Chronic Resilience

08/05/2025

Ever feel like basic chores put you in a coma? 😩 Welcome to life with EDS.

To say I am feeling this fully today is an understatement. What did I do yesterday? I cleaned my kitchen counters and cabinet fronts. Then I cooked a simple dinner.

In the past I would have cleaned my whole house in a day. Yesterday I cleaned part of 1 room.

This is a part of chronic illness I hate.
My body leaves me feeling inadequate for basic daily living.

This has been a downhill hill slide for a few years.

While last night was a sleepless night due to my bodies pain response to activity… I can also see that other parts of my body are grateful for the movement.

For my sanity, I choose to look for the positive even in the lowest points.

Even on bad days, my body is trying. I must honor that.

08/04/2025

Ever heard of Spoon Theory?

Originated and shared by Christine Miserandino, the theory is a great way to explain what it's like to live with a chronic illness.

Imagine your energy for the day as a set of spoons.
Every task-showering, making food, running errands-costs a spoon. Some cost multiple spoons!
When you run out of spoons, you're out of energy for the day. If you push forward, you start using up spoons for the next day(s).

Healthy people take energy levels for granted.
But for spoonies, energy is a precious resource that must be carefully budgeted.

Most of us develop our own hacks to better manage our spoons. Do you have a favorite? Drop it here so we can help each other.

Here’s my first tip- 😁
Save this post to remind yourself it's okay to rest.
Share it with someone who needs to understand.

- Follow for more chronic illness insights.

07/29/2025

The Unpredictability of Chronic Illness

This is one of the hardest parts for me. I’m a ‘get things done’ kind of person stuck in a body that constantly flicks the spinner in the game of Chronic Life.

Any given day that spinner might land on these things and others not listed:

Nausea
Vomit
Migraine
Blurred vision - get nothing done ona computer
Dizziness - hold the walls as you move
Numbness - try to go about your day
Knee/ finula dilocation - no walking today
Pelvis and or sacrum out of whack, limited walking for you.
Ribs out - good luck breathing

Then there is the dice roll that seems to determine how large or small the impact of today’s spin will be. All too often the result results in most of these flaring at once, with an extra mystery guest thrown in.

Chronic illness is chronic uncertainty.

We can wake up feeling good (for us) , yet it can all change in the literal blink of an eye. Some days just getting g out of bed is a victory other days I can actually do the grocery shopping.

Plans feel like hopes and dreams, and canceling plans becomes a test of friendships - hoping they can hold up to the uncertainty.

Holding down a job or taking care of a family can take all we have to give, making social plans almost impossible.

If you know someone with a chronic illness, please be patient.

We’re not flaky or unreliable —we’re just doing the best we can with a body that changes in an instant.

Feel free to share this with family and friends who may not understand….. maybe they will see it’s a real struggle for all of us.

07/25/2025

Warning: Truth Bomb ahead!

I’ve heard a lot lately from people who are acutely sick, recovering from illness or those managing chronic illness.

They all say the same thing.

They feel invisible and forgotten.

I get it. We are all busy with our day to day lives.

But human connection is essential.
❤️ and 👍 on posts are appreciated, but they don’t help someone in need.

Here are a few ways you can help with morale and help pass time:

One on one communication, call, text, email.
Visit regularly
Bring laughter into their world.

Bring or send the art forms they are able to do toprovide comfort and inspiration.

If you are local to the patient:
Plan visits at a good time for the other person. and have a
beverage together,
provide a hug,
assist with therapy and homework,
help with pets that need exercise, or household chores.

If you are not near, you can call or contribute some of the
following suggestions

• thinking of you texts
• photos, selfies to entertain
• questions about her day
• music
• riddles to challenge her brain & memory
• self expression
• games
• jokes
• audiobooks
Art supplies
• stories & poetry
• life updates
• podcasts
• youtube links
• subscriptions
• brain teasers
• new finds
• compliments or affirmations
• streaming suggestions
• care packages
• puzzles
• coloring supplies

You can deliver in person, or send through Amazon.

I’ve never counted up the days spent in hospitals as a patient or as a caregiver.
Nor days spent at home recovering…..
but I can tell you there are many and it gets very lonely,limiting, isolating and depressing.

Please screenshot these suggestions and save it as a note on your phone so you never run out of ideas! It will mean far more than you know!

I’ll share more in the days to come.

What is your favorite way to let others know you are thinking of them?

What do you appreciate from others when you are in rough times?

* penguin was a get well gift, Alyssa added the hospital gown. 💜
** puppy medicine -they intuitively know their company is needed ❤️

07/21/2025

This is from a Facebook memory 9 years ago.

The other day we were walking through a medical office building.

A woman loudly proclaimed that Bear (my daughter’s then service dog)

‘Is a service dog. He is helping her walk because she is blind and seizures made her blind".

My brilliant girl then walked into me and said " Sorry Mom- my seizures made me blind."

