The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey 💜
Where chronic illness, resilience, advocacy, and hope come together. Sharing stories. Building community. Inspiring hope.
The Dual Diagnosis Diaries
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey🌻 Worth the Trip, Paying for It Later
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey🌻 Worth the Trip, Paying for It LaterThis weekend in D.C., I finally celebrated my granddaughter’s first birthday—a milestone for relatives who’d long missed her. The trip…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 The Truth Behind “I’m Fine”
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 The Truth Behind “I’m Fine”Dear Diary, “How are you feeling?” It sounds like a simple question. Most days, I give the simple answer: “I’m…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 The Healthcare System Is a Scam: When Insurance Stands Between Patients and Care
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 The Healthcare System Is a Scam: When Insurance Stands Between Patients and CareThe author recounts their frustrating experience with healthcare and insurance struggles after a medical emergency. They detail delays in treatment,…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 When the Movies Turned Into a Sh!tty Mess—Literally
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 When the Movies Turned Into a Sh!tty Mess—LiterallyThat weekend movie outing turned into a comedy of errors, as Crohn’s decided the real entertainment would begin after the…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 I Haven’t Even Left the House Yet
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 I Haven’t Even Left the House YetEvery morning is a battle between my body’s energy levels and my chronic illnesses. From the shower to the bathroom,…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 Plot Twist: I Have to Go Back to Pulmonology
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 Plot Twist: I Have to Go Back to PulmonologyThe narrator shares their frustrating experience with a neurologist regarding chronic breathing issues, revealing the challenge of navigating multiple health…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 Asthma, Crohn’s, Myasthenia Gravis & Perimenopause—OH MY!
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 Asthma, Crohn’s, Myasthenia Gravis & Perimenopause—OH MY!Hurricane Marie’s humidity has turned my body into a battleground with asthma, Crohn’s, MG, and perimenopause. One at a time,…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 The AIP Diet—Helpful Tool or Restrictive Hype?
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 The AIP Diet—Helpful Tool or Restrictive Hype?Living with autoimmune diseases like Crohn’s and Myasthenia Gravis often leads to unsolicited dietary advice, particularly regarding the Autoimmune Protocol…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 When My Body Changes the Rules
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 When My Body Changes the RulesLiving with chronic illness requires constant mental assessments to navigate daily activities. Each outing involves careful planning around potential symptoms…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 A Letter to the Woman I Was Before I Got Sick
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 A Letter to the Woman I Was Before I Got SickThe writer reflects on life before chronic illness, addressing her former self with affection and understanding. She acknowledges the freedoms…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 The Hidden Cost of a “Good Day”
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 The Hidden Cost of a “Good Day”Living with chronic illness means that a seemingly good day often comes at a cost. Despite engaging in activities, the…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 High Pain, Low Tolerance
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 High Pain, Low ToleranceLiving with chronic illness brings unpredictable challenges, particularly on high-symptom days when energy is scarce. The author reflects on the…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 IBD vs. IBS, Part 2 — Wait…You Can Have BOTH?
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 IBD vs. IBS, Part 2 — Wait…You Can Have BOTH?After sharing Part 1 about the differences between IBD and IBS, my friend Steph sent me a text: “Your blogs…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 When Being Strong Was Never a Choice
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 When Being Strong Was Never a ChoiceDear Diary, During one of my usual scrolls—don’t judge me—I came across a message by Rachel Marie Martin of Finding…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 Sometimes It Isn’t About the Small Thing
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 Sometimes It Isn’t About the Small ThingChronic illness brings expected challenges like pain and fatigue, but it also incites emotions like anger, often overlooked. This anger…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 You Are Not Too Much
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 You Are Not Too MuchLiving with chronic illness can make us feel like our symptoms, needs, and hard days are somehow “too much.” But…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 Dear Me, You Don’t Have to Keep Up
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 Dear Me, You Don’t Have to Keep Up🌻 A reminder from me, to me: I don’t have to keep up with healthy people—or the person I used…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 Scared, But Going Anyway
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 Scared, But Going AnywayFear doesn’t always mean stop. Sometimes it means you’re stepping beyond what’s familiar and growing into someone new. I’m learning…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 Caring and Capacity Aren’t the Same Thing
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 Caring and Capacity Aren’t the Same ThingSometimes caring deeply doesn’t mean having the capacity to carry someone else’s burdens. When my emotional battery hits 3%, I’m…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 Disabled Does Not Mean Incapable
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 Disabled Does Not Mean IncapableBeing disabled doesn’t mean being incapable. What I can do today doesn’t guarantee what my body can sustain tomorrow. Chronic…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 Apparently, My Roommates Really Did Come to Alaska
