Dealing with any disease is stressful and challenging. The doctors appointments, medications, and sick days are common fixtures in our lives. Unfortunately with endometriosis, surgery often happens more than once throughout a warrior’s lifetime with the disease. At this point, endometriosis can only be officially diagnosed through a diagnostic laparoscopy. …
Read More »Yearly Archives: 2011
Rachel’s Story (Multiple Illnesses)
Here I am, another sleepless night. I like to blame it on all of the anti-convulsants I am on for my trigeminal neuralgia. A facial pain disorder which started about six months ago. The pain is so bad that at times I end up in the ER begging for pain …
Read More »Linda’s Fight Like A Girl Story (Rheumatoid Arthritis)
Rheumatoid Arthritis hurts! I found that out 3 years ago when I was finally diagnosed – the pain had a REAL name! RA has forced me to leave my job as a teacher aide in a home for very disturbed youth. I am permanently disabled now and miss working with …
Read More »Where Does It Hurt?
Many people who suffer from not only ankylosing spondylitis, but also other autoimmune disorders are familiar with these four words. The problem with the question is that there is no simple answer. For me, my symptoms can change daily. For example, yesterday I couldn’t turn my neck, but today my …
Read More »Life of Agony…
How ironic is it that one of my favorite bands is Life of Agony? Never in a million years would I think I would end up living a life of agony. I am not just speaking of the physical pain, but of the emotional pain that goes along with suffering …
Read More »Invisible Scars
I have many visible scars from various diagnostic procedures over the last 18 months. I have a scar on my ribcage from my chest drain, a scar just under my arm pit, and a scar just underneath my right breast, from my Hodgkin’s biopsy. I also have scars on my …
Read More »What Is Yoga Anyway?
In recent years, Yoga has become popular practice in the Western world. It is likely that this widespread popularity is an excellent indicator of the fact that yoga does, in fact, work in the ways it is intended. What Is Yoga? Yoga is an ancient practice that was initiated and …
Read More »May 12 is Fibromyalgia Awareness Day!
Fibromyalgia, in a large part, now controls my life. In fact, it gives chronic pain to more than 10 million Americans, and 3-6% of the global population (most of whom are women, but can also effect men and children). Fibromyalgia is also common in families, and my family is no …
Read More »Tatum’s Story (Endometriosis)
Hi there, my name is Tatum, I was born in 1990. My journey started when I was 9 years old, my first ever period. I hardly knew what periods were so I assumed the immense bleeding and pain were all normal. My mother watched me over time, taking days off …
Read More »Shalina’s Fight Like A Girl Story (Lupus)
My name is Shalina Tovar and I battle Lupus, a kidney disease. I have been fighting like a girl since May of 2005 which is when I was officially diagnosed. My Lupus has caused my left hip to fail. I’ve been dealing with avascular necrosis of the hip since 2009 and now …
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