At first, a chronic illness diagnosis can be overwhelming. The questions stack up (What doctors should I see? Which sources of information are the best? What medication is right? Do i need to learn more about the medications available to me?) and there…
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When you live with a chronic illness, bad days are more than just a case of the Mondays, or your bagel landing butter down. On the days that really suck there is little to relieve the pain, fatigue, and impossible barriers that start…
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Have you been affected by a chronic health condition? Your story can make a difference! Sign up to share your experiences with Health Stories Project. For those living with chronic illness the holidays can be especially harrowing. Special meals, extra outings, and interactions with people who…
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“I couldn’t do this alone.” Without context this statement might sound a little self-defeating, but it’s true, and it touches something deep and very real about our humanity. Humans are fragile, breakable things and each and every one of us needs to rely…
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Fibromyalgia is a very common, chronic condition that causes widespread muscle and joint pain, tenderness, fatigue, depression, as well as many other symptoms. It’s often accompanied by a condition that sufferers refer to as “fibro fog,” a constant state of fatigue that results…
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We deliver new health stories each week! –> “In an instant my life changed forever. A simple fall. I just didn’t realize I was in for the fight of my life.” – Melissa, patient living with CRPS Complex regional pain syndrome (or CRPS)…
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Whoever said “laughter is the best medicine” probably wasn’t a doctor. Or at least I’m glad they aren’t one of my doctors. If I think I might have a broken leg, I’m going to the emergency room for x-rays before I start my…
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When Alex Stone left home to attend college just over a decade ago, the freshman arrived on campus with an unusually furry roommate. Stone, now 30, has cerebral palsy, a disease that affects his movement and balance. He knew he’d need assistance living…
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The day Patsy Schuchardt noticed that every car in the parking lot had a flat tire, she knew something was wrong. Not with the tires – they were actually fine – but with her sight. A few months earlier, Patsy had noticed her…
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Game nights can be a great way to bring people together. It turns out, they’re also a great way to have difficult conversations about chronic illness, says Adrienne Ciskey, a Chicago-based artist who created the board game Bitter Pills to help others understand…
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How do you cope with an immensely painful medical condition many doctors don’t even know exists? Long before she knew it, that was the problem facing Maria Martinez. Early in 2008, Maria and her son were raking in the yard when she noticed…
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We recently spoke with Jessica Gimeno, author of the blog Fashionably ill: The Sick Woman’s Stylist. As someone who fights mental illness and chronic pain daily, Jessica is dedicated to helping people survive chronic illnesses with style and humor. Check out what she…
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January, 1980. Things were looking good for Mark Tallman. He had just been promoted at the oil company he worked for to run one of its warehouses near Salem, Ore. As he was conducting the inventory one morning, he dropped his pen. Paying…
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Health Stories Project was created to give people opportunities to share their personal health experiences and to learn from the experiences of others.