Hidden Disability Advocate | Speaker | Author | Adventurer
I’ve had quite a rough run with my chronic illnesses these past several months. Really, it’s been building up over two-and-a-half years, since I got COVID. Now, I’m finally making some headway. With help from medical professionals, I’m finally starting … Read More »
Here’s the thing about not having a diagnosis: It’s very challenging to move forward. I couldn’t get a clear treatment plan, because we didn’t know what we were treating. I couldn’t explain to friends and coworkers what was going on, because I didn’t know myself. I couldn’t connect with other people who were sharing my experience because I didn’t know who they were. And maybe most importantly, I couldn’t properly grieve. Because I didn’t know what I was grieving.
I avoid in-person trainings and especially conferences, because my chronic conditions make them quite uncomfortable and even agonizingly painful. I live with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disease (with one terrible herniated disc named Larry), and … Read More »
I finally made another little movie! This was the first week of February, 2024, when I spoke at Cayuga Community College’s Auburn and Fulton campuses, as well as Onondaga Community College and State University of New York Morrisville. Here you … Read More »
It started with some tenderness in two or three knuckles. A couple days later, my hands were definitely hurting and my elbows were sore. A couple days after that, I felt it in my shoulders, too. Then suddenly, my whole … Read More »
This week it occurred to me that I play favorites with my chronic health conditions. What I mean is, I most often identify as someone with fibromyalgia and downplay my other conditions. Today, I decided I’d write about it, not … Read More »
In my home state of Pennsylvania, signs of the COVID-19 pandemic are finally fading away. Governor Wolf has lifted many of the restrictions, such as capacity limits in businesses and no seating at bars, meanwhile promising to lift the mask … Read More »
May is fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue awareness month. I have both these diagnoses and here are a few things I’d like to make people “aware” about them: Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome are real. Fibromyalgia is way more than just … Read More »