"I realized I’ve been living a double life."
Who said you can't be fashionable while living with chronic illness? Even if you are stuck in support socks and comfy clothes, you can still look good. Some of those fashionable choices can even help you feel better.
"So many people don't know that this is my life."
Is this what EDS looks like for you, too?
In honor of disability pride month, this pattern honors both the symbol of the spoon for the chronic illness community and the colors of the disability pride flag. Show solidarity for your disabled and chronically ill friends in a subtle way with this adorable, asymmetrical, sleeveless skater dress. Check out our other designs: https://www.etsy.com/shop/kellacocreations/ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ PRODUCT DETAILS ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ .: Material: 83% polyester, 17% spandex .: Asymmetrical skirt (in places could be longer or shorter) .: Medium-heavy fabric (8.5 oz /yd² (290 g/m²)) .: Mid-length .: Assembled in the USA from globally sourced parts ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ DRESS SIZING ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Size/Chest/Length Imperial: XS / 15" / 35" S / 16" / 36" M / 17.5" / 36.5" L / 18.5" / 36" XL / 20.5" / 36.5" 2XL / 22.5" / 37" Metric: XS / 38.1 cm / 88.9 cm S / 40.64 cm / 91.44 cm M / 44.45 cm / 92.71 cm L / 46.99 cm / 91.44 cm XL / 52.07 cm / 92.71 cm 2XL / 57.15 cm / 93.98 cm ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ SHIPPING & PRODUCTION TIME ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ These dresses are made-to-order in the U.S. and will take 6-9 days to produce. You will receive a tracking number once your order has been shipped. All shipping within the US is free! Please allow for longer delivery times for shipping outside the US. ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ CARE INSTRUCTIONS ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Do not dry clean; Do not iron; Tumble dry: low heat; Do not bleach; Machine wash: cold (max 30C or 90F). ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ HOW TO ORDER (include only with products that have multiple options for color and size) ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1) Check all the photos from the listing, including the size chart. 2) Choose your dress size from the drop-down menu. 3) Click add to cart. If you would like to order more than one dress, return to the listing and repeat the process above for any additional dresses you would like to purchase. 4) Click Proceed to checkout. ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ HAVE A PROBLEM? REACH OUT! ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Because these products are made through a print-on-demand service, I don't offer returns or exchanges by default. However, if you received a product you believe is incorrect, faulty, or damaged in some way, please don't hesitate to reach out to me in etsy messages so I can address the issue. IF YOU ARE IN THE EU OR UK Because of consumer regulations specific to these regions, you are entitled to a refund without providing a reason BUT *you must contact me within 14 days of RECEIVING the product* to receive a refund under these regulations. ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ CHECK OUT MORE OF OUR UNIQUE DESIGNS ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Check out our other designs: https://www.etsy.com/shop/kellacocreations/
"Fibromyalgia hit me hard last summer."
"Life undiagnosed is not fun."
Every invitation I receive has to be weighed against the scales of my chronic pain and the mental strain that accompanies it.
Do you experience this, too?
