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What Must I Do?
Here I was again. It was Sunday; I was at church; and I knew good and well that I had been highly symptomatic as of late...
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My Auditory & Vestibular Experience (Continued)
In previous posts, we’ve discussed how my auditory and vestibular symptoms came to be as well as the emotional and mental toll it...
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The Emotional & Mental Toll of Chronic Illness
To help bring some awareness as to what it’s like living with a chronic illness (and a rare disease at that), let me just start off by...
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My IH Journey – Series Intro
Through Weather in April, I try my best to provide informative resources for those struggling with their health. I also strive to...
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The Tapestry of Healing
I spent approximately seven months trying to find a doctor who would believe something was wrong with me. It took ten more months for me to no longer be questioned by the medical community, and still over another year to convince the federal government that I was sick enough to be disabled. After almost three years of fighting for my health, I was finally free to rest, recover, and heal. Except I couldn’t. Not fully at least. You spend almost three years trying to convince the world that something is wrong and see how easy it is to stop. My mind had become used to a constant repeat, reciting my…
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Dietary Triggers for Intracranial Hypertension
I think we have all heard by now that Intracranial Hypertension is most prominent in obese or overweight women. So why is weight loss in itself not the cure? Perhaps it isn’t always so much about the weight but what we are putting into our bodies. In this post, we will be discussing the most common dietary triggers for IH. First, however, I want to make it clear that we are all unique. Some of us may tolerate some foods better than others. This post is not intended to steer you away from any particular food that you may require for your own health needs. (And you can believe I…
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Count It All Joy
Earlier this month, I had my second brain surgery. I’ll save the details for another post, but overall it went very well. One might even go as far as to say it was successful – I haven’t had any high pressure symptoms since. The recovery process on the other hand was a different story. While on the surface, all is technically going well, there’s still so much more to recovery that never seems to be seen or heard. Take the post-surgery depression for example. In all honesty, I don’t even want to call it that because I know how much worse it could truly be. There is just no doubt…
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Have You Tried…
We’ve all heard it. You don’t even have to have a chronic illness to have been asked this question in regards to all your problems. “Have you tried…” Have you tried losing weight? Have you tried this diet? Have you tried yoga? Have you tried essential oils? It didn’t take me long to realize how tiresome this question can be. For many who do suffer with a chronic illness, this question can almost seem like an insult. Because in truth, they have likely tried everything you can name. Personally, this question has never bothered me because I look at it as a way to research more into both what works…
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By His Stripes, I Am Healed
To say it was a Sunday like any other would be a lie. In truth, I should have realized something was different early on. Though my husband made no comment to me, he didn’t even want to go to church that morning. Even I lacked the usual energy and excitement that I usually had in going to my place of freedom. The music didn’t reach me the same. I barely sang, and I could only manage a sway while everyone danced and clapped around me. I still had no idea of what was to come. Though my body was only a few feet from the alter, my mind was elsewhere.…
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What We Wish You Knew
Not everything is easy to say – especially for someone who battles sickness and pain on a daily basis. But there are many things that we wish you knew. I ask that you take the time today to read through what so many of us with chronic illnesses struggle with on a daily basis. Help us break that silence. I cannot speak for everyone, but I do believe this can speak for many: 1.) Sometimes we don’t want to take medicine. You’ve seen the commercials. We don’t need to tell you the side effects that can come with the medications we take. Some of us can barely even keep track…