Not even going to sugar coat it, some of this is just so I have a place to put my thoughts when I don’t feel I’ve got anywhere else to go. I’ve got Social Anxiety Disorder, Chronic Depression, hEDS (hypermobile type Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome), Raynauds Syndrome, PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome), Migraines, GERD…and we’re waiting on a few specialists till I get some other things sorted. It’s a lot to face down, even on good days. It’s overwhelming, intimidating, painful, isolating, and a down right menace in my every day life.
But why make a website when I could just get a notebook and write it down?
It took a lot of thinking. But what it came down to is being approached on several occasions by friends (and out of a few random conversations with strangers) that I should start sharing my stories because they were a help along their own journey.
I’m not a medical professional in any sense of the word. And though I obsessively research… That isn’t anywhere near the same thing. My hope, however, is that I can reach a few people with my commentary. Whether it helps someone to feel not so alone, understand a loved ones struggles better, or put words to what they experience.
Though I’ve been accused of being elegant, I just try and make an illustrative analogy to my experiences in hopes they’re easy to relate to. Sometimes it’s visceral or steeped so deeply in morbid humor it’s unsettling. My goal isn’t too be intentionally abrasive, but I’m not going to apologise for it either. Because struggling with mental and physical health problems can be morbid and visceral. And only by being open about them and staring them in the eyes can we even begin to understand and relate to what’s going on in our minds.
I’ve also wanted to extend that offer to others that struggle with similar issues and have since added several contributors that each have a unique story and perspective. As it’s said within the EDS community; together, we can Dazzle!