Team Vasculitis: Thriving through Life with Chronic Illness

Are you EXHAUSTED because you're constantly trying to explain yourself... all the time... to everyone? When you have to say no, when you have to reschedule, when you have to limit yourself, when you're not feeling well... and on and on to forever. Today I talk about how to handle this and how to make sure this emotional exhaustion doesn't hurt your closest relationships.   Please don't forget to c...

It's the most wonderful time of the year... which means all kinds of gift giving is going on. Today I talk about 12 different gifts most people with a chronic illness would absolutely love! I also talk about what NOT to gift and why!   Please don't forget to click that subscibe button whereever you listen to the podcast and do me a HUGE favor and leave a review! These two things help others find t...

Azathioprine is a common medication for people with chronic illnesses. Over 800,000 people are prescibed it in the US alone. Today I dig into details, what you need to know, and share my own experience as well as several other people's experiences. Please don't forget to click that subscibe button whereever you listen to the podcast and do me a HUGE favor and leave a review! These two things help...

It's the most stressful time of the year! So today I talk about five ways to make sure you not only survive the holiday season, but you can still thrive through it. You deserve to experience a holiday season that lights you up, brings you joy and gives you memories of love and laughter not stress, anxiety, pain and exhaustion.   Please don't forget to click that subscibe button whereever you liste...

Ever wish your loved ones knew how to show up for you and support you? Well, this is the one for you to send to your loved ones! Today I offer 5 ways that our healthy loved ones can work to show up for us with actionable tips - as well as a few ways that they probably think they're being supportive when it really comes across as telling you you're not doing enough or downplaying what you're going...

Raising kids when you have a potentially fatal auto immune disease is a head trip. It's an extra kind of difficult emotionally that you can't imagine until you're not living it. Today I talk about that journey mentally and emotionally... as well as ways my husband and I intentionally are creating healthy habits that support our daughter's bodies to try and lower the chance that they might develop...

What happens to a woman's body after she delivers a baby is... a LOT of things. If you have an auto immune condition - or a rare disease - it becomes much more complicated. Today I share my journey postpartum with both of my babies.   Please don't forget to click that subscibe button whereever you listen to the podcast and do me a HUGE favor and leave a review! These two things help others find th...

It's not all doom and gloom. It's not all horror stories. Today I share my journey with both of my pregnancies and some of the challenges I faced as well as the victories throughout the process. I also tell you what I whole heartedly believe was the key thing I did to increase my fertility and get pregnant - even with low egg count and other challenges. Please don't forget to click that subscibe b...

If you're hoping to or planning getting sick and you or your spouse have Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis... this episode is for you. I dive into challenges you need to be aware of as well as my own personal struggles. I share medication insight, what you'll need to advocate on... and what you need to ignore that the scary clinical medical field will present you with! Here's the study I mention ab...

When the "best" treatment that works for the "vast majority" of people with your disease... doesn't work for you. What's next? In today's episode I talk about the treatment that did work, some really tough discussions my husband and I had to have, and the devestation when you start to have a flare even though you're doing EVERYTHING right. Links mentioned in the episode: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.ni...

If you've been diagnosed with any form of ANCA Vasculitis someone has probably talked to you about Rituximab/Rituxin. Today I talk about my process in the first year of being sick and getting three rounds of Rituximab as well as the consequences of being on high doses of prednisone.   Please don't forget to click that subscibe button whereever you listen to the podcast and do me a HUGE favor and l...

When you start having symptoms - but no one puts the pieces together things can go from bad to deadly FAST. That's what happened to me.    This is part one of onset and diagnosis of my journey with a potentially fatal rare disease.     Please don't forget to click that subscibe button whereever you listen to the podcast and do me a HUGE favor and leave a review! These two things help others find t...

