For years I’ve heard stories from my chronically ill friends of loved ones who abandoned them or who refused to believe that their illness was real. So, I wanted to write a letter to the friends & family of chronically ill people.
Tag: chronic pain
Celebrating Disability Pride Month
Disability is a framework that teaches you to prioritize the needs of your mind and body over the expectations of society. Check out these articles to dive deeper into the experience of disability and chronic illness.
Why I Stopped Taking Gabapentin
I am updating and republishing some of my early articles from this blog. Please enjoy this article, originally published under the title “Color” in March of 2017, about the early days of my chronic pain journey. CN: extensive discussion of the experience of anxiety, chronic pain, medication side effects, and medical neglect. Duloxetine was the first pain medication my doctor ever prescribed me, an anti-depressant that can sometimes help with pain. A year after I …Read More
9 Things That Blocked My Access to Medical Treatment
This is a new version of an article that was originally published as “26,” about the early attempts to diagnose the cause of my chronic pain and other symptoms, and the many ways my access to medical treatment was blocked for years prior.
What Does Dissociation Feel Like?
CN: extensive and detailed descriptions of what disordered dissociation can feel like; extensive discussion of Dissociative Identity Disorder, amnesia, and mental health management in general; specific examples of abuse; general discussion of trauma and chronic pain. Added note of caution: Some people who struggle with dissociation find that reading detailed descriptions of dissociation can bring on those symptoms for them. Read at your own pace and take care of yourself. For as long as I …Read More
Chronic Illness: Wait, Your Body Doesn’t Do This, Too?
A revamped version of my article “The Blue Book” about my discovery of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and early struggles with integrating chronic illness into my identity.
“Needing Extra Care Doesn’t Make You a Burden” Got a Glow-up!
Back when we first started designing and releasing our own original designs for merch, in August 2020, our very first design was the simple drawing of an orchid with the words “Needing Extra Care Doesn’t Make You a Burden.” After doing a few more designs, we learned a lot more about how to do digital art, what our style was, and how to make art that prints well. After a while, our first piece seemed …Read More
Young Hot & Full of Moderate to Severe Joint Pain: New Merch!
Some of you may be familiar with the game Cards Against Humanity. While it has its problems, this amazing card combo made the rounds in the chronic illness communities on social media. Every time I saw it, I felt like it described my life so perfectly, like it was way more than just a meme. So it went on my list of ideas to turn into merch and now that idea is a reality! You …Read More
Yes, Thank you I Have Heard of Yoga
Today I have TWO new merch designs for you that are now available for purchase on our Redbubble store! Both of these designs are 100% original and I created them myself! “Yes, Thank you I have tried yoga please suggest literally anything else” accompanied by a rainbow shooting star reminiscent of “the more you know!” is for anyone with a chronic condition or illness who is just really done with having yoga suggested as a …Read More
Ableism Bingo: Things to Never Say to a Disabled Person
Note: In addition to being a source of education, this post announces Yopp’s brand new merch stores on Zazzle and Redbubble! To start buying, check out our new merch page or skip straight to buying products that support Yopp on our Zazzle store. CN: Extensive and detailed discussion of social ableism and victim-blaming & gaslighting regarding health and ability; use of ableist language & slurs for educational purposes, and mention of suicide. If you ask …Read More