I became sick in January 2015, or potentially earlier if I look back over my health records from the years before that. I did not receive an official diagnosis until September 2018. That is almost four years later. This is by no means unusual – in fact, some would consider it a very quick diagnosis… More A diagnosis is an important part of dealing with disability
When looking through my bookshelves recently, I realised that I had read very few books about people with disabilities, and even less about people with chronic illnesses. I grew up reading books like What Katy Did, and The Secret Garden, where chronic illness is usually treated euphemistically or else there is a miracle cure –… More Chronic illness book recommendations
Chronic illness is hidden. I guess they call it an invisible illness for a reason, and whilst it isn’t entirely accurate to say my illness is entirely invisible, at a glance I do seem like a healthy young woman. If you knew me better, you might see the huge bags under my eyes, the slightly… More Coming out as disabled
One of the first questions you get asked when you are getting to know new people is “so what do you do?” If you have a chronic illness and, like me, are unable to do very much, this becomes a very difficult question to answer. Our self-identity is very often made up of the things… More Chronic illness and the loss of identity