimes social media gives us nonsense, unsolicited opinions, and recipes we save knowing full well we are never going to make them. But…

Dear Diary, I used to hope I looked good in pictures. Now, I just hope the pictures my doctors are looking at do. Funny how chronic illness changes your definition of picture perfect. There was a time when I could look at a photograph and immediately find something to criticize. My smile wasn’t right. My hair wasn’t cooperating. I looked tired. I had gained a few pounds. The angle was…

“Every few months, social media discovers a new food that’s supposedly trying to ruin the lives of those of us with autoimmune diseases. This time? Apparently, tomatoes have joined the villain club.” 📖 Dear Diary, The other day, I came across a post in a Myasthenia Gravis support group that immediately caught my attention. It read something like this: “Nightshade vegetables can cause mild MG…

“Most people fake being sick. I fake being well.” Dear Diary, This morning started like so many others. Before my feet ever touched the floor, I was already negotiating with my body. “Can we please cooperate today?” Can I breathe without feeling like someone wrapped a belt around my chest? Will my muscles remember they’re supposed to work? Will my stomach behave long enough for me to get…

What a New Study Suggests About MG in People9 With Inflammatory Bowel Disease When I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease in 2006, I believed I finally had an explanation for everything my body had been putting me through. The abdominal pain. The anemia. The fatigue. The countless doctor’s appointments. Crohn’s Disease became part of my life, but I accepted that it was my diagnosis. What I…

“Healing isn’t always about getting back to who you were. Sometimes it’s about learning who you have to become next.” I’ve lost count of how many “new normals” I’ve had to learn. Just when I think I’ve finally figured life out… Just when I think I’ve learned how to balance medications, treatments, energy, work, family, and everything in between… My body changes the rules again. As I sit here…

“Everybody has the same twenty-four hours in a day.” I cannot tell you how many times I have heard that phrase. It usually comes from someone trying to be motivational, inspirational, or convince me that I, too, could conquer the world if I simply woke up at 5:00 a.m., drank lemon water, and embraced hustle culture. Respectfully… no. Because the truth is that chronic illness and disability…