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 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…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: Just Strong: Maybe the Universe Was Sending Me a Message
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: Just Strong: Maybe the Universe Was Sending Me a MessageThis morning, during my usual scroll through Facebook, I came across an advertisement looking for Just Strong Ambassadors. For those…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: The Career They Saw, The Battle They Didn’t
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: The Career They Saw, The Battle They Didn’t“I have this weird relationship with my chronic illness where I spend 75% of my time trying to pretend it…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: The Weight I Carried
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: The Weight I CarriedWhen people see me today, they often have no idea how dramatically my body has changed over the years. What…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: I’ve Been Strong for Too Long
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: I’ve Been Strong for Too LongI was never a crier. I prided myself on being strong. I showed up for the people I loved, even…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: To Sleep or Not to Sleep: That Is the Question
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: To Sleep or Not to Sleep: That Is the QuestionSleep. For most people, it is something they look forward to at the end of a long day. For me,…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: My Reason Why
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: My Reason WhyWhen people ask me how I keep fighting, how I continue pushing forward through Crohn’s Disease and Myasthenia Gravis, my…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 12 Things I Wish People Knew About Crohn’s Disease
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 12 Things I Wish People Knew About Crohn’s DiseaseWhen people hear that I have Crohn’s Disease, the response is often the same. “Oh, so you have stomach problems.”…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: The Things Healthy People Take for Granted
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: The Things Healthy People Take for Granted“People think I stay home because I’m antisocial. The truth is, sometimes leaving home requires more courage, planning, and energy…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: June Is Myasthenia Gravis Awareness Month: Looking Fine Doesn’t Mean I’m Not Fighting
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: June Is Myasthenia Gravis Awareness Month: Looking Fine Doesn’t Mean I’m Not Fighting“Looking fine doesn’t mean I’m not fighting.” June is Myasthenia Gravis Awareness Month. If you’re reading this and have never…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: Saying Goodbye to My Security Blanket: The Unexpected Emotions of Removing My PowerPort
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: Saying Goodbye to My Security Blanket: The Unexpected Emotions of Removing My PowerPortToday I received a phone call that completely caught me off guard. The UCLA Radiology Department called to schedule the…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: The Parts of Chronic Illness No One Sees
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: The Parts of Chronic Illness No One SeesWhen people look at me, they usually see someone who is managing. They see me leading meetings, answering emails, solving…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: Disability or Determination? Navigating Work, Purpose, and Chronic Illness with Myasthenia Gravis and Crohn’s Disease
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: Disability or Determination? Navigating Work, Purpose, and Chronic Illness with Myasthenia Gravis and Crohn’s DiseaseOne question that occasionally comes up when people learn about my diagnoses is: “Why don’t you file for disability?” It’s…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: When the Mask Slips: A Lesson in Leadership, Fatigue, and Grace
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: When the Mask Slips: A Lesson in Leadership, Fatigue, and GraceOne of the things I’ve become exceptionally good at over the years is hiding how I feel. When you live…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries:Crohn’s, Myasthenia Gravis, and Menopause: Which One Is Driving the Bus Today?
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries:Crohn’s, Myasthenia Gravis, and Menopause: Which One Is Driving the Bus Today?Some days, I feel like my body is a mystery I can’t solve. I wake up exhausted and immediately start…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: Sometimes the Answer Is No: What I Learned at My Neurology Appointment
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: Sometimes the Answer Is No: What I Learned at My Neurology AppointmentYesterday, I walked into my neurology appointment carrying a list of questions. Questions about my thymus gland. Questions about the…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: The Leaders Who Help Carry the Weight
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: The Leaders Who Help Carry the WeightSometimes inspiration finds us in the most unexpected places. I was scrolling through social media recently when I came across…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: The Questions We Have to Ask: Thymectomy, Fatigue, and Life Between Rystiggo Treatments
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: The Questions We Have to Ask: Thymectomy, Fatigue, and Life Between Rystiggo TreatmentsLiving with Myasthenia Gravis often feels like navigating uncharted territory. Just when I think I have a handle on my…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: Weighted Blankets: Comfort or Concern? Navigating the Pros and Cons with Crohn’s Disease and Myasthenia Gravis
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: Weighted Blankets: Comfort or Concern? Navigating the Pros and Cons with Crohn’s Disease and Myasthenia GravisWhen you live with chronic illness, sleep isn’t just about rest—it’s about recovery. Like many people managing autoimmune diseases, I’m…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 Autoimmune Disease May Be Invisible—But We Are Not
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 Autoimmune Disease May Be Invisible—But We Are NotWhy Autoimmune Disease Awareness Month Is About More Than Sharing a Ribbon Before my first diagnosis, March was simply another…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 Breathing on Borrowed Time
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 Breathing on Borrowed TimeWhat a Seven-Week Treatment Interruption Revealed About My Myasthenia Gravis There are moments in life with chronic illness when you…
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The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 Where My Dual Diagnosis Story Began
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≻: The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 Where My Dual Diagnosis Story BeganThe Dual Diagnosis Diaries details the author’s journey living with Crohn’s Disease and Myasthenia Gravis. Through years of struggles, medical…