Catheters, Colonoscopies, and Radioactive Oatmeal
As I set out to write this post, I’m simultaneously working my way through a bowl of Cream of Wheat with bananas and pureed strawberry compote. Although Cream of Wheat is among the list of approved foods on the new diet I’ll be adhering to for the next month, if not longer, I’m struggling to finish my modest portion. The nausea I woke up with has yet to dissipate, and my upper stomach, a place I commonly experience discomfort, already throbs with pain. These symptoms–along with bloating, early fullness, a lack of appetite, and occasional reflux and constipation–have troubled me on a near-daily basis for the last several months. They’ve
The Frustrating Reality of Trying to Make It as an Author
I’ve known I wanted to be an author since I was in my early teens. Initially, writing was my salvation; it helped pull me out of the clutches of an eating disorder and gave me purpose and hope at a time when I felt I had nothing to live for. Writing was something that came naturally to me, and was always with me; even when I was away from my computer, I’d continue to spin stories in my head, to the point where I was often disengaged from the real world. I’d always been a voracious reader, and the older I got, the more I dreamed of creating imaginary worlds
How My Life Has Changed Since I Quit Social Media
I belong to the last generation who didn’t grow up with social media; in fact, it wasn’t until I was in middle school that social media began to take off. I joined Instagram in 2013, at the age of thirteen. At the time, it was an app to post low-resolution selfies with friends or silly pictures of your pets. No one really tried that hard, and that was what made it enjoyable; there wasn’t the pressure to present the “best version of your life,” to get the angle and lighting perfect, or to generate a certain number of likes and views. Throughout my teenhood and into my early twenties, social
New Year, New Diagnosis
As those who have been following my journey are aware, I began to struggle pretty significantly with my health last summer, after years of things not feeling quite right with my body. In late July, the worst joint pain of my life led me to seek the assistance of a rheumatologist, who diagnosed me with fibromyalgia, a condition characterized by unexplained widespread chronic pain and fatigue. I was so desperate for answers–and validation–that having a diagnosis, any diagnosis, was a huge relief; it seemed like a step in the right direction, and I felt optimistic that I could manage my condition through mindfulness, medication, and moderated movement. In the month or
The Best Books I Read in 2024
As I wrote in my last post, 2024 was a difficult year, one that challenged me in more ways than I could have ever anticipated. On the positive side, being forced to slow down and rest more meant that I was able to read more books than any previous year–over ninety in total! There was so much incredible literature I consumed last year that it was hard to narrow down this list to just ten titles, but here they are: Never Let Me Go – Kazuo Ishiguro Never Let Me Go is a beautifully-written work of literary science-fiction told from the perspective of Kathy, a young woman who works as a
2024: A Challenging, Frustrating Year
It’s hard to believe that December is already halfway over. These last few months have felt excruciatingly long, yet looking back on them now, they seem to have passed by in the blink of an eye. Since I finished my book in late-September, my time has primarily been divided among reading, conceptualizing my next project, and trying to get a handle on my persistent–and ever-perplexing–health issues. There’s a lot of uncertainty in my life at the moment, and I feel like I’m suspended in time, biding my time while I wait: for answers; for my writing career to take off, or at least gain a little momentum; for my ideas