There is a lot of division around wearing masks right now. In my state (California), the governor has issued a mandate requiring the wearing of masks in public. I disagree with this order for a lot of reasons, but politics aside, I want to first discuss specific health concern for people with chronic conditions. Those…
Yesterday I talked about choosing joy. That's so easy to say - but it's not always easy to see how to do it. If you're laying in bed in pain, if you're struggling in a bad relationship, if you're in a thankless job that leaves you crushed every day - you can still have joy.…
If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans!Seriously, this was not the life I planned! I'm not much for setting life goals - I've never had a "5 year plan", but I love adventure and experiences - and being sick tends to get in the way of that. I wake up every…
I recently joined a couple of Facebook groups focused on specific health topics. My hope was to find help and encouragement for managing these difficult conditions, but what I've found instead is a whole bunch of people who are devastated and at their wits end. Most people do not understand how impossibly hard it is…
A young woman has been extremely sick and suffering for years. Doctors don't know what is wrong - she has severe pain and major digestive issues. They are planning exploratory surgery to try and figure it out. A man suffers daily with headaches, severe back pain, and psychological issues. His doctors continue to look for…
The Way Back with Ben Affleck is a movie about a guy finding his way back from hell - it's about loss, about alcoholism, and about life long, deep rooted anger. "We can't change the past; what we can do is choose how we move forward." This movie will tug at your heart strings and…
Nothing causes people to refocus priorities more than tragedy. Here we are, walking through life, juggling work and family and trying to find balance - when BAM! Out of nowhere something happens that triggers a drastic shift of thinking. I was 17 watching the Space Shuttle Challenger liftoff from my desk in high school and…
I've written a letter for Lymies to share with family and friends who may not yet understand the complexities of this sickness. This is a complicated disease to diagnose and treat, but that means it's also complicated to live with it. If you suffer this sickness, give yourself a break, let yourself rest. If you…
The process of healing chronic Lyme isn't easy. Over the 8 years from the time I contracted Lyme to the time I was diagnosed, my body developed a whole mess of conditions that all need to be treated - at the right time, in the right order. Can you imagine being a doctor and having…
I keep improving - but then something happens, I don't know what, and I start to feel like I'm going backwards. More pain, cognitive issues like word finding, I feel just yucky all over - I can't always explain it. I just know I'm not ok and I'm scared that I'm slipping backwards. It's easy…
PhilippiJoy 