Chronic Illness

Body positivity art celebrates all bodies, challenging society's beauty standards. From Venus of Willendorf to the paintings of Peter Paul Rubens, curvy bodies were historically considered to be symbolic of health, sensuality, and fertility. However, in recent decades, thin bodies have been ...

Chronic illness pins, stickers, and patches are a way to let the world know where you stand -- without having to take a stand. 'Cause ya know, sometimes we can't stand, or we faint, or we need a nap afterwards. Maybe you have fibromyalgia.  Maybe you have dysautonomia.  Maybe you have EDS. Whatever ...

Representation is important, and funny chronic illness t-shirts and sweatshirts are a great way to rep your chronic illness. Remember those angsty teen years when no matter which way your fashion choices leaned, fashion was THE thing to let the world know how you felt? There's no reason that needs ...

So you’re ready to put yourself out there and start dating with a chronic illness, but have no clue where to start.  Dating in the 21st century is hard. I mean you have to go outside, meet new people, get to know someone new on an intimate level, and TALK! Did I mention that you have to go ...

It's that time of year again. Summer is here and with it comes the heat and the sun. While summer can be all about pools, BBQs and the beach, it often brings a difficult set of problems for people with photosensitivity and others who have heat intolerance. Understanding Photosensitivity ...

“Hold on, let me check my calendar.” I pull up my calendar and look for a day where I will be in the city for appointments, but not a day that’s too full.  I sigh, and resign myself to having to schedule another day in the city.  It’s not just the hour drive, the gas, the time to get there. ...

Sometimes I feel like going out in public during the pandemic is like entering a different world than I knew, (which is true), but at the same time familiar (which is also true). In light of everything going on with the pandemic, when I called urgent care on a weekend for a fever with GI symptoms, ...

Whether you have had a disability or chronic illness for a long time or you’re new to facing health challenges, you may have heard of the term "self-advocacy." But what exactly does it mean? And what kinds of self-advocacy skills can help you get through life with a disability or chronic illness? ...

When I began the college application process as a teenager with a chronic illness, I was lost. After two years of medical chaos, during which college would have been deemed an impossibility, my conditions stabilized under the care of a new team of doctors. I was and am not healthy by any means, but ...

Chronic illness flare ups are possibly the worst part of being chronically ill.  Maybe it’s the weather.  Maybe it’s hormones.  Maybe it’s stress.  Maybe it’s because you did too much.  Maybe it’s nothing.  We are all just waiting for our next chronic illness flare up – hoping and praying that it ...

Chronic pain hurts.  Not just sometimes, but all the time.  There are certain times of year when pain can flare, and it usually has to do with weather, at least for me.  The cold is especially difficult for me, but the heat can also send me into a flare.  After years of living with chronic pain, ...

Having a mental illness or a chronic illness changes a lot about life. It affects our lives in so many ways. Too often the people in our lives don’t know how to take care of us. When someone you know is struggling, here are some ways to help. Send us a text. It can make our day. We often crave ...