Sep 15, 2026 · 15 min · 9 segments
Exhaustion is not going away for real - you have to manage it before it manages you. If you are raising a child with Sickle cell disease, chronic stress can quietly drain your emotional and mental…
Eugenia Addison-EnchillHostSickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder where red blood cells become sticky, and they take a crescent shape instead of a round and flexible shape.
These cells can block the blood flow to the parts of the body and cause pain.
Mostly causes a lot of complications, and some of the triggers, common triggers are dehydration, cold weather, stress, mostly anxiety due to infections, and even lack of sleep.
And some of those symptoms can cause severe pain in your bones, your joints, your back, your chest.
Sometimes you can have swelling of your hands or feet, a lot of fatigue, headaches, even shortness of breath.
As caregivers, we need to look beyond the pain crisis and the increased risk of infections.
It can be an acute chest syndrome, a lot of fatigue with anemia, and long-term pain.
And just to let you know, this is a chronic illness, which is precisely why, as caregivers, our nervous systems stay on high alert.
And I had to learn that exhaustion was not gonna go away as long as I was caring for my kids.
I had to find ways to manage my exhaustion, and that mostly was mindset shifts and knowing that it was not an option, but a lifeline.
I had to find ways to manage my mind, manage my spirit using the Word of God, which is building my faith and inner strength so that I could be sustained.
Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder where red blood cells become sticky, and they take a crescent shape instead of a round and flexible shape.
These cells can block the blood flow to the parts of the body and cause pain.
Mostly causes a lot of complications, and some of the triggers, common triggers are dehydration, cold weather, stress, mostly anxiety due to infections, and even lack of sleep.
And some of those symptoms can cause severe pain in your bones, your joints, your back, your chest.
Sometimes you can have swelling of your hands or feet, a lot of fatigue, headaches, even shortness of breath.
As caregivers, we need to look beyond the pain crisis and the increased risk of infections.
It can be an acute chest syndrome, a lot of fatigue with anemia, and long-term pain.
And just to let you know, this is a chronic illness, which is precisely why, as caregivers, our nervous systems stay on high alert.
And I had to learn that exhaustion was not gonna go away as long as I was caring for my kids.
I had to find ways to manage my exhaustion, and that mostly was mindset shifts and knowing that it was not an option, but a lifeline.
I had to find ways to manage my mind, manage my spirit using the Word of God, which is building my faith and inner strength so that I could be sustained.
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