Summer Recipes: Spoonie-Friendly Frozen Desserts
Who doesn’t love a frozen treat on a hot day? I know I cheat my diet more with ice cream than anything else. I’m lucky to live in a city where local ice cream, sorbet, and gelato places have flavors with only a few simple ingredients. Yet, some days, even they don’t have what I need. Here are […]
Summer Recipes: Cucumber Dill Salad
Want a nice side dish to bring to a potluck? Just got some freshly baked bread and want something to dip it in? This creamy herbalicious cucumber dill salad is always a crowd-pleaser! Taken from Leslie Langevine’s The Anti-Inflammatory Kitchen Cookbook. Ingredients: 1 large cucumber½ red onion¼ cup chopped fresh dill (plus 2 Tbsp for […]
Summer Recipes: Blueberry Bars
Granola bars are so great for eating on the go. They’re also crucial for blood-sugar crash moments when you just need something now, not after prepping a meal. Yet most granola bars at the store have far too many ingredients, including common triggers like nuts, chocolate, chicory root, gluten, preservatives, and too much sugar. These oat blueberry […]
Balancing Sunlight and Safety: Navigating Summer with Chronic Illness
Sunshine can be such a wonderful presence in life. The warmth spreading over your face when you first step outside… there’s nothing quite like it. Vitamin D, and even just the feeling of sunshine on your skin, can have health benefits and can drastically improve mental health. Yet, for many people living with chronic illness, […]
Proud to be Trans, Proud to be Chronically Ill
This past June, we (Julian and Ariel) organized our efforts to bring awareness to the intersections of transition-related healthcare and long-term chronic illness-related healthcare. These topics are considered difficult even independently of one another, and with respect to the cross-over, there is very little public discussion. Julian and Ariel are both influencers who are proud […]
5 Ways to Spruce Up a Spoonie Summer Beverage
Relaxing on a porch with friends and sipping a refreshing drink is such a lovely way to celebrate summer! But if you can’t drink the drinks, it’s hard to feel included. Here are some spoonie summer beverage ideas to step up your refreshment game: 1. Fancy ice cubes Only able to drink water? No worries! Even […]
How to Host an Inclusive Independence Day BBQ
Hello everyone! As we count down the days to Independence Day, I wanted to share some tips to help you host or attend the best spoonie (aka: chronically ill-friendly) summer barbecue. With a little planning, we can ensure that everyone has a fantastic time, filled with fun, food, friends, and family. Whether you’re organizing the […]
Keeping Friends from the Depths of Your Fight: Kiera’s Story
This week, we’ve been exploring creative ways to maintain relationships even when dealing with a serious illness. My friend Cameron shared his tips yesterday, and today our Friend in the Fight Kiera has kindly offered to share her story and tips! The key to much of Kiera’s success is not limiting communication, but being smart […]
Keeping Friends from the Depths of your Fight: Cameron’s Story
It can be so hard, during a flare, to keep up with friends and to navigate your social life when dealing with serious illness. It’s a tough balance to strike between trying too hard and using up too many spoons, or forgoing friends completely in our quest for healing. While this balance changes from person […]
Creative Tips for Managing Medications: Medical Organizers
It’s a cruel irony to have a million medications to manage… all while suffering from intense brain fog. If only we could all have a professional medical organizer. Complex illnesses require so much to keep track of. We must keep track of food, layered clothing, medical equipment, and spoons (our daily energy levels). When we […]
Father’s Day Accessibility
For a few years, I’ve posted this image around Mother’s Day. As someone who has felt like an outsider and witnessed loved ones struggling with infertility or loss, it felt important to me that we remain mindful of how our traditions affect people. This year, I hesitated. It’s not that I’ve changed my mind. […]
Top 3 Tips for Conversations With Your Doctor
Whether you live with a complex chronic illness or simply have a list of questions and concerns you want to bring to you doctor – conversations with physicians can be stressful. No matter what your health history is, interactions with doctors can feel high stakes. We normally only have a few minutes with our healthcare […]