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 Apparently, My Roommates Really Did Come to AlaskaCrohn’s and MG ignored their eviction notices and came to Alaska anyway. Between bathroom sprints, a human-bobble-head moment, way too…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 IBD vs. IBS — One Letter Changes Everything
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 IBD vs. IBS — One Letter Changes EverythingIBD and IBS may differ by only one letter, but they are very different conditions. From inflammation and complications to…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 Side Effects May Include…Regretting Watching This Commercial
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 Side Effects May Include…Regretting Watching This CommercialEver notice medication commercials become impossible to ignore after diagnosis? One minute everyone’s happily kayaking; the next, the announcer is…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 The Women I Keep Getting to Know
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 The Women I Keep Getting to KnowSome friendships survive decades not because people stay the same, but because they make room for each other to change.…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 My Coping Toolbox: Baking, Beaches, Pooh, Potter & Punchlines
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 My Coping Toolbox: Baking, Beaches, Pooh, Potter & PunchlinesWe all have coping mechanisms, and mine change depending on what I’m carrying. Baking, music, writing, the ocean, Winnie the…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 Consider This Your Warning Label
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 Consider This Your Warning LabelWhat happens when a Facebook morning scroll asks you to describe yourself like you’re warning someone before they meet you?…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 More Than a Sunflower
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 More Than a SunflowerLong before chronic illness entered my life, the sunflower was already my favorite flower. 🌻 Now, knowing its connection to…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 Give Yourself Credit for the Days You Made It Through
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 Give Yourself Credit for the Days You Made It ThroughLiving with chronic illness often feels like a battle between personal plans and the body’s relentless demands. It’s essential to…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 Finding Your Tribe Is Finding Home
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 Finding Your Tribe Is Finding HomeIn a world that does not always understand chronic illness, finding people who see you, believe you, and accept every…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 Same Diagnosis, Different Journey
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 Same Diagnosis, Different JourneyTwo people can share the same diagnosis and live completely different realities. Symptoms, limitations, and treatment responses aren’t one-size-fits-all. Someone…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 Apparently, My Roommates Are Coming to Alaska
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 Apparently, My Roommates Are Coming to AlaskaPreparing for an Alaska cruise means packing layers, medications, backup plans—and apparently two uninvited roommates. Crohn’s and MG refuse every…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 The Weight You Never See
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 The Weight You Never SeeEven when I speak openly about chronic illness, what I share is only a glimpse. Behind every post are the…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 When Remission Still Hurts
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 When Remission Still HurtsRemission may mean Crohn’s inflammation is controlled, but it does not always mean the pain is gone. This entry explores…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 Who Holds the Strong One?
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 Who Holds the Strong One?Being the strong one often means carrying everyone else’s burdens while quietly hiding your own. This reflection explores the strength…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 When Fatigue Isn’t Just Fatigue
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 When Fatigue Isn’t Just FatigueFatigue isn’t always “just being tired.” Living with both Crohn’s disease and Myasthenia Gravis has taught me that one drains…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 But You Were Fine Yesterday
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 But You Were Fine YesterdayChronic illness does not guarantee the same abilities from one day to the next. A better day is not a…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 Multiple Autoimmune Syndrome—When Autoimmune Diseases Don’t Come Alone
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 Multiple Autoimmune Syndrome—When Autoimmune Diseases Don’t Come AloneMultiple Autoimmune Syndrome means managing three or more autoimmune diseases that do not take turns. This entry explores overlapping symptoms,…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻Through My Mother’s Eyes
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻Through My Mother’s EyesIn Part Two of the *Through Their Eyes* series, my mother shares what it has been like to watch me…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 The Weight Behind the Smile
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 The Weight Behind the SmileSome days, “I’m fine” carries more weight than anyone realizes. This reflection explores the invisible burdens behind the smile, the…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 The Test That Finally Believed Me
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 The Test That Finally Believed MeThe anniversary of my MuSK-positive Myasthenia Gravis diagnosis isn’t a celebration of illness—it’s a celebration of finally being believed. This…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 You Are Not the Burden
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 You Are Not the BurdenLiving with chronic illness may mean carrying heavy burdens, but needing help does not make you one. My diagnoses, symptoms,…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 Why Me?
