Olivia, a Care+Wear Ambassador and chronic illness warrior, has been navigating life with chronic illness, and a newly placed GJ tube. While the journey has brought unexpected challenges, it has also introduced her to a powerful sense of community and support.
In this blog, Olivia opens up about one piece of advice that has made a lasting impact on her mental health: “It’s not your fault.” Through her story, she reminds others that they are not alone—and that grace and self-compassion are just as important as medical care.
Continue reading to learn more.
The Best Advice I've Been Given
The best piece of advice a fellow warrior has given me is that it is not my fault.
Throughout my journey with my health, and especially now, it means a lot to hear those words. When everything feels like it's going wrong, it's hard to not think you are responsible for the outcome. Hearing those words really helped me take the pressure off myself.
Instead of allowing my brain to take those thoughts and run, I can ground myself a bit more and let the focus remain on what I can do to improve my situation, versus what I could have done to prevent it.
Passing It On
Whenever I see someone else struggling with this, I remind them that it is also not their fault.
It's very easy to get into this mindset and sit in it for a long time. Hearing those words might not help overnight, but over time, you'll start to feel the validity of them.
The Start of My GJ Tube Journey
I’ve received so much support and advice in the last month since getting my GJ tube — both on Instagram and on TikTok — it has been overwhelming in the best way.
If you haven’t seen over on my TikTok (@oliviatheratt), I have not had the best experience with my tube so far. I’ve been dealing with a lot of issues like clogs and kinks and have been very discouraged.
Being new to tube feeds and having so many issues on top of that has been really difficult, and I kept feeling like I was doing something wrong.
I'm Not Doing Anything Wrong
The most encouraging statements I’ve received have been: “It’s not your fault” and “You’re not doing anything wrong.”
I know that most of the issues I was/am having are out of my control. I’m trying a new formula now and fingers crossed for no more issues!!
Grateful for Support
Thankfully, I’ve had some wonderful people to lean on and make me feel less alone and stuck.
The Care+Wear community has helped me by giving me more wonderful people to add to my network of support.
Thank you to everyone who has helped me on this new journey. 🤍
To learn more about Olivia's journey, follow her on Instagram.
Interested in exploring more stories from our ambassador community? Check out:
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