Wigs, Hats, and Make Up… Oh My! Trying to Look Better, When You Feel Bad.

We have all heard the dreaded saying "But you don't look sick?" But the last thing we want to do is walk around looking like death 24/7. It is true that when you look better you feel better, but there is a fine balance between spending tons of hours putting on full face make up, hair done, and full

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How do you describe your pain? Numbers on Pain Scale, Adjectives, Silly Weird Pain Faces.

How do you describe your pain? Numbers on Pain Scale, Adjectives, Silly Weird Pain Faces.

I hear it all the time from doctors and nurses: "Tell me your pain on a scale from 1 to 10". I always cringe at the thought of summarizing my pain and fatigue down to a number. I also get scared at the thought that I have never felt below a 4 or 5. How can every patient from a broken leg, to a chemo

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Painsomnia - Tick tock, tick tock, the clock keeps moving...

Painsomnia – Tick tock, tick tock, the clock keeps moving…

My mind won’t stop working. Tick, tock, tick, tock…many nights I just can’t sleep and the only companion I have is the clock and a teddy bear. Teddy doesn’t talk and I can’t get the clock to “SHUT UP”. I know, it’s just my brain trying to work things out but still I AM AWAKE. Some

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It is 5am. It’s a horrible, ugly hour to wake up, not yet morning, not quite night. Painsomnia?

It is 5am. It’s a horrible, ugly hour to wake up, not yet morning, not quite night. Painsomnia?

It is 5am. I can't sleep. We have been here before, me and insomnia. It is a date, we know each other well, but I wish I didn't. As many times as I am at night,and can't fall asleep... you never get used to it. It’s a horrible, ugly hour to wake up, not yet morning, not quite night. Nobody pla

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Doctor Dating 101: How to Find Dr. Right

Doctor Dating 101: How to Find Dr. Right

Breaking up, meeting someone new, hoping for the perfect match.  Sound familiar?  It should.  Welcome to the frustrating and sometimes catastrophic world of doctor dating. Everyone remembers their first time…the anticipation, the nerves the hope that “he” would be the one.  As the day fina

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Bed, BACK, and Beyond: The Original Bed Buddy Back Wrap Product Review

Bed, BACK, and Beyond: The Original Bed Buddy Back Wrap Product Review

Criticky Crack, there goes my back.  Have you ever felt that type of pain? I have. I'm a California girl which means I’m automatically a warmth-loving, cold-hating, hot shower-praising girl. So, when I moved to the land of no sun Chicago I realized that warmth was a thing of the past. Then the

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September 15th – National Thank You Day

Every person that you have faced in your life--whether good or bad--deserves a 'thank you'. Everyone that you encounter and has made an impact on you in your lifetime deserves this simple act of kindness. Instead of having your day consumed with timed pills, injections, doctor appointments and pain,

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Poetry: I Didn't Know...

Poetry: I Didn’t Know…

I didn't know back then that life would change forever. I didn't know what pain was then. I didn't know the sacrifices and allowances I would end up making. I didn't know my hair could hurt. I didn't know that I would have to give up the things that brought me the most joy because I just couldn't do

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“This is more then just being tired.” CBS correspondent Serene Branson knew something was wrong.

How many times have we all felt that we just KNEW something was wrong. We know our bodies, we listen to that little voice in our soul that tells us when something isn't right. But how many times do we ignore it? Unfortuntaly for Serene Branson this happened live on television as she experienced a se

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Easing the Strain: Tips For Body & Mind

Easing the Strain: Tips For Body & Mind

As someone who has been chronically ill for 12 years, I could talk in excess about the number of things I have purchased to ease both body and mind.  I am almost entirely housebound, and as a result, I work diligently to make my home as disability-friendly as possible. If I had to pick ten thing

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