The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey 💜
Where chronic illness, resilience, advocacy, and hope come together. Sharing stories. Building community. Inspiring hope.
InvisibleIllness
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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: 💜 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 | 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 | 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 | 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: 💜 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 | 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: 🌻 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: 🌻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: 💜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: 💜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:⚡️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: 💜 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: 🇺🇸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: 🐇 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: 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: ❄️ 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: 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 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: 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: 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: 💜 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…