Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! My name is Shelby, I’m 25, Deaf, and chronically ill. I have been diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Hypermobility Type, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Meniere’s Disease, Enlarged Vestibular Aqueduct Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Interstitial Cystitis, Vasovagal Syncope, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Food Allergies, Environmental Allergies, Seasonal Allergies, Asthma, Anxiety, Migraines, Degenerative Disk Disease, Scoliosis, Gastroesophageal Reflux Syndrome, Gastritis, Metabolic Syndrome, Pre-Diabetes, joint subluxations, and I may also have Gastroparesis.

You probably need a moment to take all that in. You’re probably also wondering how I remember everything. My secret? I keep a little “cheat sheet” so that I remember all these conditions and how to spell them.

You may also be thinking “wow! but you’re too young to have all of these issues!”, or maybe you’re just plain wondering how one person can have all of this going on. Well, for one thing, I didn’t choose the chronically ill life, the chronically ill life chose me. I have four main conditions: Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Meniere’s Disease, and Enlarged Vestibular Aqueduct Syndrome, from these come all those other co-morbid conditions.

I don’t know why I’m sick. I mean, I obviously know why in the sense that I do have names for my illnesses, but I don’t actually know why I’m sick. I don’t know why I have all these conditions. What the hell did I do in a past life to get stuck with all of this? I don’t know. I don’t know why this is my life, but it is.

Anyways, I’m hoping that this blog can provide some insight to what it is to be chronically ill and Deaf. There can never be too much awareness or too much information about what it is like.

Welcome to my life.