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203 Posts

Chronic Illness

In this section you will find all articles related to chronic illness, which is a major focus for this website. Topics span from rare diseases to new diagnoses, chronic pain, brain fog, societal issues and more. Articles are a collection of patient perspectives, both my own and others from the chronic illness community.

Chronic Illness ⸱ Sheryl Chan

3 Types of Chronic Pain that Sound Bearable, but are Not

Many types of chronic pain conditions are often overlooked because they don't sound that painful or difficult to deal with. The person may even look "normal" or "well". Are they just craving attention, being lazy or faking it? Before experiencing these symptoms for myself,
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Personal Development ⸱ Sheryl Chan

Life is a Long Process of Becoming Into...

Today's Food for Thought “Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death.” - Anaïs Nin I'm not sure
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Personal Development ⸱ Sheryl Chan

Every Next Level of Your Life Will Demand a Different You

“Every next level of your life will demand a different you.” - Leonardo DiCaprio - *Disclaimer: This article is meant for educational purposes, and is based on my personal experiences as a patient. I am not a doctor, and nothing in this article should be substituted for medical advice. Please
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Chronic Illness ⸱ Sheryl Chan

The Secret of Change: Spend Your Energy Wisely with Chronic Illness

A Quote That Kick-Starts My "Fight" Mode (in the Good Way) Something about this quote on the secret of change helps to shift my brain into 'soldier mode' on demand. It is a tap on my shoulder as I'm gazing behind with drunken, romance
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Chronic Illness ⸱ Sheryl Chan

Grieving the Life That I Will Never Have (Due to Chronic Illness & Disability)

A Task from My Psychologist, a Diary Entry Titled, “Grieving the Life That I Will Never Have” “For of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: ‘It might have been.’” - John Greenleaf Whittier My psychologist tasked me with writing a diary entry after one of
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Personal Development ⸱ Sheryl Chan

Are You a Capable Person? What Does That Even Mean?

The Modern Day Definition of Capability Are you a capable person? What does it mean to be a capable person? The Oxford dictionary defines ‘capable’ as: 1. “having the ability, fitness, or quality necessary to do or achieve a specified thing”. 2. “able to achieve efficiently whatever one has to
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Creativity ⸱ Sheryl Chan

Just Breathing is Enough For Today (A Spoonie’s Poem)

Sometimes, Just Breathing is All You Can Do to Get Through a Pain Flare This poem, "Just Breathing is Enough For Today", describes what it's like when I get inflammatory lumps all over my body, especially around my chest area. They pop up without warning, and
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Mental Health ⸱ Sheryl Chan

Why Fear is Self Harm, and How to Get Back Up

When You Have a Choice Between Two Pains Fear. It fuels the world while oiling the wheels of death. You sacrifice parts of yourself to stay alive. It keeps you going by consuming. It hands you a knife and says 'cut', and you do it just to keep
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Chronic Illness ⸱ Sheryl Chan

What Stops You from Splitting Your Burdens Up?

Pride, Ego and Other Things That Stop You From Splitting Your Burdens Up Most young people overestimate their maturity or ability, and I was no exception. I was proud and stubborn, and carried my pains and health burdens alone as if suffering was honourable. But it’s like carrying a
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Chronic Illness ⸱ Sheryl Chan

How Many Times Can You Hit Rock Bottom with Chronic Illness?

Hitting Rock Bottom for the First Time with Chronic Illness My near-death pulmonary embolism and DVT episode triggered by Antiphospholipid Syndrome was harrowing to say the least. After such a life changing ordeal, my character took an about turn. The personality that I thought was mine beyond doubt became twisted
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Community ⸱ Sheryl Chan

What You Reshare Can Change Someone Else's Life Forever

What You Reshare Can Have Severe Consequences In a previous post, I wrote about how some advice given to others can be lethal. There are some great alternative and complementary therapies out there, but there is no one-treatment-fits-all when it comes to chronic illness. The Chinese herbal brew you consumed
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Chronic Illness ⸱ Sheryl Chan

What Neverending Pain Reveals to You

A Question on Quora About Neverending Pain A question on Quora got me thinking: “What does one learn from living with chronic pain?”. Chronic illness turns your world upside down, and it’s impossible to look at it the same way again. In this post, I will share what the
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