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I KNOW EXACTLY HOW YOU FEEL.

 

I have:

 

Type 1 Diabetes - a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin, a hormone needed to allow sugar (glucose) to enter cells to produce energy. So your pancreas doesn’t work, no worries, I have an insulin pump for that. :)

 

Keep reading

 

Insulin resistant -  a pathological condition in which cells fail to respond normally to the hormone insulin. When the body produces insulin under conditions of insulin resistance, the cells are resistant to the insulin and are unable to break down sugar effectively, leading to high blood sugar. Basically, my body doesn’t make insulin or like absorbing it either meaning a take more insulin than the average diabetic.

 

Trust me, it’s worth reading on...

 

IBS - Irritable bowel syndrome, a widespread condition involving recurrent abdominal pain and diarrhea or constipation, often associated with stress, depression, anxiety, or previous intestinal infection. When you go to the bathroom with IBS you leave in pain, stomach, pelvic and in your butt. Every. Single. Darn. Time.

 

Yup… it keeps going

 

Endometriosis - a condition resulting from the appearance of endometrial tissue outside the uterus and causing pelvic pain. OUCH!!!! Period cramps times million!!!

 

ALMOST DONE KEEP READING

 

PCOS - Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, a condition in which a woman's levels of the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone are out of balance. This leads to the growth of ovarian cysts (benign masses on the ovaries). OH BOY! More period cramping…..

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There is light at the end of this...

 

Hypothyroidism - or under-active thyroid, develops when the thyroid gland fails to produce or secrete as much thyroxine(T4) as the body needs. Because T4 regulates such essential functions as heart rate, digestion and physical growth. - In other words, you’re tired all the time and you really struggle losing weight… yay!

 

OK LAST ONE, HERE WE GO!

 

I also have -  Addison's Disease, chronic fatigue and anemia. I have a gluten, dairy, rice, tapioca and corn intolerance, limiting my diet to veggies, nuts, meats and fruit. I have struggled with unhealthy weight loss, weight gain, trouble losing weight, trouble sleeping. I’ve had chronic migraines, tons of trips to the ER and many surgeries.     

 

Depressed yet?? I’m not, here’s why….

 

I’M ALIVE. Yes, living with disease is difficult. Especially when no one see’s your illness. When I look in the mirror I see a normal woman. All the scars from surgeries I’ve had are hidden by my clothing. I have all my hair, I’m about 10 pounds overweight, but I’m not deathly skinny or obese. When I walk down the street people would never guess how tired I am or how much pain I am in that day. It gets lonely when you struggle with invisible disease.

 

It may be lonely, but we are not alone.

 

When I was struggling for three years straight during college I kept looking online for help. Someone who had been where I had been and had made it through ok. I couldn’t find anyone. With the help of my family I was able to make it through my struggles, but not everyone is as blessed with an incredible family as I was. (See my My Autoimmune Disease Life In A Nutshell blog post to read about this season in my life.)

 

Since I could not find another blog site where people juggles such a hands on disease as Type 1 Diabetes along with other autoimmune disorders at the same time, I decided to create one.

 

I invite you to do everyday in disease with me. I’m still figuring it out, but there are still so few voices for invisible diseases. Together let’s create a community where we can be there for each other. Let’s laugh about our blood sugar lows and cry over IBS together. Let’s share dairy free/gluten free recipes, let’s hold each other’s hands when we are in the hospital battling yet another autoimmune issue.

 

I will share what I have learned and what I am learning with you. Together, let’s do our best everyday and not be defined by our health problems. There is so much joy to be had in our beautiful bodies, so let’s enjoy them for as long as we can.