One of the hardest things to do when you are chronically ill is finding the balance between laying in bed and doing absolutely nothing on the bad days and doing absolutely everything on your good days, so you in turn have 2 weeks of nothing but bad days. It is such a vicious cycle. And I am here to tell you, that I am the biggest failure of it of them all. I am here to tell you that not even yesterday was I sitting on my front yard crying to one of my friends talking about the constant exhaustion and not knowing how to balance things and just wanting to have something positive in my life. Her in return telling me to do things small (like just one good thing for a small amount of time). And me in turn spending 12 hours in the hot sun today. FAILURE! We are in this together friends. I don't write these blogs because I have all the answers, I write them because they are my struggles and I know as someone with chronic illness that you probably do too. I was originally going to title this blog "Am I really that disabled?: Finding the Balance in Chronic Illness"...but the real reason I'm writing this blog is because I'm having some minor, unnecessary wheelchair self-conscious issues. See I just started using this thing big time this week for school purposes. If I carry my backpack into class, I don't make it to class. I have to sit down in the middle of the street, parking lot, hallway, whatever, and wait for someone I know to help me to class because the ridiculous distance I have to park away from my classes (even with a handicap tag) plus the weight of my book bag (even with Kindle edition textbooks) does me in fast. So I'm wheelchair bound. Lucky me, I've got a great pretty one. And I look great in it. Unlucky for me are several things. Here I will make you a list. I get my own wheelchair out of my trunk, put it together, put my book bag on the back, and sit down and wheel off. I'm sure that looks weird. Like how many handicap people do that. Once I get to my class I don't really need to use my wheelchair anymore necessarily because I don't have the book bag weight (unless I'm going somewhere further away, like to eat) so I look like a weirdo wheeling in and then walking to like the bathroom and water fountain and office and feel the need to explain to everyone when they ask me about it, even though it's no ones business. My campus is not wheelchair friendly at all. The ramps are at a huge incline (for instance, the one in front of DISABILITY SERVICES was so steep, I took my wheelchair back to my car and packed it up and decided to walk because I could not get my chair up the ramp...in front of disability services...not joking) so it's super hard to wheel up them. Half the time when I finally get up them, there isn't a button to push to open the doors for me so I have to hope some one walks by to open the door for me, the doors aren't really wide enough for me to fit through comfortably, and the sidewalks are in horrible repair so it's REALLY hard to make the wheelchair go anywhere at any rate of speed because with my book bag, plus the chair, plus my low musculature and the fact that most of my dislocations happen in my upper extremities from my EDS it's ridiculous to try to get that thing to move fast (heck at all). Luckily, people have been awesomely accepting and willing to push me if they have been available :) The closest parking lot to my classes is a faculty lot. There are 3 handicap spaces in it, they are all filled by the time I get there (7:30 am) and rightly so, because there are at least 2 staff in the building my classes are in that are in wheelchairs and several other handicap people in other ways. Technically, as a handicap placard holder, I'm allowed to park in any handicap space, or any next closest space to my destination if a handicap space is not available. Technically, the next closest space that is available would be a faculty space that is not handicap in that lot. However, I've been going to a much further parking lot and parking in a handicap space there because it's a student lot and a handicap space and wheeling to class and praying someone will pick me up on the way, or I won't run out of energy because I don't want to send the faculty member I kick out of their space to the other side of campus to park. I feel like I'm not handicapped enough to make them forfeit their paid for parking space. However, my friend made me think about it last night. She asked me if it fatigues me more to go to the further away parking lot and go that far. I said yes, she told me that I should be parking in the faculty lot then, because I need that space. The faculty member can surely walk the extra feet, I surely need the extra energy to wheel across the bumpy sidewalks and down the hall to save that energy for my studies. Didn't think about it like that before. But that still makes me feel uneasy. So uneasy that.... I have been seen pushing my own wheelchair from the farther away parking spaces to conserve energy and then if I need to sit down I will sit in the chair, take a break and get up and keep pushing it and then when I get in the building where it's all smooth, wheel down to class. Asinine I tell you. And if I thought I was concerned about people thinking I looked weird getting my wheelchair out of my car myself, and walking around the building myself without it throughout the day, how am I not concerned about pushing it down the street and not sitting in it? (I am by the way). So these are some of the reasons why I'm even wondering if I'm disabled enough. Or what