Perspective with chronic illness is…let’s just say, flexible in all the wrong ways. Last week? Absolute chaos. A flare so aggressive it felt like my body woke up and chose violence. Enter: steroids—the overachieving frenemy. They did their job and calmed things down, but at the small cost of sleep, sanity, and any hope of... Continue Reading →
My weight and I have been a complicated relationship my entire life. I was never the skinny girl. I was the girl with curves—or as my aunt liked to say, “a brick shithouse.” To this day, I’m still not entirely sure if that was a compliment or a construction assessment. I had curves. Big boobs, small waist,... Continue Reading →
In September of 2022, I had pneumonia. I didn’t know that at the time and went to a local CVS to get a COVID test. While I was in the treatment room, I collapsed, and an ambulance was called to take me to the hospital. A year later, I got a bill from the ambulance... Continue Reading →
Every morning I wake up and think, today is going to be the day I feel better.Today will be the day I can function like a normal human being.Today is the day I will feel great. Then I get out of bed and realize the pain, fatigue, and general malaise are still there. It’s hard not to feel... Continue Reading →
I recently received a letter regarding my healthcare and the upcoming changes being planned. The first sentence includes the following sentence, "the impacts of inflation and costs incurred from high-cost claimants." high-cost claimants high-cost claimants high-cost claimants Reading this letter today was insulting. The language used—phrases like “high-cost claimants”—felt incredibly dehumanizing. It reduces real people and... Continue Reading →
Over the past three weeks, my symptoms seem to have taken a detour in the wrong direction. The fatigue that finally felt like it was improving has doubled down like it forgot it was supposed to be leaving. I walk the dog and need to lie down. I do a load of laundry and my... Continue Reading →
For years, I’ve pushed myself past my limits. In grad school, I worked a full-time job and two part-time jobs just to make ends meet—while earning not one, but two master’s degrees. Exhaustion wasn’t a warning sign; it was just the price of admission. At work, I’ve always pushed myself to never be that person—the one who... Continue Reading →
Living with chronic illness for almost 30 years gives one a thick skin. I've met so many people who love to give me free advice. For the most part, it's all good intended suggestions, but I often feel stumped on how to respond. Today someone said, "My friend says those infusions you take are bad,... Continue Reading →
In today's episode of “Whatever Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger”: Insurance + PBM vs. Me I’ve learned that a lot of people don’t actually know what a PBM is. It stands for Pharmacy Benefits Manager—the middleman between insurance companies and patients that’s supposed to keep drug prices low (spoiler: they don’t) and make private insurance more affordable. It’s... Continue Reading →
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