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 Why Me?This morning, I asked God a question I’ve carried more than once: Why me? Why Crohn’s? Why Myasthenia Gravis? I…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 The Pictures That Matter Most
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 The Pictures That Matter MostI used to worry about looking good in pictures. Now I worry about the pictures my doctors are looking at.…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 When Sleep Became a Breathing Test
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 When Sleep Became a Breathing TestWhen sleep became a nightly struggle to breathe, I learned my exhaustion wasn’t just fatigue—it was my body fighting to…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 COVID-19, Myasthenia Gravis, and the Search for Answers
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 COVID-19, Myasthenia Gravis, and the Search for AnswersLiving through the COVID-19 pandemic while managing Crohn’s disease, I never imagined another autoimmune diagnosis was waiting. This diary explores…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 You’re Too Young to Be Going Through That
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 You’re Too Young to Be Going Through ThatSometimes the words “You’re too young to be going through all that” are meant with love—but chronic illness doesn’t care…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 She Had No Idea
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 She Had No IdeaShe thought her biggest challenge was deciding what to wear on Friday night. She had no idea life would become…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 Can Nightshade Vegetables Trigger Autoimmune Flares? Separating Fact from Fiction
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 Can Nightshade Vegetables Trigger Autoimmune Flares? Separating Fact from FictionCan tomatoes really trigger autoimmune flares? Before you clear out your kitchen, let’s separate fact from fiction. Explore the science…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 Learning to Travel Again
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 Learning to Travel AgainA weekend in Las Vegas became more than a getaway—it became proof that healing sometimes looks like slowing down. Join…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 Most People Fake Being Sick. I Fake Being Well.
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 Most People Fake Being Sick. I Fake Being Well.Most people fake being sick. I fake being well. Living with Crohn’s Disease and Myasthenia Gravis means smiling through pain,…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 Crohn’s Disease and Myasthenia Gravis: More Than a Coincidence?
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 Crohn’s Disease and Myasthenia Gravis: More Than a Coincidence?When I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease in 2006, I never imagined I’d later develop MuSK-positive Myasthenia Gravis. Could it…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 Why Did It Take So Long? Understanding Why Myasthenia Gravis Is So Difficult to Diagnose
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 Why Did It Take So Long? Understanding Why Myasthenia Gravis Is So Difficult to DiagnoseAfter months of unanswered questions and normal test results, I finally learned why Myasthenia Gravis is known as “the great…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 Running on Empty
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 Running on EmptyWhat started as a simple trip to the laundromat turned into a reminder that living with Crohn’s Disease and Myasthenia…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey🌻 The New Normal…Again
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey🌻 The New Normal…AgainWhat happens when your “new normal” keeps changing? In this heartfelt reflection, I share how Crohn’s Disease and Myasthenia Gravis…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 We Don’t All Get the Same Twenty-Four Hours
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 We Don’t All Get the Same Twenty-Four HoursFor those of us living with chronic illness and disability, time is measured differently. We count “usable hours”—the precious moments…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 Food for the Soul
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 Food for the SoulSometimes the greatest nourishment isn’t found on our plates but in the people gathered around them. Food for the Soul…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 Sometimes Home Is the Best Medicine
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 Sometimes Home Is the Best MedicineAfter much-needed rest, I discovered that some of the best medicine isn’t found in a prescription—it’s found in Mom’s house,…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 My Body Had Other Plans
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 My Body Had Other PlansAn unexpected ER visit, another mystery diagnosis, and a red-eye flight home for a family reunion reminded me that chronic…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻Through Steph’s Eyes
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻Through Steph’s EyesSometimes the people who love us see strengths we no longer recognize in ourselves. In this first installment of *Through…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻Living or Resting? The Battle I Fight Every Day
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻Living or Resting? The Battle I Fight Every DayAs I prepare to board a red-eye flight home to Washington, D.C., I find myself caught between two competing thoughts:…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜“Your Labs Look Fine”: The Reality of Medical Gaslighting
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜“Your Labs Look Fine”: The Reality of Medical GaslightingFor many people living with chronic illness, “your labs look fine” can feel like a dismissal rather than an answer.…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜What Is Really Causing Our Autoimmune Symptoms?