makes us disabled enough. But then I have days where I don't balance well. Then I'm reminded that I'm disabled. Pretty severely infact. Like today. My town has a block party every year. I always go all day because my mom works for a church that has a booth and my aunt and uncle's photo shop and portrait studio have a booth so I go to "help out" (hang out) with everyone. Well, we knew I was already having a rough-ish week. So I brought my wheelchair and did not get out of it much at all. The sidewalk was crowded though when mom and I went to go get lunch and the place we were going to get lunch from was literally 100 feet from where our booths were. So I parked my wheelchair and we walked. I almost passed out and had to sit down immediately in front of the grill at the food place. Then when we got back down to the booth (after eating) I had to sit down immediately again to keep from passing out. Both times were separated by at least 30 minutes if not longer. The only thing in common was walking 100 feet in heat. We should have brought my wheelchair. Oops. Or maybe I shouldn't have stayed the full day this year, knowing that I wasn't doing as well this year and I'd had a bad week already. I mean, it wasn't really a bad week (minus Thursday, that was bad) but it was the first week back to school and after 3 months of doctor's appointments and no other obligations or schedules. Having to be places at certain times, plus doctors appointments, plus homework, plus realizing that this stuff is serious and that the stuff you are learning if you learn it wrong could like kill people was exhausting. Plus, I have to be up at 6:45 and out at 7:15 every morning this past week. Eventually it will just be MWF and probably Thursdays for infusions (but I can sleep once I get to those). Lectures are 4 hours straight and that's hard for anyone, let alone someone with brain fog and chronic illnesses. I have to get back into the groove of things and remember to find the balance. I have to remember how to be good to myself and be good to the world. Another thing my friend said to me during our talk in my front yard yesterday was that she very rarely lets people see her for a full day because she wants people to see her when she is able to show them her good parts and her joy and I want to be like that too. Therefore, that means, I will probably only be able to see people during school hours for right now. But it's so true, when I'm tired I'm not a happy camper, and my mom gets a lot of that unfortunately. But pain and fatigue does nasty things to people. But part of finding the balance is going to be making sure that I'm attempting to only show the good parts of myself to the world. That's the goal anyway. I told you...the word of the year is ambitious. So while I'm over here trying to find the balance of living in the extremes of being too un-active and too active, wheelchair or no wheelchair, extrovert or introvert, joy or sorrow, etc. you work on that for yourself too and look at this picture of me today looking awesome in my wheelchair with my zebra t-shirt on embracing the fact that I can be ok being in a wheelchair in front of thousands of people. I guess. Some days I can be ok with needing help and knowing I need it. And that's the start to finding the balance.
Imagine the scene. You’ve got yourself all dressed up, new dress, new makeup. You’ve been stuck at home for months, literally, because you’ve been so unwell. Life has been crappy lately, you’re exhausted, you’ve been fighting for months to stand up to injustice. You’re a matter of weeks away from a court hearing at an … “Are you even disabled?” Read More »
Imagine the scene. You’ve got yourself all dressed up, new dress, new makeup. You’ve been stuck at home for months, literally, because you’ve been so unwell. Life has been crappy lately, you’re exhausted, you’ve been fighting for months to stand up to injustice. You’re a matter of weeks away from a court hearing at an … “Are you even disabled?” Read More »
Imagine the scene. You’ve got yourself all dressed up, new dress, new makeup. You’ve been stuck at home for months, literally, because you’ve been so unwell. Life has been crappy lately, you’re exhausted, you’ve been fighting for months to stand up to injustice. You’re a matter of weeks away from a court hearing at an … “Are you even disabled?” Read More »
Imagine the scene. You’ve got yourself all dressed up, new dress, new makeup. You’ve been stuck at home for months, literally, because you’ve been so unwell. Life has been crappy lately, you’re exhausted, you’ve been fighting for months to stand up to injustice. You’re a matter of weeks away from a court hearing at an … “Are you even disabled?” Read More »
"What we conceal is not obvious to the rest.”
Have you experienced any of these?
Struggling with chronic illness? Discover the surprising ways that identifying with your chronic illness can benefit help you adapt & thrive.
Who said you can't be fashionable while living with chronic illness? Even if you are stuck in support socks and comfy clothes, you can still look good. Some of those fashionable choices can even help you feel better.
Imagine the scene. You’ve got yourself all dressed up, new dress, new makeup. You’ve been stuck at home for months, literally, because you’ve been so unwell. Life has been crappy lately, you’re exhausted, you’ve been fighting for months to stand up to injustice. You’re a matter of weeks away from a court hearing at an … “Are you even disabled?” Read More »
"What we conceal is not obvious to the rest.”
