CN: extensive and detailed discussion of chronic illness symptoms such as nausea, brain fog, and difficulty eating; discussion of weight loss One day, after taking a short walk, I had a strange health episode. I was incredibly exhausted, totally disproportionate to the amount of walking I had done. I sat down in the chair in the kitchen as soon as I got in, too tired to go all the way to my bedroom, and then …Read More
Tag: medication
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
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
Why I Stopped Taking Anti-Depressants
CN: gaslighting, abuse, money, in-depth discussion of the symptoms and treatment of borderline personality disorder, medication, and mental illness; mention of suicide. As I discussed recently, the use of medication to treat mental illness is the target of a lot of undeserved societal stigma; however, it’s a tool that comes with many challenges in managing side effects, finding the right balance of brain chemistry for you, and for some people, it simply doesn’t work. In …Read More
Let’s End the Stigma Against Anti-Depressants
Content Note: in depth discussion of mental illness and medication use, extensive ableism around mental illness and medication use, implied references to suicide, mention of chronic pain, weight loss, self harm, violence towards PoC, and abuse. My very first distinct memory of depression is from when I was 17 years old, walking into school one morning, feeling awful. Trying to find something to look forward to, I ran through my day in my head. I …Read More
I Can’t Fix Myself But I’m Supposed To
CN: chronic pain, medical neglect, fat-shaming, discussion of specific health issues and their symptoms Today’s guest post is written as a follow up post to Sunflower Punk’s piece, “Broken,” on her blog on The Orbit. The article covers her life-long struggle with chronic pain, living 6 years with an untreated broken ankle, doctors blaming her health problems on her weight, inaccessible housing, and juggling all of those while also raising a kid as a single …Read More
Could It Be My Birth Control?: The Intrauterine Diaries
Today’s guest post is written by a close friend of mine who has asked to remain anonymous. If you know me personally, it’s likely you know who the writer is. She asks that her name not be associated with the article, not because she wants the information to be kept secret but because controlling her online presence is important to her personally and to her career. You’re welcome to contact her privately to discuss the …Read More
Windows: Snippets from a Mind Struggling with PTSD, Anxiety, and Depression
CN: In depth descriptions of the experience of mental illnesses including PTSD, anxiety, and depression, generally emotionally heavy content, ableism, trauma. I’m clutching a tissue in my hands, the words “I can’t I can’t I can’t” swirling around my head. My best friend has her hand on my knee. She’s carefully offering me solutions to try to get me out of this trap. I say no to every single one. I know it looks like …Read More
Color
The original version of “Why I Stopped Taking Gabapentin”