Tag Archives: chronic illnesses

Meeting My Spoonie Bestie In-Person for the First Time

I’ve always hated the phrases “online friends” and “friends in real life.” Sure, back when the internet was first getting popular for social uses, all your internet friends were “friends in real life,” and it felt necessary to differentiate between people you enjoyed talking to (usually anonymously) in chat rooms or on forums versus people you knew and socialized with offline. But, that’s not how the internet works anymore.

I know several people who met their now-spouses (or serious significant others) online, and many of us with disabilities find that a majority of our social lives take place online. Via this blog and my associated Instagram account, I’ve met some amazing people and have greatly expanded my world. My sister went on a foreign exchange program while doing her bachelor’s degree and made friends from all over the world, and I used to be jealous of that. However, I’ve realized that I have close friendships with people from all over the world, as well. Granted, a majority of the people I’m close to are from the USA, but I have good friends in other countries even though chatting with them is more difficult due to time zones. When I think about it, my sister is probably the only person I know “in real life” that has friends that are more spread out than I do.

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Making Baby B: Infertility Test Results & Next Steps

Since we’ve been struggling to get pregnant for over a year now, we had some testing done. I did mention it a little in this post: Being One in Eight is Heartbreaking.

Dan had a semen analysis done, and I had an HSG. A semen analysis is what you would expect, they have you bring in a semen sample, then analyze it. An HSG is an invasive test to check for any blockages in my system. They insert a tube through my cervix, then push a dye through so that it fills my uterus and spills out of my Fallopian tubes into my abdominal cavity. Blockages or an oddly shaped uterus can both be detected using this test.

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Self-Care Hydration Challenge

As the weather gets warmer here in the northern hemisphere, many of us get a lot more active! An increase in activity necessitates an increase in hydration. When it’s hot outside, even if you’re not active, you need to increase hydration as well. Heat causes you to sweat, and sweat causes you to lose a lot more water than you would if you weren’t sweating. While hydration is important year round, I thought the warmer weather would be a good time to really focus on your hydration levels!

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Head-to-Head Science: OnGuard Cleaner Concentrate vs Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner

I love science experiments, and have always been fond of Petri dish experiments! There’s something satisfying in getting a definite visual result in the Petri dish.

Dan and I decided to try a Petri dish experiment of our own. The toilets in our house needed cleaning, and we wanted to see if there was a difference between the usual cleaner we’ve been using, Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner, and the On Guard Cleaner Concentrate. I can’t actually use the Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner – it messes with my asthma and gives me migraines. When we clean the toilets with the Lysol, the vent fans have to be on full and we have to open the powder room window. The On Guard Cleaner Concentrate doesn’t mess with my asthma and doesn’t give me migraines, so I was hopeful that it would clean well so that I could actually help with this household chore.

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Infection Survival Guide for the Chronically Ill (and “Normal” People, too)

Respiratory infections, sinus infections, ear infections – oh my!
Gastrointestinal infections, viral infections, bacterial infections – oh, die…

Currently, I’m extremely ill. I have some sort of awful infection in my head and GI system. I’ll spare you all of the TMI details, but let’s just say I’m a giant ball of disgusting. Lots of phlegm is involved, nausea, and too many trips to the restroom. There’s also severe full body aches and bone crushing fatigue. It’s not pretty.

It got me thinking, what are some must-haves for surviving a nasty infection like this? Here are my product recommendations (and why I recommend them) for surviving an infection while dealing with chronic illnesses. Continue reading →

Annoying Urgent Care Visit and Quick Immune System Update

In the middle of December, my immune system decided to crash. It did this once, several years ago. The major difference is that back then, we had an obvious trigger, and this time it just happened. It’s now the last half of February, and I’ve been sick more than I’ve been okay. Tho, I was just healthy for two weeks prior to my current issue.

I write a bit more about it here: Rough Start to 2018

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The Appointment from Hell

I am not using names for legal protection. While I want to scream this doctor’s name from the rooftops and tell everyone in the world to never ever go see this jerk, I know that if he finds it I could get sued for libel. Instead, I am writing this to educate and warn people that doctors like this exist, and as a form of therapy for myself to help me process this awful appointment.

I am also not using names in case this does end up in a legal case. During legal investigations and such, you’re not allowed to talk about the case, so I don’t want to cause any conflicts by having it published. Well, obviously my husband’s name appears in there because he was in the appointment and he is already not anonymous on this blog.

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A Rough Start to the Year

Hello everyone!

I’m currently working on a different post that will be a little more fun, but it’s taking quite some time. I’ve been having an extremely rough start to this year, and it’s showing in literally everything I try to do. I’ve even started to appear sick, which is worrisome because normally I don’t look sick or tired (except facial expressions) on a regular basis – but now there are dark circles forming under my eyes, and my eyelids are always a little too pink and puffy.

It’s easiest to post on Instagram regularly, since I don’t need a computer and computers can cause me migraines. I would recommend following me on Instagram to get updates the fastest: findinglifessilversun on Instagram.

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Five Awesome Gifts for the Chronic Illness Warriors on Your List

People with multiple chronic illnesses (like myself) have slightly different wishlists than “normal” people (or those without chronic conditions). They’ll still have normal wishlists, but these are some things that most of them would absolutely love but may not want to actually ask for because they may seem “odd.” Even if one of these isn’t on the wishlist they gave you, getting one of these gifts will likely light up their entire day and become a most used item!

For this list, I will try to put the types of conditions that may benefit from these presents with each item. Also, if these is an asterisk (*) next to any link, I will get a small commission/referral/affiliate payment if you purchase – however, these links will never cost you any more money to use, you’ll just be helping me out a little (almost like giving two gifts for the price of one). Anything from FindingTheSilverSun on Zazzle comes directly from my own Zazzle shop and they are my designs (so I get paid when you buy them, thank you)! This list is not in any particular order. Continue reading →

Eosinophilic Esophagitis – What is it Anyway?!

I have eosinophilic esophagitis. I’ve briefly explained it before in my “World Rare Disease Day” post and in “My Chronic Illnesses part 3.” However, I wanted to explain it in more detail because it’s probably the condition I get asked about the most.

I do feel the need to add my disclaimer to this post: I AM NOT A DOCTOR! The information in this article is for awareness only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any conditions. If you suspect you may have eosinophilic esophagitis, please talk to your doctor before taking action.

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