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!
Tag Archives: story
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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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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“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
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Tat-two Year Anniversary
I never saw myself as the kind of person who would get a tattoo–in fact, I saw myself as the person who would never get a tattoo. I hadn’t even considered it until a certain phrase crept into my head. … Continue reading
Posted in Anecdotes, Misc
Tagged being sick, change, conozca su valor, discouragement, emotional, health, know your worth, love, marathon, motivation, perseverance, story, success, tattoo, value, worth, wrist tattoo
2 Comments
Outrageous Diagnosis #1
As I’ve mentioned in “My Story,” I was handed some pretty intense diagnoses before I was finally given the correct one. They were…stressful, to say the very least. And each one put me through its own layer of hell before … Continue reading
Posted in Anecdotes, Hidradenitis Suppurativa
Tagged diagnoses, sickness, story, tombstone, tuberculosis
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What HS Means to Me
Isolation. Wishing I could just be like everyone else. Alienating myself because I’m different. Feeling lost and not in control. Misunderstood and judged. Many, many tears. Digging around to find myself in this mess my life has become. No, I’m … Continue reading
That Time I Thought I was Dying
(Spoiler Alert: I survived.) Let me start by painting a picture for you: The morning of Friday, July 24th, 2009 (and by “morning” I mean 3:30am–the one time we were grateful that my dad regularly went to work so early), … Continue reading
Sick People are Gross
Warning: Some of this post is gross. When I was younger, I was legitimately afraid of people with orthopedic casts. I was convinced that they were going to use the plaster on their arms to hurt me, so I just … Continue reading
Posted in Hidradenitis Suppurativa, Misc
Tagged being sick, compassion, gross, love, story
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AIPooja: Seeking Wellness through Disease 