Cal-EZ Blog

Every once and a while, being sick makes me lose it. I get tired, frustrated, and frankly, pissed off. I'm still young. I shouldn't have to deal with this. Really, no one should. I should be living my life not sitting in a hospital room for hours without an end in sight. Usually, despite it all, I can find a reason to keep positive.

Body image is something that affects everyone, chronic illness or not. When you are sick, your body doesn't just change on the inside. Many times, the physical changes you can see really affect you mentally. 

I've seen many changes in my body since being diagnosed with Graves' disease two years ago. I felt many changes in my body too. The exhaustion and muscle pain made it hard to do any physical activity. My body became weaker. 

Most of us who are sick have a caregiver of some sort: a parent, family member, spouse, nurse, friend or just someone who comes and checks on us. Usually, the point of focus is on the one who is sick because they need assistance of some sort. Focus isn't on the caregivers. 

Caregivers can get overlooked. I know first-hand how the stress in taking care of/helping someone who needs constant attention can wear someone down. At 24, I still need my mom and more than I'd ever thought I'd need her. She rarely has broken down or shown me she was scared. She kept hope when I didn't, loves me through every weak moment, holds me through the pain, and supports me no matter what. The combo of a parent and caregiver truly makes for a great person, but it takes quite a toll on them too. 

In the chronic illness community, whether on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest, you see many posts about what sick people DO NOT want to hear from others.

At one time or another, we've all heard the classic "but you don't look sick" comment from someone. For me, it used to make me really mad when someone would comment on how good I look or how much weight I'd lost. I'd want to scream, "I'M STARVING YOU IGNORANT JERK!!!!" In our society, if someone loses weight, it's usually because they're trying to. People will comment and encourage their progress. Now, if someone says "you look good" to me, I usually say, "Thanks! Glad I don't look as bad as I feel!" These awkward moments happen because people just don't know what to say when talking about chronic illnesses.

Ah, Valentine’s Day; the holiday of love, candy and greeting cards. Whether or not you have someone to celebrate this holiday with, being sick can really put a damper on the day.

If you have a partner and want to do something special and celebrate, here are some ways you may be able to have your cake and eat it too!

Ever felt lost? That feeling where you’re standing completely still, and everything just spins and runs right by you? You try to grab something, anything you could hold on to, and no matter what you do, how far you stretch, your grasp just isn’t strong enough?

Happy New Year from Cal-EZ!

The Cal-EZ team is pleased to announce that with the new year, we are starting a new blog series. For those of you who are continually battling diseases that require calcium, we have new voices for you to hear. To start this series is Sam.