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜What Is Really Causing Our Autoimmune Symptoms?What causes autoimmune disease? From hidden triggers and midnight Google searches to questions about COVID-19 vaccines, living with Crohn’s disease…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜The Things People Don’t See
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜The Things People Don’t SeeLiving with Crohn’s disease and Myasthenia Gravis means carrying invisible burdens that most people never see. From chronic pain and…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜Different Season. Different Race. Same Determination
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜Different Season. Different Race. Same DeterminationLiving with Crohn’s disease and MuSK-positive Myasthenia Gravis has changed what movement looks like for me. From completing a half…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey:🌻From Surviving to Thriving
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey:🌻From Surviving to ThrivingHave you ever been so focused on surviving that you forgot it was okay to dream about thriving? In this…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜Your Immune System Was Meant to Protect You… So What Happens When It Doesn’t?
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜Your Immune System Was Meant to Protect You… So What Happens When It Doesn’t?Did you know there are more than 100 recognized autoimmune diseases? Most people can name only one or two, yet…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜The Hardest Person to Convince Was Me
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜The Hardest Person to Convince Was MeFor years, I shared the polished pieces of surviving chronic illness. The victories. The resilience. The hope. But there were…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 I Just Need Some Peace
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 I Just Need Some PeaceInfusion day is usually one of my favorite days of the week. It’s the day hope arrives on a schedule.…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 Hold On… But Can Someone Tell Wilson Phillips I’m Tired?
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 Hold On… But Can Someone Tell Wilson Phillips I’m Tired?Sometimes inspiration comes from the most unexpected places—even an Instagram meme. A joke about Wilson Phillips’ “Hold On” made me…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜The First Answer Isn’t Always the Final Answer
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜The First Answer Isn’t Always the Final AnswerJust when I thought I knew exactly why my thumb had swollen after my port removal, I discovered that living…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 The Day I Refused to Cancel My Plans
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 The Day I Refused to Cancel My PlansLiving with Crohn’s Disease and Myasthenia Gravis means every outing begins long before you walk out the front door. What…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻Unexpected ER Visit — The Mystery of the Rebellious Thumb
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻Unexpected ER Visit — The Mystery of the Rebellious ThumbTwo days after having my power port removed, I unexpectedly found myself back in the emergency room—this time for a…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 It’s Not About the Ride: Managing Expectations and Learning Who Shows Up
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 It’s Not About the Ride: Managing Expectations and Learning Who Shows UpChronic illness teaches you many things, but one of the hardest lessons is learning who shows up when you need…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries:⚡️Why Am I So Jumpy? Chronic Illness, Stress, and a Nervous System on High Alert
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries:⚡️Why Am I So Jumpy? Chronic Illness, Stress, and a Nervous System on High AlertWhen a person spends long periods feeling stressed, overwhelmed, emotionally unsafe, or constantly anticipating conflict, the nervous system adapts.
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 My Sensory Cup Was Already Full: Chronic Illness and Sensory Overload
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 My Sensory Cup Was Already Full: Chronic Illness and Sensory OverloadWebsite Excerpt: Some days, it’s not the bright lights or crowded spaces that push me over the edge—it’s a bag…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 Dear Life: Open Letter to the University of Hard Knocks
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 Dear Life: Open Letter to the University of Hard KnocksSome lessons in life teach us. Others practically require a dissertation. After decades of chronic illness, unexpected challenges, and enough…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 Make It Make Sense: Fighting for Healthcare While Fighting Chronic Illness
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 Make It Make Sense: Fighting for Healthcare While Fighting Chronic Illness“Living with chronic illness is hard enough. Fighting your insurance company for the care you need shouldn’t be part of…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 💜 My Energy Isn’t the Same Every Day
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 💜 My Energy Isn’t the Same Every DayI did not choose to have fluctuating muscle weakness. I did not choose chronic fatigue. I did not choose autoimmune…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 💜 When Emotions Overflow: Understanding Emotional Flooding
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 💜 When Emotions Overflow: Understanding Emotional FloodingThe reality is that trying to simultaneously manage chronic illness while maintaining a demanding career often means that my emotional…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🇺🇸Stars, Stripes, and Gratitude: A Fourth of July Reflection
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🇺🇸Stars, Stripes, and Gratitude: A Fourth of July ReflectionFor me, freedom isn’t always about grand adventures or elaborate plans. Sometimes freedom looks like breathing easier, having enough energy…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries|Kia’s Journey: 🌿Between Herbs and Hospitals: Finding Balance with Crohn’s and MG
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries|Kia’s Journey: 🌿Between Herbs and Hospitals: Finding Balance with Crohn’s and MGBut chronic illness has a funny way of making us willing to try almost anything in hopes of feeling better.…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 Don’t Tell Me What to Do!
