I'm Not Always Me - a Column by Kalyn Shelton

My rare disorder, acute intermittent porphyria (AIP), is pronounced pohr-fear-ee-uh, and it puts fear in my life. In July of 2020, I started having mood swings, severe pain on the right side of my abdomen, and other symptoms. That’s when the fear really started. “What’s wrong with me?”…

Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with various medications, including Cymbalta (duloxetine) and Abilify (aripiprazole). Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. I’ve been scatterbrained, so I’m just going to lay this column out how it comes…

I’m a fifth-generation porphyria warrior, and the generational curse ended with me in February 2021. That month, I had what’s called a bilateral salpingectomy, the surgical removal of my fallopian tubes, to prevent me from getting pregnant. Although it wasn’t an easy decision, it had to be done. In…

Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with etonogestrel implantation. Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. My arm was laid out to the side as my then fiancé and now husband, Daniel, held my hand. “Are…

I was a few weeks into a common cold, and late one evening I needed to lie down. My husband, Daniel, was already in the bed, so I made myself comfortable beside him by lying flat on my back, placing my hands on my chest and interlocking my fingers. I…

To whom it may concern, I, Kalyn Shelton, wish to return my body as well as my mind because of chronic fatigue, nausea, pain, anxiety, depression, and more. I received this item a little over 30 years ago and began experiencing severe issues in July 2020. Please be advised that…

My alarm rang promptly at 8 a.m. so I could make it to work by 10. I still wasn’t feeling my best, but I found the strength to get out of bed and gather the clothes I needed to wear that day. For days prior, I’d spent hours rearranging and…

Imagine being a little kid and your parent gives you a quarter for the machine at the store so you can get the shiny ball you’ve been eyeing since you arrived. You put in your money and turn the dial, waiting anxiously for that one ball. Then you open the…

“In sickness and in health, until death do us part.” On April 27, 2019, my husband, Daniel, and I made the biggest commitment of our lives. Little did he know that less than two years later, sickness would overpower health. In July 2020, I started experiencing symptoms of acute…

The pain of an acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) attack is almost unbearable. It feels like someone is squeezing my right side with their fingernails, and it won’t stop. It has to stop. I almost can’t take it anymore. “Yes, I can!” I say to myself. I can get through…