The Dual Diagnosis Diaries | Kia’s Journey 💜
Where chronic illness, resilience, advocacy, and hope come together. Sharing stories. Building community. Inspiring hope.
mental-health
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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: 💜 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: 💜 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: 💜 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: 💜 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 | 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 | 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: 💜 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: 🌻 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: 💜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 | 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: 💜 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 | 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: 💜 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: 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: 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: 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…