"Some people and doctors will never see us from the inside out."
Catherine Eves is on a local mission to raise awareness of what she describes as her “invisible illness.” At the age of...
Imagine the scene. You’ve got yourself all dressed up, new dress, new makeup. You’ve been stuck at home for months, literally, because you’ve been so unwell. Life has been crappy lately, you’re exhausted, you’ve been fighting for months to stand up to injustice. You’re a matter of weeks away from a court hearing at an … “Are you even disabled?” Read More »
Imagine the scene. You’ve got yourself all dressed up, new dress, new makeup. You’ve been stuck at home for months, literally, because you’ve been so unwell. Life has been crappy lately, you’re exhausted, you’ve been fighting for months to stand up to injustice. You’re a matter of weeks away from a court hearing at an … “Are you even disabled?” Read More »
It has been a while since I checked in as far as how I'm feeling. How I'm actually doing symptom wise. What I'm trying medication wise and how things are going. So (insert drum roll please - and maybe a didgeridoo just for fun) here's a January 2020 update! Here's the meds I'm currently taking and why Prescription Meds LevoTHYROxine 125 mcg AM (taking for my hypothyroidism. I've had that for 17 years.) Lyrica 75 mg BID AM&PM (taking that for my stocking glove peripheral neuropathy. I've had that for 5 years since treatment for the Latent TB. Likely caused by the treatment. It keeps me from feeling like I'm being eaten alive by fire ants.) Cymbalta 60 mg PM (taking for joint and muscle pain. Also it helps for depression. I recently tried to wean off and was rewarded with severe pain. It's a must take.) Baclofen 20 mg Three times a day(TID) AM – 12 – PM (a magical pill that helps with my muscle cramps and spasms. This is a muscle relaxer commonly given to people with MS. I found it on my own after researching treatments for muscle cramps and spasms after my neurologist told me my only option was CBD. Hmmmm. Nope. The Baclofen is wonderful.) Topiramate 25mg BID AM&PM (This is "Topamax" that I just started for "migraines." Both my new neurologist and an ENT Dr told me I have migraines. This was suggested. It's an anti-seizure med but is supposed to work for migraines. We'll see. So for it has a lot of side effects.) “Mito Cocktail” for Mitochondrial Myopathy COQ10 Enzyme 1,500 mg total daily (300mg 5x a day) L-Arginine 500mg daily Vit. D 2,000IU AM B-2 400mg AM Magnesium 360mg AM – 500mg PM Feverfew 100mg AM Wild Alaskan Fish Oil 1,400mg BID AM-PM (The first two are amazingly helpful. I'm honestly not sure about the rest.)These are all recommended for anyone with any kind of mitochondrial issue. It's the first line of defense and often the ONLY "cure" for mitochondrial disease of any kind. -gulp- PRN - Take as needed Albuterol Inhaler PRN (apx 1x daily)(I take for asthma. I've had increasing problems with breathing last year) Acetaminophen 500mg +2 PRN (apx 2x per week) (I take this for pain. It works better for me than Ibuprophen) Yes! All those drugs are really helpful. Well, almost all of them. But what makes a world of difference for me is rest and sleep. If I get enough of it I can function ok... usually... till around noon and then I start to get tired. By 3pm I REALLY need a nap. Then I nap from 3 or 3:30 till 5:30 or 6. That's what my body really needs. If that doesn't happen I feel super punch drunk all day. I like to be in bed no later than 9pm. Yup. That's WITH a giant nap. Then I sleep from around 10 till 9AM. My sleep is usually pretty interrupted with having to pee a lot and drink a lot. Even with a cool mist humidifier right by my face I have dry mouth pretty bad at night. If I'm at all sick that gets worse times a thousand for some reason. I stopped shaving my legs and arm pits. Here are some recent changes I've made to make my life easier and save spoons. I'm a pretty fuzzy chick by nature. My family didn't give me the nickname "Little Bear" for nothing. And chasing my leg and armpit hair multiple times a week was