Chronically ill, Chronically in pain, Chronically Surviving…
Hi! I’m Janni. I am a disabled, autistic, wheelchair user, who has multiple autoimmune diseases and who suffers from chronic, oftentimes debilitating pain. I also deal with mental health issues such as crippling anxiety, panic attacks, depression, and PTSD. I was bed-bound and trapped in an upstairs bedroom in my house for about 4.5 years, and am only just now beginning to be up and about a bit more (wheelchair dependent), thanks to a nutrition protocol I went on in early 2023. I’m also in physical therapy twice a week where I am re-learning how to walk again – all whilst battling muscle atrophy and terrible fatigue. In addition, I am receiving chiropractic care twice a week, seeing a psychologist once a week, and trying to develop ever-evolving strategies for pushing through the pain.
Here, I will provide an honest look at the ins and outs of my world, served with a side of brain dumps, and, hopefully, a laugh or two along the way. Basically, this is a place for me to write about everything and nothing at all. I have a YouTube channel that goes side by side with this website, and I am in the process of developing a Patreon, as well as an Instagram account. These channels work to support the Jannipants Land mission of raising awareness about the challenges of balancing chronic illness, chronic pain, and mental health issues. My message is also about survival – as I constantly learn new ways to cope, and to (hopefully) thrive in what is now my “new normal”. Lastly (but certainly not least), I want to draw attention to all of the people in positions similar to my own who, through no fault of their own, have “fallen through all the cracks” with regards to receiving any sort of support. Many people believe that all disabled people are surely eligible for some magical social support programs which will take care of their needs. This just isn’t the case, and the effects of NOT having the support one needs can be beyond devastating. My story should be a wake-up call. We are all just one diagnosis away from our lives being turned upside down…
In essence, Jannipants Land exists to support my mental health as well as to raise awareness as to what life is REALLY like here in the US for people like me (spoiler alert – it is far from a rosy picture most of the time, thanks to our ridiculously expensive and inaccessible healthcare system, lack of public support services, transportation woes, etc…) Sometimes I need to write. Sometimes I need to get things off of my chest. I rarely see other humans. I talk to myself and my birds. That’s my reality. This is an outlet, and I hope to embrace it as much as possible as I try to find ways to make a life for myself IN SPITE OF my challenges – and… to possibly help others in the process.
So off we go…
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