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Rachel Whitaker

@chel.whitaker

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2025 roundup part 6. last one i swear, and i’ll shut up until 2027 lol. this one is just for fun; i call it Winnie’s Pillows. have a good 2026 everyone 🥰 by @chel.whitaker

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9 months ago

2025 roundup part 5. what would i do without you guys?! those included in these photos and those not (i suck at remembering to take photos with people), my support system was so strong this year. i love all my friends and family so much. their encouraging words, help with household chores i just can’t do anymore, and simply just being there through the good, the bad, and the indescribable means more than i could ever say. also shoutout to my therapist who is a huge reason i was better at reaching out for help and advocating for my needs, both at home and at the doctor’s office. if you were there for me in any way in 2025, thank you so much. i only hope i was able to be half as amazing as you all are 😭💞 by @chel.whitaker

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9 months ago

2025 roundup part 4. long-windedealth update!: The year started out strong with my PCP referring me to a different pain specialist (the one she referred me to in 2024 had no interest in helping me once he saw anxiety in my chart and sent me to a “occupational therapist” who tried to further gaslight me into believing my pain was all psychosomatic 🤪 which my PCP was doing just fine on her own thanks!). my new pain specialist not only believes me, at my first appointment she talked about my december 2024 MRI which my PCP had said “didn’t have anything that would be causing my pain.” she was either misinterpreting it or lying, since the MRI shows arthritis which (spoiler alert) IS PAINFUL. This was the final straw, so after almost 2 years of my PCP trying to tell me it’s psychosomatic and “PTSD” from an EXTREMELY MINOR MVA, i stopped seeing her. I’ve been primarily focused on pain management this year: i tried diagnostic lidocaine injections, a radiofrequency ablation (which gave me relief for a whole six days 😭). due to all my past medical gaslighting i was terrified to tell my pain specialist just how much pain i was in (i basically have to live on my heating pad when i’m at home) until august, and how i could frankly not afford more diagnostic lidocaine injections, and she immediately filled out a handicap placard form for me, a pain med prescription, bloodwork (because my “normal” labs from my past PCP were also NOT FUCKING NORMAL), and referred me to rheumatology. and on christmas eve i found out i have bone spurs on my right hip. i’m so frustrated that it took so long to find someone who believes me. most of the doctors i saw in 2024 did not, and the ones who did couldn’t do much because of their specialty. i lost two years of diagnostic progress with my old PCP, who spent every appointment belittling me and gaslighting me instead of trying to find answers. i am so grateful for my pain specialist, and am cautiously optimistic for my rheumatology appointment in february 😭🙏🏻 overall… learn from my mistakes and don’t be afraid to fire your shitty doctors. lol 💞 by @chel.whitaker

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9 months ago

2025 roundup part 3. went to seattle with 2 of my siblings in October and never posted about it. i hadn’t been since i was in the single digits (if i’m remembering right). we got to stay a whole week so we could space things out. I finally was able to accept that I am disabled this last year and I got a walker which made the trip so much easier and enjoyable. I knew I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the zoo without assistance, so I rented a wheelchair there too. Overall, we visited pike’s market, the aquarium, space needle, chihuly glass exhibition, the zoo and mopop (museum of pop culture).
p.s. i never post on instagram so i’m giving myself permission to break up my 2025 roundup into a buuunch of posts. stay tuned for a couple more 😂💞 by @chel.whitaker

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9 months ago

2025 roundup part 2. my favorite 2025 reads. the page count is a little off because storygraph wouldn’t let me make updates after the 30th for some reason. probably closer to 17,000 but that’s okay. my goal for 2026 is 50 books! by @chel.whitaker

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10 months ago

2025 roundup part 1. some of the best food i made (with the help of my sous chef). in chronological order, not ranked:
1. curried egg and avocado tartines
2. blueberry lemon buttermilk cake for allie’s birthday
3. red salmon and caper patties
4. viral “gyoza casserole” from tiktok
5. homemade turkey stock (can’t remember the exact number but made over 30 cups and still enjoying it!)
6. leftover turkey enchiladas (always my favorite part of thanksgiving)
7. alfredo pasta with beet stems and greens
8. tomato and zucchini pasta with fennel and parmesan
it takes a lot for me to remember to take photos of my food. so just know these were 🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻 by @chel.whitaker

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10 months ago

2024 reading recap. top 5 books in no particular order by @chel.whitaker

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2 years ago

little 2024 recap. good: lots of Winnie & Stormy time, lots of good food, plus some friend time and family (not pictured). bad: lots of pain and medical gaslighting. here’s to hopefully getting more answers and a less painful 2025 🥂 by @chel.whitaker

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2 years ago

it’s national cat day 💞 don’t know what i would do without these degenerates 🥰 by @chel.whitaker

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2 years ago

i absolutely love coincidences like this. on the left is the book @spookybecks got me for christmas. on the right is a “blind date with a book” @mitziceballos sent me (i.e. not knowing what was inside, going off the note). this is a sign from the universe if i ever got one 💞🫶🏻🥺 by @chel.whitaker

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2 years ago

i don’t really have any photos of you so here is one from two years ago with me and andrea oops. welcome to the last half of your 20s 🫶🏻😭😂 happy birthday loser by @chel.whitaker

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3 years ago

Had some good food this year 😮‍💨 Homemade (odd photos) and otherwise (even photos) by @chel.whitaker

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3 years ago