A chronic journey advocate who, like many of you, found this pandemic an empathetic challenge. While at the same time an opportunity to become stronger spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and chronically through introspection.
It doesn’t happen overnight, ever!
Chronic warriors who have been on a long chronic journey can especially relate to this statement. Chronic migraines began in 1989/1990.
My digestive tract issues, idiopathic gastroparesis, #GP colonic inertia, chronic intestinal pseudo obstruction syndrome #CIP, diagnoses in 1999
The sjogrens, mitochondrial malabsorption, POTS diagnoses are in 2010-2011. Now my idiopathic gastroparesis is no longer idiopathic. Every single chronic warrior- AND THERE WERE/Are. A lot — MILLIONS!!! Who were told you have idiopathic gastroparesis!!! The search of WHY?? tugs at you. You keep asking yourself, because it is an unknown. Even when the best motility specialist available says not too be concerned. He tells you they call it idiopathic because the doctors are idiots for not being able to solve the problem. He meant it. He kept at it until he solved it. He diagnosed me in 1999 the solved the rest of story (as Paul Harvey used to say- I know I am dating myself here) in 2010. God bless him. I really really really dislike unfinished stories even when they have no connection to me at all. I research them, check sources, verify, double check, triple check. Facts, truth, history, social justice, equality, it is all in my DNA. Dr Abell doing this was the biggest blessing. I know he has done for an indeterminate number of other patients. I wasn’t special. I was a cog showing another piece of the picture. We all are when we use our authentic voices in actionable advocacy. Our collective data base creates a big picture towards the larger goal we all seek.
The chronic journey of varying degrees of symptoms and progression since – I now understand since birth. My pieces didn’t start breaking loudly enough until my 30s -40’s A high tolerance to pain added to the confusion and denial of any problem. When you put this with an optimistic-stubborn outlook it can take quite awhile to get the attention of a person who thinks they are going to able to finish their doctorate and do a triathlon. (Anyone who exercises know the endorphins released were helping me feel better both mentally and physically)