BeWell Blog

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IBS or Something More? How to Know When to Ask for More Answers

April rolls around annually as IBS Awareness Month, and it always has me thinking about diagnoses, doctor visits, and those gut feelings (yes, literally) that something just doesn't seem right. For all of us, IBS is not just a diagnosis...

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How to Advocate for Yourself in the Medical System – Lessons from the Rare Disease Community

The first time a doctor told me "it's probably just constipation/gas," I nodded and went home, thinking they must be right. A few doctors and many years later, I finally got my Crohn's diagnosis at the age of 17. That...

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Why Rare Disease Awareness Matters: How It Benefits the Whole Chronic Illness Community

I'll never forget the day my doctor finally put a name to what was happening to my body. After years of being told it was "just constipation/gas" or "all in my head," having a diagnosis – even not a rare...

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Life is Short: Use the Markers

Growing up, I had this habit that I now recognize in so many others living with chronic illness - saving the "good stuff" for some perfect future moment that never quite arrives. The Story Behind the Markers I remember the...

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Coping with a Serious Diagnosis: How to Take It In and Stay Positive

Written by: Amanda Phillips Receiving a serious diagnosis can be one of life's most overwhelming moments. An autoimmune disease, a chronic illness, even cancer—whatever it is you hear from your doctor may make the world stop spinning for that one...

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Understanding Medical Gaslighting: What It Is and How to Respond

Written by: Amanda Phillips If you have lived with any type of chronic illness for any amount of time, there is a good chance that at one point or another, you felt your symptoms were not taken seriously by a...

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Adjusting to Life with a New Medical Diagnosis

Written by: Amanda Phillips It is rather difficult for many—the moment when one's life reaches the ground in an instant upon diagnosis with a chronic illness. Feelings at this stage can be of shock, fear, sadness, or relief. Life changes...

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Scariest Parts of Getting Diagnosed

Written by: Amanda Phillips Getting a diagnosis of some chronic illness, autoimmune disease, or cancer has to be one of those life moments that absolutely upends the world. This is not even the diagnosis per se but rather the overwhelming...

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Why Symptom Tracking with a Journal Can Improve Wellness

Written by: Amanda Phillips Living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), or for that matter any chronic illness, is an unwieldy beast. Some days, you feel okay, while others are a mystery as to who is running your body. It is...

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Life as a Medical Mom: Finding Our Village

Written by: Taylor Trotter I am exhausted. Mentally, physically, emotionally. Being a medical mama is not for the faint of heart. Once your child is diagnosed with a chronic illness, nothing will ever be the same. Your thoughts cease to...

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Managing the Emotional Impact of a Diagnosis of Chronic Disease

A diagnosis for a chronic illness can be overwhelming, confusing, and sometimes life-altering. It is not only a question of physical symptoms but an emotional journey. Most any event can be just as important to your current emotional well-being as...