Dealing with a chronic illness is incredibly difficult on your body. The stress, the unknowns, the changes, the fear, the pain… it all takes a toll on your nervous system. Which then takes an EXTRA toll on your overall well-being and often results in a dysregulated nervous system. The reason this is a problem is that this extra stress can worsen your symptoms, it can lessen the effectiveness of yo...

Have you ever made a list of the healthy habits you have built to support your body and to thrive? I recently did this and found myself so proud of how far I have come. Today I talk to you about my process and go into 20+ habits I have built to change my life. Please don't forget to click that subscibe button whereever you listen to the podcast and do me a HUGE favor and leave a review! These two...

It doesn't get talked about enough, the isolation. The way everyone drifts away. The way you don't have the energy to show up and participate. So even though you're lonely and wish you could be with people, you also need to be left alone.   Today we talk about this isolation, the toll it takes on your mental health and four ways to manage it!   Be sure and check out Holly! Instagram: https://www.i...

If you don't already have children before the onset of your disease, it can be an overwhelming prospect. Will you still be able to properly care for a child? Is it fair to bring them into a home where you may be incredibly limited? What about pregnancy? Should you get pregnant? Will your disease or your medications negatively affect your child?   I go into all of this and more in this episode.   P...

Have you ever had a doctor glance at your blood work and tell you everything is "normal"? Even though you KNOW something is off? Clinical medicine focuses on critical care whereas functional medicine focuses on total healing and balance BEFORE you get critical... and one of the biggest differences is how they are able to interpret your blood work. In today's episode I share a couple of personal an...

Being diagnosed with a chronic illness is, to say the least, a life-changing experience. Coping with the challenges that come with chronic illness is no light thing to overcome. Oftentimes it feels so overwhelming that you cannot even begin to process what your new reality will be.  The good news is that there are several things that you can do to survive your first year with chronic illness and i...

Stress leads to inflammation. Inflammation leads to illness. It's probably a formula you're familiar with. You who live with the awareness that inflammation is your enemy - I mean, really for health is EVERYONE'S enemy, but for the already chronically ill - it is a much more intense adversary. Today I talk about 7 ways to help support your body and reduce stress that are ACTIONABLE tips not just t...

If you've been chronically ill for a while, you have been through the ups and downs. You know the crazy mind games it ends up being. You also know that many MANY people, supported by mainstream media narratives, jokes, and comments, see people with chronic illnesses and less than. They perceive us as less than. They believe we are a burden on society… and insanely enough, they believe that we CHOO...

As you sit in your home, exhausted, struggling with brain fog, in pain and so much more, social media is often a window into the rest of the world. It is a lifeline to the friends who understand, who are often also at home struggling with the war inside their bodies. There is so much GOOD that has come, and can continue to come from social media. The trouble becomes that we can struggle to discern...

When you leave your medical appointments you should feel seen, heard, supported... and maybe even a little bit hopeful. If you DO NOT feel this way, it's time to start buliding a different medical team. Please don't forget to click that subscibe button whereever you listen to the podcast and do me a HUGE favor and leave a review! These two things help others find the podcast, find our community, a...

Let's be clear - you have MANY freedoms in your chronic illness journey. Today we look at several and encourage you to take control of your life! YOU HAVE THE POWER TO CHOOSE!!!! Please don't forget to click that subscibe button whereever you listen to the podcast and do me a HUGE favor and leave a review! These two things help others find the podcast, find our community, and feel a little less al...

Your disease can affect everything in your life. Not just what you can do physically, but your time and your emotional limitations as well. So it is absolutely going to impact your parenting. Parenting is the most all encompassing thing you can do in your life, also affecting everything. When was the last time you thought to yourself - maybe I'm a bad parent because of the limitations of my diseas...

6+ months wait is unacceptable. The issue is that by the very nature of having a chronic illness, your body and your life is unpredictable. Even if your appointment is a follow up or continuing care with a medical provider, it can be difficult to make sure you make it to these appointments. Throw in the pandemic and the post pandemic challenges and it's even more difficult to make it. Have a cough...