Colorful Ciss

Hi there! Okay so does anyone else get frustrated with their body? I'm not talking body image issues or anything of that sort. Nothing about how it looks and stuff. I'm talking about its limitations. Its literal physical abilities. What it will and will not do on command.  I am a part of a dance company, and I absolutely love it. I am beyond grateful that I am able to once again dance. It is one of my passions. And to be a dancer who also has spondylitis can have its challenges. I have been dancing since I was a little girl which also means I have been dancing since before I had any symptoms of spondylitis. I was flexible and knew what my body could do and pushed it past those limits on a daily basis. Key word being "was." Because nowadays, that flexibility is quite a bit less. To add to it, my flexibility is dependent on the day. One day, I may be able to touch my toes when I wake up, yet the next day, I am lucky to touch my shin or ankle.  That is unbeli...

Hi there, Life has been crazy. I mean absolutely and utterly insane. Nonstop hectic nonsense. I know everyone has had seasons like this in their life from time to time, so I am sure you know exactly what I mean. But unfortunately I tend to forget that I cant push it that hard. Woah, I'm getting ahead of myself. Where do I begin...? Our vacation to Georgia was beyond amazing. Like, didn't want to leave, amazing. I think of that incredible time every single day. However, it's been hectic since the day we got back. Our house was invaded by pesky little ants. Then, our area had some earthquakes, which in turn caused some problems in our old piping. So we have had our kitchen disorganized for weeks, and then in turn our guest bathroom had a leak which destroyed a cabinet. Basically, it has been a month and a half of pest control, contractors, and no sense of organization. To add to it, I went back to work at the school and it was insane and unstable at work. I wasn't sur...

Hi there, Recently, I had the opportunity to go on a vacation and travel to Georgia. I loved every single minute of it! But when I was getting ready for the trip I had some serious fears about traveling. You see last year was the first year I had traveled on an airplane since I had been diagnosed with spondylitis. I had an incredibly intense flare that really hindered a bit of my trip. I was mid-flare before we left and was under a lot of emotional stress as it was due to the nature of the trip. We were originally going to visit my family, but days before found out that we would also be attending a funeral for my grandfather. Emotional stress puts a toll on a normal body, so a person with chronic illness can be a mess during something like that. But then you add to it that you are putting your body through physical strains of travel and pressure differences and lots of walking. You are asking for a difficult time. So this time I was determined to enjoy my vacation and really had ...

Hi there, Anyone who has a chronic illness knows that there are complications that come with it. And when it comes to a disease that causes a lot of inflammation,  you better expect that it's not just going to quarantine itself to a very specific part of your body, like an elbow for instance. No.... unfortunately, it will share its lovely flaring inflammation with other parts of your body, like your other elbow or an organ. For me, that means my eyes. I have arthritis and inflammation in my eyeballs. Yay.  Okay so in all truth, this inflammation, called Iritis, is how I actually what lead me to receive a spondylitis diagnosis. I had a flare up in my right eye which allowed for the right doctor to ask the right question, and BOOM! I got a referral to my rheumatologist who put the puzzle pieces together. Hello Spondylitis. And u p until recently I had a occasional occurrence  of this iritis. Maybe one or two times a year. And always it happened in my ri...

Hi there! So I'm here, and guess what! I'm still sick.  Okay, okay not to be a downer or anything, but that's just the truth of the matter. The "chronic" part of being chronically ill just means I will never not be sick. Woo. But that's okay. So, where have I been, you ask? Well just keep reading and you will find out everything from my whereabouts to how I am doing. Let's start with where I have been. The last year has been full of surprises. My husband and I had the pleasure of moving. Yes, again, but this time hopefully for good. I have changed jobs several times and am now happy to say I am working in a local school and am very happy with the schedule it allows. My husband has also changed jobs so that has been very different for us schedule wise. I had the opportunity to be a part of a dance company, and thankfully my body cooperated too! It was nice getting back into dance, but extremely scary to figure out my limits since being diagnosed. I th...

Hi there! Boy oh boy! It has been a while since I have checked in. But here I am. First things first, hello 2018! Now that that is out of the way, on to the cliche "new year new me" thing that is just so customary to announce. This year I am trying new things! Okay, I know you are currently shaking your head and saying  to yourself , "I've heard this before" and you smirk and sip your tea. But I am truly making some big changes this year.  First thing that is on the list: A new job. I currently have a great job that pays the bills. My manager and boss are both incredible. Not to mention my supportive coworkers. So why am I looking elsewhere? Well, I have been doing the restaurant life for 5 and a half years. It is everything I hoped it would be and more. But, when it comes to the schedule, it's hard. Always working holidays is taking its toll on me. Never really having any control over my schedule is difficult. It is always changing, which I happen to lo...