fricken exhausting. I tried everything. Regular razors. Sensitive razors. Shaving cream. Razors with shaving cream built right in. Electric razors you could take right in the shower with you (so I could use them on my shower stool). But hey! Being six feet tall with legs to the sky (as my pictures can attest to) that still took forever and literally all my spoons for the day. I threw in the towel at the beginning of the year. And you know what? I actually don't have as much leg hair anymore as I though. I think after so many years of shaving many of my follicles have given up the ghost. No more coloring. I'm also going back to my natural hair color. Although the henna was fun and I did have one last dance with the box dye devil... none of it is ME. It all takes time, money (something I'll get to in a minute) and is just a cultural construct of beauty that I really don't need in my life. Again, it also takes spoons that I'd rather spend on other things like time with my family, art, writing, etc. Sticking to my budget We have a family budget and now that we bought Pablo it's VERRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYY important that I stick to it. Like 100%. As in no more buying myself a little shiny bauble. But come on... it was my birthday and they're natural sapphires, miner cut set it platinum, real vintage from England... how could I resist!?!? Well... obviously I couldn't. But that's it! Last hurrah. I'll be good now honey, I promise. Ok, back to symptoms. They're the same really. I'm up to the full dose on the Topamax after two weeks which is 25mg 2x a day. I feel even dizzier, more tired and out of it than before. I'm hoping that's temporary. I'm willing to give it a month because trying to be as healthy as possible is my full time job. Even though I meet almost every criteria for a Vestibular Migraine I'm not completely convinced that's what's going on with me (despite two wonderful professionals telling me it is). Why? Because I have these symptoms all of the time. They don't "come and go" or "trigger". They only get worse and very rarely get better. What makes them worse is physical exertion or a major visual trigger like flashing lights or staring at contrasting vertical blinds for more than a few seconds. Rest does make it a little better, but it is never, ever "gone". This feeling of dizziness, foggy headedness, constant exhaustion, forgetfulness and chronic pain is why I was no longer able to work. It had nothing to do with my lack of mobility. I can always work around that with my job. But not being able to track in a conversation or having my vision blur out or suddenly being exhausted, that I can't just "work around". That was a deal breaker. So that's where I am. I very rarely drive and if I do it's super short distances. My mood is ok. I have bouts of feeling in limbo still because my permanent disability isn't secured yet. But I am on temporary disability for 7 more months and my student loan dismissal based on disability was approved, so that's a very big deal. I do feel I'm making some progress in my life as Pablo shows. He's like my personal boat taking me off into my new future and I appreciate that a lot. I appreciate my family, my medical team, my good health care and insurance, my puppy, my home, my wonderful healthy food, my plants that make me smile when I see them, my delicious coffee, the lovely town I live in. I am a very lucky woman in so many ways. My husband is the love of my life and my best friend. I'm so lucky to wake up with him every day. So I like to notice what I have instead of what I don't and what I have is a LOT!
ME/CFS still dictates every decision I make, particularly in a world that just isn’t inclusive of chronic illness. Here's my story...
We can't live our lives like we run on inexhaustible resources. We need to work within our abilities, strength and energy.
These products help our community minimize pain, fatigue and dizziness while showering.
Life with chronic illness is certainly never boring. In this post, I discuss living with 6 chronic illnesses.
