Ep 46 - The Power of Women Working Together

Are you EXHAUSTED because you're constantly trying to explain yourself... all the time... to everyone? When you have to say no, when you have to reschedule, when you have to limit yourself, when you're not feeling well... and on and on to forever.

Today I talk about how to handle this and how to make sure this emotional exhaustion doesn't hurt your closest relationships.

It's the most wonderful time of the year... which means all kinds of gift giving is going on. Today I talk about 12 different gifts most people with a chronic illness would absolutely love! I also talk about what NOT to gift and why!

Azathioprine is a common medication for people with chronic illnesses. Over 800,000 people are prescibed it in the US alone. Today I dig into details, what you need to know, and share my own experience as well as several other people's experiences.

It's the most stressful time of the year!

So today I talk about five ways to make sure you not only survive the holiday season, but you can still thrive through it. You deserve to experience a holiday season that lights you up, brings you joy and gives you memories of love and laughter not stress, anxiety, pain and exhaustion.

Ever wish your loved ones knew how to show up for you and support you? Well, this is the one for you to send to your loved ones! Today I offer 5 ways that our healthy loved ones can work to show up for us with actionable tips - as well as a few ways that they probably think they're being supportive when it really comes across as telling you you're not doing enough or downplaying what you're going through!

So click that share button and send this to anyone who needs to hear it!

Raising kids when you have a potentially fatal auto immune disease is a head trip. It’s an extra kind of difficult emotionally that you can’t imagine until you’re not living it.

Today I talk about that journey mentally and emotionally... as well as ways my husband and I intentionally are creating healthy habits that support our daughter's bodies to try and lower the chance that they might develop an autoimmune condition.

What happens to a woman's body after she delivers a baby is... a LOT of things. If you have an auto immune condition - or a rare disease - it becomes much more complicated. Today I share my journey postpartum with both of my babies.

It's not all doom and gloom. It's not all horror stories.

Today I share my journey with both of my pregnancies and some of the challenges I faced as well as the victories throughout the process. I also tell you what I whole heartedly believe was the key thing I did to increase my fertility and get pregnant - even with low egg count and other challenges.

If you're hoping to or planning getting sick and you or your spouse have Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis... this episode is for you. I dive into challenges you need to be aware of as well as my own personal struggles. I share medication insight, what you'll need to advocate on... and what you need to ignore that the scary clinical medical field will present you with!

Here's the study I mention about Pregnancy and Vasculitis: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36192559/

When the "best" treatment that works for the "vast majority" of people with your disease... doesn't work for you. What's next?

In today's episode I talk about the treatment that did work, some really tough discussions my husband and I had to have, and the devestation when you start to have a flare even though you're doing EVERYTHING right.

Links mentioned in the episode:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19129430/

https://www.drugs.com/sfx/azathioprine-side-effects.html

https://us.fertility.com/fertility-facts/fertility-preservation/egg-embryo-freezing