“I haven’t been pain-free since December of 2013. Since then, I’ve gotten sicker and sicker. Being doubled over in pain is my everyday life.”
‘My mom wiped my tears. ‘We won’t stop until we have answers. I promise.’: Endometriosis warrior shares 8-year diagnosis journey
‘I’ve never seen ANYTHING like it.’ It was akin to a freak accident.’: Crohn’s survivor undergoes serious illness, ‘I will always fight to be here’
“I told myself, ‘You are BUILT for this.’ My body was going to heal. I’d been through so much I’d be d*mned if THIS is what took me out.”
‘I hobbled away from my 7th laser hair removal treatment, weeping. In less than an hour, my life was changed.’: Woman with chronic pain condition finds ‘purpose in the pain’
“I didn’t want to lay in bed for the rest of my life and give in to the depression. I still had life to live.”
‘Being told you’re lying and faking is a different type of pain. For years, I thought I was the only one.’: Chronic illness warrior ‘proud to be disabled’ after 5-year fight for diagnosis
“Living undiagnosed is a never-ending spiral of suffering, heartbreak, and hurt.”
‘Am I having a stroke? My kids aren’t old enough to call for help. God, don’t let me die!’ Something was really wrong.’: Mom diagnosed with MS says ‘my life is still everything I dreamed of’
“I could no longer push my daughter in her stroller. ‘Let’s drive the two blocks to the park.’ I was falling apart. I couldn’t imagine life without legs that didn’t work.”
‘You’re YOUNG, what do you have to be stressed about?’ I was living the life of a 50-year-old. I was a caregiver AND a patient.’: Migraine warrior takes care of mom during cancer battle
“When my mom asked me to take a step back from school and work to take care of her during her cancer treatments, I didn’t hesitate to choose my mama. By being a caregiver, I learned how to be a patient.”
‘The doctor said, ‘It’s just teenage girl stuff.’ I was living with everyday pain as if it were normal, forced to accept feeling this way forever.’: Young woman shares journey to Ulcerative Colitis diagnosis, ‘My life is just beginning’
“I was 21, almost done with my senior year of college. These were supposed to be the best years of my life, yet every day I felt sick and exhausted and no doctor could tell me why. I was told it was ‘all in my head.’ I lost friends because no one could understand. Soon, I was withdrawing from my semester from a hospital bed.”
‘This isn’t living. It’s merely surviving.’ I was totally bed-bound. I was a shadow of the person I used to be.’: Woman with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome says ‘I appreciate every single second’
“The apartment above mine had a leak. My bedroom was full of black mold. They ‘cleaned’ it by painting over it. I gave up. 2 months later, I couldn’t get out of bed. I desperately searched for answers.”
‘Everything looked normal to the surgeon.’ I felt helpless. My fight to find what was wrong was nowhere near over.’: Woman finally diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease, ‘Be your own advocate’
“I woke up in the recovery room. ‘Did they find anything?’ My heart broke when the tests came back clear. I’d been relying on this surgery to give me answers. My body was struggling.”
‘What if they don’t believe me?’ The surgeons had NO answers. I was labeled a ‘hypochondriac.’: Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome warrior becomes advocate, ‘The frustration fueled a fire in me’
“I could’ve lost my life. I think of the doctor who laughed at me. ‘You’re healthy!’ he’d say. I wanted to give up more times than I can count. But I NEVER wanted someone to walk in my shoes.”
