I know this wasnโt the most uplifting episodeโbut I also know how lonely it feels to sit with scary lab results, unanswered questions, and a body thatโs just not cooperating. So if youโre there right now too, please know: I see you. Youโre not broken. Youโre not failing. And you donโt have to face the unknown alone. Whether your kidneys are flaring, your labs are off, or your energy is hanging by a threadโyou still belong here. Youโre still worthy of rest, support, and softness.
Memorable Quotes:
๐ฉบ โI donโt have a bow to tie on this episodeโjust a body thatโs tired, a heart thatโs scared, and a voice that refuses to stay silent.โ
๐ โYou can be scared and strong at the same time. You can cry in the car and still keep showing up.โ
๐ง โThis is the part of chronic illness no one prepares you forโthe waiting, the worrying, the wondering if your body is betraying you.โ
Links
๐ง Listen to More Episodes:
https://theinvisibleillnessclub.com/podcasts
๐ฅ Free Resource โ The One-Minute Gratitude Practice (That Wonโt Drain Your Energy):
https://theinvisibleillnessclub.kit.com/gratitude-prompts
๐ฅ Free Resource โ Rest & Refocus Workbook:
https://theinvisibleillnessclub.kit.com/bf5f7dd367
๐ฐ Join The Unseen Sisterhood Newsletter:
Transcription
Hey friend. Welcome back to The Invisible Illness Club Podcast.
This oneโs going to be a little more personal. And honestly? A little harder to talk about.
Because lately, my body has been doing the absolute mostโand not in a fun, Beyoncรฉ way. Weโre talking kidney issues. Labs. Specialist appointments. A whole lot of scary words thrown around. And more blood draws than I can count.
It started with my rheumatologist calling after some routine bloodwork. Nothing out of the ordinaryโI do this every few months. But this time? The numbers werenโt right. Specifically, my kidney function had dropped. And when we repeated the labs, it wasnโt a fluke. It was real.
Cue the panic. The โwhat does this mean?โ spiral. The endless Googling. The โIโm fineโ texts when I really wasnโt.
Right now, theyโre monitoring me closely. My eGFR is just a few points above Stage 5 kidney diseaseโyep, the scary one. Kidney failure. Iโve already had to change my diet. Up my electrolytes. Watch my sodium. Pee into cups. Check for protein. (I knowโglamorous.)
And the thing is? On the outside, you might not even know anything is wrong. I donโt look like Iโm one lab result away from a nephrologist throwing me into a panic. But my body knows. And Iโm exhausted.
Iโve cried in the car. Iโve felt like a burden. Iโve wondered if Iโm doing everything wrongโeating the wrong thing, drinking too much water, not enough water, too much salt, not enough rest. You know the drill. Itโs the โchronic illness mathโ where none of the answers ever seem to add up.
But hereโs what I do know: this is the part we donโt talk about enough.
The in-between. The waiting. The not-knowing. The fear that lives just under the surface when your body starts doing something you canโt control.
So if youโre in a season where your body feels like a mysteryโor worse, like a betrayalโplease hear me: youโre not alone.
Iโm walking through it right now with you. Iโm scared some days. But Iโm also still here. Still showing up in the ways I can. Still choosing to hope, even when Iโm also choosing to cry.
I donโt have a neat little bow to tie on this episode. Thereโs no โfive tips for surviving a kidney crisisโ coming. This is just me, being honest. Saying the quiet parts out loud. Reminding us both that being sick doesnโt mean being silent. And being strong doesnโt mean being fine.
If this resonated with you, would you send it to someone else who might need to hear it? Or maybe just hit that review button and leave a little note. That kind of support means the world right now.
Until next timeโtake care of your body, your heart, and your hope.