In Bed with Jess Smart Smiley
For 18 months I’ve been in worsening, debilitating pain…
9 months ago I started using a cane to help me get around. After only a couple of months I could hardly stand or walk. I’ve been in my bed since, while 15 doctors and specialists have attempted to diagnose/treat my condition.
[image error] “Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can.” -Arthur Ashe
While doctors have identified multiple issues with my spine and informed me that I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, they haven’t been able to treat either, and think there is more to the situation. Every day is a new opportunity for my wife and I to do a little more research on our own, and to try to piece things together while we await the next referrals / injections / medications / procedures / etc.
Many friends—even strangers—have helped in countless ways, including: sharing their own health challenges, offering information on different medical conditions and/or specific doctors/treatments, as well as making the effort to visit me at home.
Relief
The only relief I’ve had has been from these visits with family, friends, church members, and neighbors. There’s something about the visits that instantly lifts my spirits in ways that nothing else has, so I decided to start a series of video visits with friends and creators I follow online. (Kind of like a FaceTime call that is broadcast live to followers.)
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Illustrator Lauren Lowen had the hilarious suggestion of calling the visits
