When Chronic Illness becomes part of life, it calls for New Conversations, a Rethinking of Time, and a Shift in Shared Understanding.
Carrie skillfully uses the Cinderella metaphor to describe her lived experience.
And as a patient she has seen how her veterinary training didn’t prepare her for patients like her.
The first night I got sick, I felt something shift in my body like someone abruptly turned off a light switch.
In Cinderella-like fashion, the clock struck midnight; I fled the castle and lost a slipper, breaking the magic spell of my life.
My carriage reverted to a pumpkin; the horses that drew it turned back into mice, and I was left wearing rags.
The virus that brought on my chronic fatigue (ME/CFS) left me with one glass slipper.
It disrupted my mitochondrial batteries, rendering them terminally low on juice, and incapable of fully charging. They can drain to zero at any time.
When this happens, my energy drops, an internal alarm goes off, and I must flee the ball.
Such is the reality for those of us who suffer from chronic, invisible illnesses. There is no magic spell. The glass slipper is out of sight. We become stuck in the moment, stranded outside the castle, while everyone else lives on. Suddenly, our narrative has changed.
Unlike Cinderella, I never know how long I have before midnight strikes, and my internal alarm goes off. Time is no longer linear for me. Every day is a series of resets. My fairy godmother is trying to give me the happily-ever-after, but I must continue with one slipper for now.
I was in the midst of a wonderful career as a veterinarian, where I had diagnosed and treated many four-legged patients, when I became ill.
In those early years of being a chronic patient, I saw how medical providers struggle to help patients who don’t feel well but don’t have any abnormal lab work or physical exam findings from which to develop a treatment plan.
This experience highlighted the deficits in my own veterinary training- how to help a patient for whom you cannot immediately formulate a diagnosis and treatment plan- deficits I want to help remove with Healthcare providers and the Community.
As a trained veterinarian, and one who has lived with ME/CFS for more than 15 years, I want to help you foster Deeper, More Meaningful Connections around chronic illness.
Chronic illness transforms one’s identity, whether suddenly or gradually. Learning about and understanding this new version of the person is essential for fostering a connection that not only endures but grows stronger.
Let’s Collaborate + Make an Impact Together!
Classroom Experience
Engage Students in all Stages of Training to Gain Confidence with the Uncertainty Incapsulated in Patients with Chronic Illness.
Clinic + Community Consulting
A Practical, Participant-Focused Roadmap for Achieving Satisfying + Lasting Results for Chronically Ill Patients.
Keynote
Out of Sync: The Midnight Effect on Chronic Illness Care
Let’s work together
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