I don’t think women should be forced to choose between comfort and fashion. It can be so hard to find clothes that don’t aggravate fibromyalgia and pain from chronic illnesses. Once I got diagnosed, it suddenly made so much sense—no wonder I have so much trouble finding clothes! I’ve never been able to stand tight clothes, thick waistbands, itchy tags. If clothes are made in a way that seams press into my skin—no thank you! And I’ve never understood why people love wearing tons of layers—I have to so I don’t freeze, but it’s so hard to find clothes that layer well together without causing me more pain, especially through my shoulders. The weight and bulk of layers can really make my fibro flare up. WHAT’S A GIRL TO DO? If you have trouble finding clothes with fibro, this post is for you! I’ve linked to what I’m currently wearing all the time, and added tips on what has helped me find my most comfortable and stylish clothes. That way, if my picks aren’t your style, hopefully you’ll leave with some ideas to help you find clothes that fit your style and help you be more comfortable. Some links in this post are Amazon Affiliate links, which means I will receive a small percentage of sales, at no additional cost to you. I greatly appreciate your support of my blog! Because of my pain and discomfort, my go-tos lately have become pajama pants and loose tops. The idea of wearing pajamas all day has never appealed to me. If I don’t get “dressed” in the morning, I just don’t feel put together. Back when I was homeschooled for several years, people would often exclaim, “Oh cool! Do you wear your pajamas all day?” Ummm, no. Getting dressed has always been a part of getting ready for the day. I wouldn’t pick to wear pjs nonstop, so being forced to wear pajamas has made me feel not quite like myself. SOME TIPS I’VE LEARNED I recently decided I needed a change. Feeling unwell all the time has already made me struggle with not feeling like myself, and I didn’t need my clothes adding to the problem. And chronic illness is hard enough on your self esteem without your clothes making you feel frumpy. I really enjoy fashion—pretty colors and patterns and silhouettes make me feel happy. While I am in no way implying that my worth is caught up in my appearance, I believe clothes can be a tool we use to help brighten our moods, especially if we’re dealing with illness. They’re also a way to express who we are. Being able to choose what I wear feels like a victory over chronic illness. So I decided that I’d start small, and at least once a week, I “dress up” even if I’m not leaving the house. No pajamas allowed! And it has helped to look in the mirror and see me looking more like myself. All the clothes below have passed what I’ll call “the pajama test”—I’ve worn them all day at home when I could have easily changed into a pair of pajamas! A quick note on what I look for in a fit: I’m pear shaped, so I favor clothes that emphasize my waist and minimize my hips. (If you don’t know your body shape, now is a great time to look up the kind of fits that are most flattering for your figure. This will also make finding comfortable clothes much easier.) My shoulders are broad compared to my torso, so I struggle to find tops that fit without pinching my shoulders (I can’t stand that pinched feeling!). I also can’t tolerate pressure on my lower back (I gave up on belts a few years ago) or pressure on my ribcage (I get enough of that from asthma, thank you very much). Writing down some things you like/don’t like in clothing can help you make decisions more easily in the dressing room. MY FAVORITE DRESSES I tried on these two Mudd brand dresses recently and just stood there in the dressing room in shock. “These are the most comfortable things I’ve ever worn in my life,” I told my mom (aka, my Personal Shopping Assistant). The fabric is velvety soft, the fit looks tailored but feels lightweight and loose. I could go on and on about how much I love these dresses. They pair easily with leggings and sweaters and have become my go-to whenever I want to look dressy but still feel extremely comfortable. It looks like they’re currently on clearance, so you may want to buy sooner than later. I actually emailed Mudd and asked them to continue making these styles of dresses! I’ve never done that about an article of clothing before! I didn’t hear back from them, but I hope they keep making them. (I may have also suggested different colors I would love to see them in…) Keyhole Fit and Flare (4 different colors) (They come in plus sizes too!) Love, love this dress! The way this dress is constructed of vertical panels is very figure-flattering. And it’s so comfortable that I gladly wear it all day instead of pajamas! Crisscross Skater Dress (4 different colors) (Also available in plus sizes!) I like that this dress has a trapeze style that puts absolutely no pressure on my waist or hips, and it’s also flattering on my figure. Because of the looser fit, I bought this dress one size smaller than the Keyhole dress. What to look for