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 Don’t Tell Me What to Do!After more than a decade, saying goodbye to my power port wasn’t as simple as scheduling a procedure and moving…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 Disability Pride Month: We Matter
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 Disability Pride Month: We MatterJuly is Disability Pride Month—a time to celebrate disability identity, culture, community, and advocacy. In this deeply personal entry, Kia…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: ✍🏾 Kia’s Journey Never Ended: The Evolution of The Dual Diagnosis Diaries
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: ✍🏾 Kia’s Journey Never Ended: The Evolution of The Dual Diagnosis DiariesSome diary entries are heavily focused on autoimmune disease, treatments, symptoms, advocacy, and all the complicated realities that come with…
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💚 Before MG Awareness Month Ends: What I Want You to Know About Myasthenia Gravis (Bonus Diary Entry)
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≻: 💚 Before MG Awareness Month Ends: What I Want You to Know About Myasthenia Gravis (Bonus Diary Entry)What exactly is Myasthenia Gravis, and why is it often called the “snowflake disease”? As Myasthenia Gravis Awareness Month comes…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 🐇 Down the Rabbit Hole: What Chronically Ill People Wish You Knew
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 🐇 Down the Rabbit Hole: What Chronically Ill People Wish You KnewI try hard to rely on my faith, but sometimes it feels like God has a much higher opinion of…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: Today Was a Good Day… So Naturally, I’m Worried
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: Today Was a Good Day… So Naturally, I’m Worried📖 A Quick Note Before We Begin If you live with chronic illness, you probably understand this feeling all too…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries|Kia’s Journey: 💜The Story Before the Story: The Prequel to The Dual Diagnosis Diaries
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries|Kia’s Journey: 💜The Story Before the Story: The Prequel to The Dual Diagnosis DiariesA journey through childhood symptoms, family history, missed clues, and the decades-long path to understanding Crohn’s Disease and MuSK+ Myasthenia…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 Who’s Is That?
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey: 🌻 Who’s Is That?After a long and exhausting day, Kia pushed through fatigue to support a friend pursuing her dreams in a new…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: The Friend Who Gets It
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: The Friend Who Gets ItSome friendships are built on shared memories. Some are built on shared experiences. And then there are the friendships built…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: The Phone Works Both Ways
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: The Phone Works Both WaysThe phone works both ways, ma’am.!
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: One Breath, One Step, One Win
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: One Breath, One Step, One WinLiving with chronic illness has taught me something important: Not every victory comes with a doctor’s report. Not every sign…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: The Independence Paradox
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: The Independence ParadoxOne of the most difficult parts of living with chronic illness isn’t the medications. It isn’t the doctor appointments. It…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: Polyautoimmunity: Apparently, I Hit the Autoimmune Jackpot
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: Polyautoimmunity: Apparently, I Hit the Autoimmune Jackpot💚 A Random Conversation and a New Word The other evening, I was texting my friend Steph. We had started…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: Will Someone Ever Love All of This?
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: Will Someone Ever Love All of This?Dating with Crohn’s Disease and Myasthenia Gravis “The right person won’t see my illnesses first. They’ll see me.” There are…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: ❄️ No Two Snowflakes Are Alike: Understanding Myasthenia Gravis
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: ❄️ No Two Snowflakes Are Alike: Understanding Myasthenia GravisJune is Myasthenia Gravis Awareness Month, and today I want to talk about one of the most meaningful descriptions I’ve…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: When Both Diseases Clock In
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: When Both Diseases Clock InSome days I wonder if people truly understand what it means to live with two autoimmune diseases. Not the diagnoses.…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: The Parts We Don’t Talk About: When Autoimmune Diseases Get Messy
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: The Parts We Don’t Talk About: When Autoimmune Diseases Get MessyLet’s be honest. Crohn’s Disease sucks. There. I said it. Not the polished version. Not the inspirational version. Not the…
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The Dual Diagnosis The Roommates I Never Asked For
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis The Roommates I Never Asked ForIf Crohn’s Disease and MuSK+ Myasthenia Gravis were people, they would be the world’s worst roommates. Neither was invited. Neither…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: All My Life I Had to Fight: From Survival to Healing
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: All My Life I Had to Fight: From Survival to Healing“All my life I had to fight.” — Sofia, The Color Purple Recently, I was talking with my best friend…