I love her sense of humor and how it helps deal with life!

My response was "Why am I paying all the drs so much money when a complete stranger without a medical degree just diagnosed things I never knew existed in my kiddo?

Meanwhile, thinking to myself, ‘don't smack the poor woman, you don't have time to deal with the police...’ and ‘must get to other hospital across town where hubby is having surgery..."

Such was a day in the life of having chronic illness, caregiving those who have different chronic illnesses while also juggling random health issues for other family members.

You can’t make this stuff up.

(Photo of my sweet girl and Bear)

07/21/2025

Resilient.

I used to think it meant that I keep popping up and down - like an old Bozo the clown punching bag.

Only, in the grown up version, tough life events were the gut punches., not a toddler’s tiny fist.

One thing I learned is that blindly standing back up changes nothing. You are a sitting duck for the next punch…. So resilience is holding on to who you were, but adapting to who you are currently.

Building the tool box of resilience is key doing more than ‘just surviving’.

It takes mental wellness, physical wellness, energy, good sleep. It takes confidence in the ability to keep going and a belief in something bigger than yourself… a reason to keep going.

Add in the wisdom to let go of what’s not working and the drive to find new things that might work.

Thankfully, all of those things can be nurtured and built up.

07/16/2025

Great info on pain scales. This can be so helpful in communicating with your doctors. It might be useful with family and friends, too. Screen grabs of pain charts in comments.

07/14/2025

We look at this photo and immediately our heart says “Yes that’s it!”

When setbacks hit, our mind thinks “Will this ever stop?”

The difference between our head and heart can feel like they are miles apart….

My experience is that the two often meet in the middle as a lump in my throat and my emotions/ frustrations leak out of my eyes.

You might experience It completely differently. Thsts great. Be true to you.

07/11/2025

Hi, I’m Laurell.

As a wife and mom I have dealt with my own chronic illnesses for more than 30 years. I have also helped my family manage their chronic illnesses and chronic pain for more than a decade. Along the way, I have use some of my skills gained as a certified Mental Wellness Coach with my Masters in Community Counseling. Other tips and tricks are some I picked up along the way or developed out of necessity.

As a chronically ill mom and caregiver, I share what I’ve learned the hard way—so you don’t have to figure it all out alone. I wrote Chronic Resilience as a lifeline / tool bag for patients and caregivers who are tired of just surviving and need real ways to hold it together, feel some sense of control and move forward knowing they are much more than their diagnosis.

Much of what I share is "my way". I share it because it works for me and it has helped many others.

Here's the thing though - you aren't me. So most of what I share is NOT illness specific, but general tips for "all the things" we deal with.

YOU are the expert on YOU and YOUR needs.

So allow what you see here to encourage you to look for what works for you.

This chronic life is much more manageable when we look for solutions instead of starring at problems.

07/11/2025

I love to laugh.

The sound of the people I love laughing-
is my favorite music!

Sometimes it’s expected humor, sometimes it’s dark. But I’m thankful for the people who ‘get me’ on my good days, my bad days, and my ‘I can’t function well on my own days.’ We actively try to make each other smile, even when it hurts too much to laugh.

I’m also grateful for doctors who give me a reality check.
Recently I handed a full page of writing to my doctor. It was asoredsheet listing all my medications and supplements. I made some comment about how long the list was. She stopped,counted the. And said ‘ On no, this is very long at allcimpatedtosime I see!’

Sometimes an attitude adjustment can be a little gift that you carry with through.

Who / what makes you smile?

07/15/2024

Read this….
Think about the people you spend the most time with

Family, friends, co workers, leaders in your community….

Think about the people you listen to on the radio, podcast, books you read, news you watch….

You can choose what you focus on and who you listen too.

Choose wisely.

Miserable people focus on what they hate about their life. Happy people focus on what they love about their life.

02/21/2024

People with chronic illnesses, invisible disabilities deal with this kind of ignorance very frequently.

Stores/ restaurants often don’t know the basic access ability laws. They place no importance in training their employees. That is a problem in itself.

Now imagine you are the one feeling faint bc of a medical condition and having to defend yourself and your service dig because of other peoples ignorance, lack of compassion and lack of training.

Demanding this young lady sit in a chair endangers her. Should she faint and hit the floor she can be seriously injured. I see it discussed frequently in groups for people with the same condition… but really isn’t it common sense that some one feeling faint should be low to the ground?

I won’t even go into how much it takes for someone with such issues to even get out of bed and go about her day with out this stupidity.

Day to day stress Is hard on everyone. Adding this to your ‘ frequent crap we deal with ‘ list often leads to chronic stress on top of all the other challenges. Thsts s lroblem for bith patients and caregivers.

This Is why having a routine to reduce stress and build resilience has been a gift In our lives.

I’m happy to let you In on It- If you think you might have a need.

One Walmart shopper whose service dog alerted them to sit down says that Walmart staff repeatedly intervened.