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Chronic Illness and Relationships

Chronic Illness and Relationships

Dec 28, 2018 | Arthritis Tribe, Chronic Illness, Community Support, Emotional & Mental Well-being, Relationships, Rheumatoid Arthritis | 0 comments

Dating isn’t easy, especially when chronic illness is thrown into the mix. Just like any relationship there can be challenges along the way. Good communication, trust, understanding and unconditional love, are some of the elements needed for a long-lasting healthy...
Who Are Your Arthritis Anchors?

Who Are Your Arthritis Anchors?

May 2, 2018 | Arthritis Tribe, Community Support, Food For the Soul, Inspiration & Motivation, Relationships | 0 comments

  What is an anchor? Throughout history, they have been seen as a symbol of strength, as anchors hold down a ship in even the stormiest of weather. Security, stability and being grounded have also been central themes. Now you may be thinking to yourself, well...

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I’m super excited to share my first essay for Cr I’m super excited to share my first essay for Creaky Joints, How ‘Instagram Injection Videos’ Are Normalizing the Arthritis Patient Experience. When the editor asked me to send some ideas for topics, I immediately thought of the injection videos I have seen people do on social media. . In this article, I dig deeper to uncover the ‘why’ behind these videos. What has motivated people to share this part of their chronic illness journey? How has it helped them and others out there feel less alone? Injection videos may seem like the next big trend to onlookers on the outside and even on the inside, but they’re so much more than that. It’s about leveling up the patient experience with a new form of creative expression and storytelling. These people are normalizing an experience that not many people see as normal. Truly a powerful read and inside look into the lives of those diagnosed with various types of arthritis. This has to be one of my most favorite topics I have ever covered. . I wanted to know more about some of the people behind these videos, so I reached out to fellow arthritis warriors, who each had their own {and similar} reasons for sharing their injections on Instagram and TikTok. Special thanks the lovely ladies below who were so kind in letting me interview them and share their injection videos or insights, for this piece. Also to my editor, who helped to polish and publish this. ✨@creaky_joints . @movetoliv @spoonieandspoonie @anotherdaywithra @arthritis_life_cheryl @thatgirlwitharthritis @with.paulina @jra__warrior . To read the article, visit the link in my bio! 💙 . #arthritis #creakyjoints #risingabovera #injectionvideos #patientexperience #rheumatoidarthritis #juvenilearthritis #juvenileidiopathicarthritis #lupus #arthritisrelief #arthritisawareness #community #spoonie #spooniesupport #normalize #injections #spooniewriter #chronicillness #invisibleillness #invisibledisabilities #painmanagement #medicine #modernmedicine #noshaming #methotrexate #enbrel #humira #orenica #blog #medicationmanagement
✰Pain Awareness Month Giveaway Contest #4 ✰⁣ ✰Pain Awareness Month Giveaway Contest #4 ✰⁣ . Featured this week are two ladies @xchloeumplebyx and @livingwaterless who create chronic illness themed products over at SpoonfulofChronic on Etsy. They are bringing back their *SOLD OUT* SPOONIE EMBROIDERY HOOP ART item, for one lucky winner! Then there is the 'Sick' Unisex T-shirt from my shop that comes in several different colors and both white or black font. The winner will get to pick the colors they want! . So this theme centers around identity when it comes to a diagnosis. What do I mean by identity? Well for some who are chronically ill, they feel that illness becomes part of their identity. Then there are those who define themselves as a patient but don't feel it's part of their identity. Others may say that 'I'm a patient only in a medical setting' or 'I can't ignore being a patient.' Lastly, there seems to be two groups of silent majorities that consist of those who are doing well and don't care to label or identify to anything but simply being themselves. The other silent party are those individuals who may be suffering or struggling in silence but tune into the chronic illness community privately for various reasons. {I have fallen into both categories on my journey}. . Over the past two decades though, certain phrases have created a sense of community for people. For one, the word 'Spoonie' is a word many of us have seen floating around the internet. The term was coined by Christine Miserandino, an award-winning blogger and patient advocate when she was trying to explain to a friend what it's like to live with lupus. “I thought she already knew the medical definition of Lupus,” Miserandino recalls at her website, But You Don't Look Sick. “The Spoon Theory" essay she wrote in 2003 has since made headlines and has been used by millions in the chronic illness space. . Another word 'Sick' has also been involved in an empowering movement of its own by the popular community and blog, 'Sick Chicks." Other outside perspectives took the word sick to create their own message, as seen during last year's Paris Fashion Week when a brand was called out on Instagram {Continued in comments ⤵️}
Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great weekend. Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great weekend. So due to popular demand, I am sharing this gluten-free and diary-free loukoumades aka fried honey donuts recipe that I tried yesterday. It’s Greek tradition {yes, I am Greek if you haven’t noticed by my long vowel-filled name already 😂}, to serve this street food dessert during the winter months or holiday season, special feast days and during summer picnics or other gatherings. The Mediterranean diet has been a shining beacon of light in the nutrition world for years. However, when I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis 15 years ago, I found that I wasn’t able to enjoy my favorite dishes and desserts due to simple fact that they contained diary and gluten- two major triggers for me. I had to totally change my lifestyle over night once I found this out. It was not easy, and if you’re just starting out, I empathize with you. But just know that it is doable. Luckily over the course of my journey, I came to learn the many ways to accommodate, adapt and get creative. I found so many blogs, cookbooks and authors who also struggled with health-related food intolerances and allergies, yet they didn’t let that stop them from creating other alternatives {which can taste exactly the same or even better than the original}. The plus side is that the Mediterranean diet was already low in diary, making it easy to use diary alternatives. Though unfortunately grains are not as low. But even with that, swapping whole grains with alternatives is doable, as seen in this recipe for example and demonstration by no other than my mom. {Continued in comments ⤵️}
Weekend vibes. 🌿💆🏻 Weekend vibes. 🌿💆🏻
Seriously. 🚨Pain Awareness Month PSA alert to t Seriously. 🚨Pain Awareness Month PSA alert to those not living with chronic pain.🚨 . #saturdaytruth #funnybuttrue #funnybutnotfunny #chronicpain #chronicpainwarrior #chronicpainawareness #chronicpainsucks #painsucksbutyoudonthaveto #painawarenessmonth #pain #rheumatoidarthritis #chronicillness #chronicpainquotes #invisibleillness #invisibleillnessawareness #invisibledisability #arthritiswarrior #invisibledisabilities #risingabovera
Had the opportunity recently to be interviewed by Had the opportunity recently to be interviewed by @everydayhealth alongside other arthritis patients and advocates, on what we wish people knew about life with rheumatoid arthritis, and various things that have been helpful on our journeys. . Link to read the article is in my bio! ✨

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