While I’ve talked about how the diagnosis process is one of guessing and checking, I want to emphasize that in most cases, it’s essential to have a doctor be involved in the process. We, as laypeople, don’t have access to all the information or tools needed to be in any way sure that our interpretation…
I have been living with chronic conditions, both physical and mental, since I was a kid. I’ve been encouraged to write about it, talk about it, think about it, and then put it all aside and move forward with my life. There are good reasons for doing these things. Today, I want to talk to…
So it’s once again time for A Chronic Voice’s monthly linkup. This month’s words are beginning, symbolizing, enduring, revealing, gracing. As it is January, I’m going to write about the concepts these words bring up for me and what lessons I’ve learned from 2020. Beginning the new year with new medication coverage The headache started in…
I don’t know about you, but I tend to feel a bit depressed around the holidays. I definitely know that a big part of it is how strongly I associate this time of year with my father’s death. I’ve got a long history with depression and have learned that I tend to mentally string together…
While many countries have gotten Covid-19 under control by now, the US has dramatically failed that challenge. We are among the worst countries in the world in terms of both infections and fatalities from this disease. One of the biggest spikes this year was associated with Thanksgiving, which is usually the biggest travel weekend of…
So it’s once again time for A Chronic Voice’s monthly linkup. This month’s words are exhausting, exciting, socializing, indulging, and cutting. Like most people, Covid-19 had a large impact on my life, and not always in expected ways. Join me in processing just what changed this year and the lessons I’ve learned from that. Fear is…
Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) is a relatively common (though rarely properly diagnosed) condition. I was diagnosed in 2003 when it was still being called Conversion Disorder (and labeled as a mental illness rather than a neurological condition). I want to be really clear about this: the condition you have (your diagnosis) is less impactful on…
While I’ve talked about this a bit previously, I want to dig a bit more into the idea of getting or staying married while on disability coverage. The first and most basic thing that I want to emphasize is that this is a choice and that there’s no automatically right or wrong answer. What there…
You and your doctor(s) can co-create a quality treatment plan. This includes not only the medical treatments, but also lifestyle changes.
Often when getting diagnosed with a new condition or when participating in discussions about certain conditions, you may hear a symptom tracker mentioned. The trackers come in many different forms and styles, but they can be a very useful tool in terms of both getting a diagnosis and checking the effectiveness of a treatment. If…