body acceptance

Adventures in Topamax: I'm on a Weight Loss Drug, But Not Because I Want to Lose Weight

All of my doctors assure me that the weight loss will slow down eventually, and then I can begin to settle into my new body. I have an irrational fear that they are wrong -- that this weight loss will never, ever end, that I will shrink away into nothingness and disappear.
in
Healthy, body acceptance, body consciousness, Topamax, weight loss

Aug 2, 2012 at 10:00am | 139 comments

drugs

I'm a Marijuana Mom

I’ll never endorse the wake-and-bake approach to parenting, but I can’t see the difference between a glass or two of wine in the evening and a few hits of OG Kush off a clean bong.
in
Healthy, drugs, family drama, marijuana, parenthood

Jul 30, 2012 at 11:00am | 122 comments

copaxone

I'M NOT OK: Dealing With Health Insurance When You Have a Chronic Illness

If you had told my needle-phobic childhood self that I’d ever be begging complete strangers for a box of shots so I could inject myself at home I would never have believed it, but that was my life for months.
in
Healthy, Copaxone, insurance, multiple sclerosis, self-medication

Jul 24, 2012 at 9:00am | 125 comments

healthy

It Happened to Me: I Had Electroshock Therapy

I grew up with the idea that doctors knew what they were doing, that they were competent and trustworthy and had most of the answers. I don't believe that anymore.
in
It Happened To Me, healthy, mental health, misdiagnosed

Jun 26, 2012 at 9:00am | 93 comments

body politics

I Broke My Nudity Rules to Let Someone Photograph My Vulva

I don’t get naked with or near people I don’t trust, unless I’m in basic training. And I never, ever let anyone photograph me naked. Until this week.
in
Relationships, body politics, nudity

Jun 20, 2012 at 1:04pm | 34 comments

parenting

The First Time My Daughter Told Me She Hated Me, I Bought Her a Cake

Going to bed that night, I decided I wanted to make certain that my daughter knew that no matter what happened between us -- no matter what she said -- that our relationship could not be so easily shattered.
in
Family Drama, parenting

May 31, 2012 at 10:00am | 188 comments

canes

A Few Awesome Things About Being Disabled

There’s this perception that the lives of the disabled are somehow diminished, or that we carry some weight or sadness inside, and I want to dispel that.
in
Healthy, canes, disability, multiple sclerosis

May 17, 2012 at 1:00pm | 138 comments

disability

Wanna Test a Friendship? Have a Seizure!

I have long-standing relationships that never recovered from my diagnosis and friendships which have never been the same after reactions to my use of various aids, medications or therapies.
in
Relationships, disability, friends, healthy, multiple sclerosis

Apr 20, 2012 at 1:00pm | 80 comments

disability

I Depend on Medical Marijuana, and It's More Complicated Than You Think

I don’t want my daughter to see me arrested, but I also don’t want her to know me as a zombie living in a haze of pain, or a blank opioid lump.
in
Issues, disability, health care, marijuana

Jan 26, 2012 at 3:00pm | 0 comments

disability

I Have Multiple Sclerosis and I Teach Yoga

There is still too little room for the disabled or less-than-perfect in the yoga community. We talk about bodies and acceptance, but what we are usually talking about is healthy bodies -- or bodies that can be turned into healthy bodies.
in
Healthy, disability, yoga

Jan 9, 2012 at 2:00pm | 0 comments