Hello there! I’m so very glad you found my blog and decided to stay and visit. My name is Liza, and my handle is, Chronic Diva. I am a Momma to four beautiful girls who are alllllllll grown up and, lucky enough to also be a Mumzie/Grandma, to a handsome little grandbaby. I am also lucky enough to be wife/partner/best-friend/ride or die, to my amazing AF hubby. I also love to craft when I’m not writing or blogging. My favorite is mixed media and scrap-booking, and I’m always listening to a rockin’ True Crime PodCast.
I am a Spoonie Warrior, and this journey has been a long and exhausting one, which is still not over. Every day is another day of fighting, raising awareness, and endeavoring to let those in the chronic illness community know they are not alone. We are in this together. Even though we may not know one another, we are bound together through this journey of illness and pain. It is comradery that I wish we didn’t have to be a part of, but since we are here, we might as well do something to try and make the world a little better.
In the beginning I only knew this: I had been diagnosed with degenerative disc disease, fibromyalgia and sacroiliac joint dysfunction and avascular necrosis that took my left hip in 2009. I have since been diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis; ankylosing spondylitis; CRPS [Complex regional pain syndrome]; ulcerative colitis that we are still exploring to have a more definitive diagnosis of Crohn’s. I have had the hardware removed from my lumbar fusion and have since then had sacroiliac joint fusion, which I am still experiencing debilitating pain that necessitates me to use a cane regularly. I take opioids and while I could benefit from stronger ones, I have made the decision not to because of side effects from I would experience if I leveled up. I also struggle with my mental health, primarily bipolar, OCD, Anxiety Disorder and ADHD. My treatment is stable but, there’s always ups and downs, and tweaking needed to my medication because of the weight that chronic illness/pain has on my soul.
Many of the things I have going on are often referred to as, Invisible Illnesses, and it is so very true. Many times, no one can know from simply looking at you. But often, people are very judgmental. This is why I created this space. I want people to know they aren’t alone and that they don’t have to feel like they are alone either.
I encourage you to investigate on your own illness. The more knowledge you have about your illness, the better armed you will be to face your doctors. Also, I am not a doctor, and my posts are my personal views and any advertisements shown on my posts are not personally endorsed. Everything I bring to you here is through my own investigations, through my talking with others who are going through chronic illness and chronic pain and a great deal of my own raw, feelings. I hope with each word, that some of it helps you feel more knowledgeable and less alone. Because you aren’t alone.
“Acceptance doesn’t mean resignation. It means understanding that something is what it is and there’s got to be a way through it.” -Michal J. Fox