in dresses: flowing fabric that compliments your figure and doesn’t overwhelm you. Lightweight to prevent shoulder pain. MY FAVORITE PANTS In this blog post about the fact that comfort and style really can go hand in hand, Chronically Stylish blogger Dana Renata makes the point that having comfortable pants is key. I couldn’t agree more! I was so excited to discover these Time and Tru Jeggings last month. When I pulled them off a rack at the store, I was momentarily confused because they were so lightweight. Were these children’s jeggings? NOPE, they are that wonderfully light. One of my main complaints with other jeggings is that they are so elastic-y and thick that they feel like waterlogged fabric. And then I tried them on, and they felt like pajamas! But they have a nice texture so they LOOK like jeans. And not only that, they FIT! Most jeggings I’ve tried that have fit through my hips have been way too big in the waist, defeating the whole purpose of jeggings—not having to wear a belt. I’ve worn these without a belt with no feeling whatsoever that they were sliding off. And they’re comfortably stretchy (no weird pressure that keeps you from bending your knees like some jeggings). I found they fit true to jean size, which is nice. I’ve often had to size up when buying jeggings in the past. They come in various different shades from arctic white, light (pictured), dark, and black. And there are fun patterns like these polka dots! They also come in capris like this red rum and these cheerful colors and fun patterns I just discovered they make bermuda shorts too. I know what I need for this summer! What to look for in pants: lightweight, textured, small waistband, fit that complements your waist and hips. Tailoring might be a good option for getting a comfortable fit through the waist. MY FAVORITE LEGGINGS Since I’ve already gone on and on about the above products, I’ll keep the rest of this post more brief: these are my favorite leggings in the whole wide world: a.n.a. knit leggings. They come in a variety of colors and patterns and pair perfectly with dresses or tunics. MY FAVORITE TOPS Layering Tip: Start with a sleeveless shirt. I wear tank tops year round to keep my shoulders from feeling pinched. I’ve found that reducing the bulk of sleeves makes it so much more comfortable to wear a sweater or blazer over a tank. I was excited to find some tunic-style tops by the brand Justify (available at Fred Meyer) that were long enough for me to wear with leggings. I have tops similar to this style from Bongo brand that I wear over tank tops frequently (mine have sleeves that reach to just above the elbow, but other than that, they’re the same brand and style). I’ve also found lightweight, flowy sweaters from GNW brand (at Fred Meyer) and comfortable cardigans from Old Navy. MY FAVORITE SOCKS Now wait, before you say “But Cassie, those are compression socks,” hear me out. These socks don’t look like compression socks but they still help with my low blood pressure due to dysautonomia. They’re cotton, which I love, and they’re the only kind I’ve tried on that haven’t aggravated my fibromyalgia or Reynaud’s. (I tried other pairs and they left my feet more sore and cold.) I do well with the lighter compression (15-20mmHg) these offer. I hope these suggestions help you feel not only more comfortable but also more like you! These are my top picks currently—what are yours? What other clothes or styles do you love best for feeling comfortable and beautiful? Enjoyed this post? You may want to follow my style Pinterest boards for more inspiration! I’ve divided up outfit ideas by Casual and Everyday, Classy and Polished, and All Dressed Up. I’ve also curated my favorite Style Tips.
"This is a side that no one really sees."
If you're looking for a rollator, Rollz and byAcre are two cool options. Find out which one is best for you and find discount codes.
A key part of living with chronic pain is describing pain to doctors, which can be surprisingly difficult. I still find it hard, and I've been doing it since 2001! With that in mind, I've written this post about describing pain levels to a doctor. I'm specifying doctors in this post because getting people in your life like a partner or family member to understand your pain is a different situation from explaining it to your doctor.
Who said you can't be fashionable while living with chronic illness? Even if you are stuck in support socks and comfy clothes, you can still look good. Some of those fashionable choices can even help you feel better.
Who said you can't be fashionable while living with chronic illness? Even if you are stuck in support socks and comfy clothes, you can still look good. Some of those fashionable choices can even help you feel better.
"I think we carry this guilt with chronic illness because we feel we’ve somehow brought it on ourselves."
"Some people and doctors will never see us from the inside out."
"I hope they will push the boundaries of what 'invisible' really means."
"What we conceal is not obvious to the rest.”
