“You’re Making Up Symptoms,” They Laughed—Until the Specialist’s Report Came Back.

and help manage pain while we waited for specialist referrals. It wasn’t magic, but it helped. It gave me a few hours a day where I could stand without my knees feeling like they were full of glass.

Until my mother threw it away.

That night, I lay in bed staring at my ceiling, joints throbbing, stomach twisting with a fever that kept climbing and dropping.continue reading …