Welcome to AIPooja!
My name is Pooja, and I am trying to keep my head above water while balancing disease, wellness, and graduate school. Continually learning and growing, with no end in sight. I hope you find something you can relate to here!
Category Archives: Anecdotes
Unlocking & Reliving Trauma
Warning: this post has graphic descriptions and imagery of surgical procedures and wounds. Eight years ago, I had one of the most traumatic experiences of my life and my health journey. One of the surgeries I desperately needed at the … Continue reading
Posted in Anecdotes, Hidradenitis Suppurativa, mental health
Tagged autoimmune disease, autoimmune experiences, depression, emotional healing, emotional wounds, healing, health, health trauma, hidradenitis, hidradenitis experience, hidradenitis suppurativa, infection, mental health, posttraumatic stress disorder, scars, seek therapy, surgery, surgical procedures, surgical wound, therapist, therapy, trauma, traumatic, traumatic experience, wound vac
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Dear Hidradenitis Suppurativa
Dear Hidradenitis Suppurativa, You snatched away my privacy; but you taught me humility. For a time, you took away my ability to walk; but you taught me to cherish the movements of my body. You took away my ability to … Continue reading
Posted in Anecdotes, Hidradenitis Suppurativa, mental health
Tagged autoimmune, autoimmune disease, autoimmune warrior, chronicillness, dear hidradenitis, dear hidradenitis suppurativa, hidradenitis, hidradenitis strength, hidradenitis suppurativa, hidradenitis suppurativa awareness week, hidradenitis suppurativa scars, hidradenitis suppurative awareness, hidradenitis suppurative surgery, letter, letter to hidradenitis, letter to my disease, letter to myself, mental health, mental health awareness, my disease, my story, pain, personal story, reality, story, thank, thank you, thankful, warrior
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Curry-Spiced Meatballs (Paleo, AIP, Whole30)
You all…I have something really disappointing to tell you. Back in July, when I took over the Autoimmune Wellness Instagram account for a week, I mentioned in one of the posts that I was going to be reunited with my … Continue reading
Posted in AIP, Anecdotes, Autoimmune Protocol, Food, Healthy, Paleo, Recipes, Whole30
Tagged AIP, aip curry, aip curry recipe, aip curry spices, aip diet, aip indian, aip indian food, aip indian food recipe, aip indian recipes, aip meatballs, aip paleo, aip recipe, aip recipes, Autoimmune Protocol, curry meatball recipe, dairy free, dairy free recipe, gluten free, gluten free meatball, gluten free meatball recipe, gluten free meatballs, gluten free recipe, grain free, indian meatball, indian meatball recipe, nut free, paleo, paleo curry, paleo curry recipe, paleo indian food, paleo meatballs, paleo recipe, paleo recipes, soy free, Whole30, whole30 curry, whole30 indian food, whole30 indian recipe, whole30 meatball, whole30 meatball recipe, whole30 recipe, whole30 recipes
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67 inches
5 feet, 7 inches. My height is 5 feet, 5 inches. The total length of surgical scars on my body is now greater than my height. That means, if I were to stack my scars on top of each other, … Continue reading
Posted in Anecdotes, Healthy, Hidradenitis Suppurativa, mental health
Tagged arm tattoos, autoimmune disease, autoimmune disease scars, autoimmune disease surgery, autoimmune warrior, body acceptance, chronic illness, chronic illness scars, chronic illness surgery, cognitive reframing, hidradenitis, hidradenitis suppurativa, hidradenitis suppurativa scars, hidradenitis suppurative awareness, hidradenitis suppurative surgery, mental health, scars, scars from surgery, surgical scars, tattoo, tattoos, warrior, warrior tattoo
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Lemon-Garlic Cauliflower Rice (Paleo, AIP, Whole30)
I recently started working at Provision Kitchen, which I am loving for a host of many reasons. I won’t go in to how wonderful the restaurant itself is and what our philosophy is at Provision Kitchen (click on the link … Continue reading
Posted in AIP, Anecdotes, Autoimmune Protocol, Food, Healthy, Paleo, Recipes, Whole30
Tagged AIP, aip recipe, Autoimmune Protocol, autoimmune protocol recipe, cauli rice, cauliflower rice, cauliflower rice recipe, dairy free, easy cauliflower rice, elevate your base, food, gluten free, grain free, healthy meals, healthy recipes, lemon garlic cauli rice, lemon garlic cauliflower rice, nightshade free, nut free, paleo cauliflower rice, paleo recipe, provision kitchen, recipe, riced cauliflower, vegan, Whole30, whole30 recipe, whole30 recipes
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Dear Mom, You Don’t Have to Hide the Pills Anymore
A year ago this month, my psychiatric provider asked me whether I was experiencing thoughts of suicide, and I said yes. In the months prior, I had been diagnosed with PTSD for the trauma I had experienced regarding health and … Continue reading
Posted in AIP, Anecdotes, Autoimmune Protocol, Healthy, Hidradenitis Suppurativa, mental health, Paleo, Uncategorized
Tagged AIP, anxiety, autoimmuneprotocol, chronic illness, depression, education, family, friends, health, hidradenitis, hidradenitis suppurativa, life, mental health, mental health education, mental illness, people, posttraumatic stress disorder, ptsd, suicidal, suicidal feelings, suicidal ideation, suicidal thoughts, suicide awareness, suicide prevention, support, trauma, truth
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To the Person Who Didn’t Believe in Me
I’m going to be honest. This post is a difficult one for me. It is something I have wanted to share for quite a while, but I allowed myself time to develop the courage to share this. It’s extremely personal … Continue reading
Posted in Anecdotes, Hidradenitis Suppurativa, Misc, Uncategorized
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Warrior
Approximately once every other month or so, I allow myself to go into a total mental breakdown about the state of my health and body. I jokingly refer to it as my bi-monthly breakdown. I am a fairly emotionally stable person, and … Continue reading
Posted in Anecdotes, Hidradenitis Suppurativa, Uncategorized
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Seeking Wellness through Disease
When I go through difficult times (failures, breakups, bouts of loneliness, a bad flare, etc), I want ice cream. And pizza. And cookies. And cheese. And wine, beer, whiskey. Society has effectively trained me to crave these “comfort” items when … Continue reading
Posted in Anecdotes, Healthy, Paleo, Uncategorized
2 Comments
Living in Fear
Here’s a not-so-secret: Classes start today. Here’s a secret: I’m terrified. I’m not terrified of school, of course. I love learning, being actively engaged in class (I’m the annoying student who always sits near the front row and asks a … Continue reading
Posted in Anecdotes, Hidradenitis Suppurativa, Marathon Mondays, Misc
Tagged afraid, being sick, class, classes, college, disease, emotional, fear, future children, graduate, health, hidradenitis, hidradenitis suppurativa, honesty, marathon, psychology, scared, school, semester, sickness, start, story, terrified, undergrad, undergraduate
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AIPooja: Seeking Wellness through Disease 