• young woman with hat standing next to a white picket fence staring off to the side
    Chronic Illness

    Labeled Disabled

    Recently, I received some wonderful news. I have officially been declared disabled. Wait, what? Come on. Let’s talk about what nobody wants to talk about. Disability. Everything about it seems to scream caution. Judgement. Legalities. Who really wants to be disabled? Who really wants to be limited by what their body can or cannot do? It just doesn’t make sense to speak disability upon yourself at the same time you’re claiming healing. But to some, it’s an answered prayer. My Story It took a year from my epidural for my health to spiral out of control. But I still remained too proud to admit that my body was not what…

  • close up of doctor crossing arms holding a red stethascope
    Chronic Illness

    Health Care Frustrations – How You Can Help

    So you’re sick. You’re feeling miserable, and your body is in so much pain that you think you might be dying. What do you do? If you’re like me, you’re thinking the ER might be your last hope. Of course, nobody ever wants to resort to going to the hospital, but when you’ve tried everything, and nothing is working, what choice do you have? Except, say you get there, and there’s nothing they can do. Let’s say you wait for hours in the ER, go through the hoops of IV’s and questions only to be told nothing is wrong with you – only to go home in the same exact…

  • minimalist white desk with modern chair facing a white wall
    Chronic Illness,  Spirit

    Where to Begin

    Want to know a secret? I was supposed to launch this outreach a long time ago. It began in the hospital one February night in 2018. While one could argue it was the high dose of IV steroids I had just received, I knew it was something greater. God was speaking to me, and words were pouring into my heart and overflowing faster than I could get them out. I needed to write. I needed to share these words with the rest of the world. But how? When? Where would I even start? I soon saw that none of that mattered. All that was important was that God had begun…

  • vintage teal blue weighing scale
    Body,  Chronic Illness,  Intracranial Hypertension

    Why Weight Loss Matters

    How has weight affected your Intracranial Hypertension? No doubt, one of the first things your doctor suggested upon diagnosis was to lose weight. Why? While the medical field is still trying to figure out exactly what causes IH, there seems to be a high percentage of patients with IH who are overweight or obese. In fact, many patients develop this condition after or during a period of significant weight gain. As obesity rates increase, Intracranial Hypertension is being found to be less and less rare. But it’s not just about the weight loss. What’s Causing the Weight? While aiming for a healthy weight in general is always important, doctors will…

  • Addiction,  Chronic Illness,  Spirit

    Tearing Down the Strongholds of Addiction

    Ever since I was a child, I watched my brother struggle with a terrible drug addiction. I watched him in and out of jails and rehabs my whole life as I prayed for his freedom. When I was 18 years old, he was found dead in his apartment. This year makes ten years since I lost my brother. Addiction was not a stranger to my life. As sheltered as I was, my parents couldn’t keep me from knowing that four of my six siblings fell into its grasp. I saw it destroy their lives. I saw it change who they were, change their appearance and alter their personalities. I couldn’t…

  • woman kneeling at the side of a bed with her head on the mattress
    Chronic Illness,  Intracranial Hypertension

    A Day in the Life of Chronic Illness

    6:30 am. It’s Groundhogs Day. Has it been two weeks or three weeks of dealing with this episode? I’ve lost track. But I get to wake up once again to the same problem that had me tossing and turning all night. How bad will it be today? That’s all I ever wonder. Will my medicine work right away? Will it all be gone by noon? Or maybe break by dinner? Just please don’t make me to go sleep with it again. Morning At least it’s morning. I can now take whatever medication that is supposed to help relieve the pressure. Please work. I put on my worship music to help…

  • streetlight at night
    Chronic Illness,  Intracranial Hypertension

    Sleepless Nights

    It’s 2 am, and the headache has already hit hard enough to wake me from my sleep. I feel it so sharp inside my temple that I swear if I could slice open my head, I would be able to remove the stone that is piercing my brain. I try to change positions to bring relief, only to commence the whooshing noises of blood rushing in my head. I am tormented by these angry waves roaring at me in this silent hour of night. I can’t take it anymore. I get up and am then hit with the pounding, pulsating pressure on my brain and eyes. If I give it…

  • hand writing a to do list of checkboxes in a notebook with a pen
    Chronic Illness

    The Chronic Illness Game Plan – How to Stay Prepared

    Here in Louisiana, we’re all gearing up for hurricane season. After having been through some of the worst storms, the people around here have learned how to prepare. Even though it’s only for a season, you don’t take any chances. Living with a chronic illness, however, is like living through hurricane season all year round. It’s unpredictable. It’s destructive. Episodes can come out of nowhere, and you never know which direction they will take. But like with a storm, you can only learn to be prepared. Having a plan in place will make everything go a lot smoother not only for you, but for everyone involved in the path of…

  • black and white of mother holding and comforting aby on rocking chair
    Chronic Illness

    Mommy’s Sick

    I have been sick since the day my son was born. One miraculous moment became my greatest sacrifice – my life for his. It was the epidural for his birth that went wrong, triggering a snowball of health issues that have never ceased. I didn’t know it right away. I didn’t know it when I repeatedly asked the postpartum nurse for headache medication. I didn’t know it when my body was in excruciating pain just trying to breastfeed. Or when I sat sprawled out in his pediatrician’s office, nauseated to no end. From the very beginning of my son’s life, I was deprived irreplaceable time with him. My husband had…