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: Hidradenitis Suppurativa
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
3 Comments
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
3 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
6 Comments
Chocolate Coconut Cashew Butter (Paleo-friendly!)
When I first tried out the Paleo Diet, I was desperate to find ways to satisfy my sweet tooth. I could give up bread and starches, but I wasn’t about to give up chocolate. Another difficult thing for me was … Continue reading
Posted in Food, Healthy, Hidradenitis Suppurativa, Paleo, Recipes
Tagged butter, cashew butter, cashews, chocolate, chocolate cashew butter, chocolate coconut, chocolate coconut cashew butter, coconut, delicious, dessert, diet, easy, food, healthy, paleo, paleo diet, recipe, recipes, simple
6 Comments
Managing Stress
I can control everything I eat, keep track of every ingredient of every food, resist every temptation to eat something with even the slightest hint of a nightshade, but if I am stressed out, the effort all goes out the … Continue reading
Posted in Fitness, Healthy, Hidradenitis Suppurativa, Misc
Tagged advice, change, doctor, doctor recommended, health, hidradenitis, hidradenitis suppurativa, managing stress, meditation, music, read, seinfeld, serenity, simple, stress, trigger, yoga
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“Look for the Rainbow”
Today I’m going to share something with you that is very special and empowering to me. Recently, a close childhood friend of my mom’s shared my pain and wrote a beautiful poem about finding the hope in pain and sorrow … Continue reading
Posted in Anecdotes, Hidradenitis Suppurativa, Misc, Uncategorized
Tagged beautiful, being sick, change, compassion, courage, discouragement, disease, emotional, empower, empowering, friend, health, hidradenitis, hidradenitis suppurativa, honesty, lend a hand, love, motivation, pain, perseverance, poem, share, sickness, story, strength, support, truth
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Stuck in “One Year Ago” Land
I haven’t blogged in a while because I’m in a bit of a rut. I feel like I’m trapped inside my own head and I’m not sure how to reach out about it. Lately, I’ve been stuck in what I … Continue reading
Posted in Anecdotes, Healthy, Hidradenitis Suppurativa, Misc, Uncategorized
Tagged advice, anniversary, being sick, change, discouragement, disease, emotional, health, healthy, hidradenitis, hidradenitis suppurativa, honesty, mental health, motivation, perseverance, physical health, sickness, story, therapy
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Happy Birthday, Mom
Today is a very special day. Why? Because today is my mom’s birthday. Let me tell you a bit about my mom: This is the woman who dedicated her life to making me feel less lonely. Last year, when my … Continue reading
Posted in Anecdotes, Hidradenitis Suppurativa, Misc, Uncategorized
Tagged being sick, birthday, compassion, discouragement, emotional, health, hidradenitis, hidradenitis suppurativa, love, mom, mommy, sickness, story, strength, support
6 Comments
The Paleo Diet and Hidradenitis Suppurativa: My Paleo Essentials
One of the major reasons I decided to give the Paleo diet another go was to share more about it on here, and I realize that I haven’t exactly upheld that promise. I am going to start a segment called … Continue reading
Posted in Food, Healthy, Hidradenitis Suppurativa, Paleo, Uncategorized
Tagged advice, change, cheating, diet, essential, food, fridge, fruits, grocery list, health, healthy, hidradenitis, hidradenitis suppurativa, paleo, paleo diet, pantry, recommendation, vegetables
10 Comments
58 Inches*
These past six months have changed me forever. Six months ago, I would sit with my mom and cry until I was out of tears and gasping for breath. I cried for many reasons, but one of them–a major one–was … Continue reading
AIPooja: Seeking Wellness through Disease 