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Katie Flynn | Chronic Illness & Lifestyle 💛

@katie_unfiltered

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Finding glimmers in everyday life✨
Endometriosis • PMDD • PMOS🎗️
Living with an implanted nerve stimulator ⚡️
💌 [email protected]

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While I was away in Germany for work this week I asked Jonny to describe me in one word to a few little questions. I saw my lovely friend @elisha__elaine do this with her husband and immediately thought, I’m doing this with Jonny! 🥹💛

I’ve waited a long time for this kind of love. The kind where you feel safe to be yourself, where someone backs you in everything you do, and where you know you have a teammate for all the messy, wonderful bits of life.

Jonny is my biggest supporter. He sees me through the good days and the difficult ones, including the realities of living with chronic illness. He encourages my ambitions, believes in me when I doubt myself and makes the everyday feel special.

Being away reminded me just how much I love doing life with him. As grateful as I am for the opportunities my career brings, I always miss my person when we’re apart.

If there’s one thing my journey has taught me, it’s that life isn’t just about getting through the hard bits. It’s about the people we get to share it with, the love we find along the way and the little moments that remind us how lucky we are. I waited a long time for this love, and I don’t take a single bit of it for granted. Credit to my lovely friend @elisha__elaine for the idea!

Your turn: send this to your person and ask them to describe you. Or tell me in the comments what’s one word you’d use to describe your person?

K. 💛

#RelationshipGoals #CoupleReels
#LifeBeyondIllness #ChronicIllness
#HealthyRelationships by @katie_unfiltered

It took 17 years for healthcare professionals to listen to me and somehow, that’s only a tiny part of my story.

I started this page to raise awareness of endometriosis, but over the last year it’s grown into something much bigger.

Now I share the reality of living with endometriosis, chronic pain, PMDD and invisible illness but also the running, the books, the career, the relationships, the laughs, the little wins and all the glimmers in between.

Because chronic illness isn’t my life. It’s part of my life. If you’re new here, this is me. The good, the bad, the messy and everything in between.

If you’ve been here for a while thank you for being part of this little corner of the internet. 🫶🏻

If you’re new here, tell me where you’re following from and say hello. 👇🏻

K. 💛

#Endometriosis #ChronicIllness #ChronicPain #InvisibleIllness #WomensHealth by @katie_unfiltered

There are things on my bedside table that probably wouldn’t be there if I didn’t live with chronic pain and endometriosis.

Heat-pad and hot water bottle, a drawn full of medication, my stimulator, my cuddle cushion, a book and face cream for my hormonal skin to name a few.

None of these things “fix” my chronic illness but together, they help me manage the reality of living with chronic pelvic pain and an unpredictable body.

I’ve learned that looking after myself isn’t dramatic or glamorous, sometimes it’s just knowing what my body needs before it asks for it.

What’s one thing you always keep nearby on a bad pain day? 🫶🏻

K. 💛

#ChronicPain #Endometriosis #ChronicIllness #PainManagement #InvisibleIllness by @katie_unfiltered

PMOS girls, please tell me this isn’t just me. The tweezers in your handbag, on the desk, dressing table and in the bathroom. The random chin-hair checks because apparently you can never fully relax.

Just minding your business and suddenly there’s a new resident on your chin. If you know, you know.

Be honest with me, how many pairs of tweezers do you own? 😂

K. 💛

#PMOS #PCOS #ChronicIllness #WomensHealth #HormonalHealth by @katie_unfiltered

Chronic illness has taken a lot from me, but it will never take my love for autumn, Yorkshire and these little moments. 🍂

A morning walk through the beautiful streets of Sowerby, Bobby by my side and a decaf tea from Café Nero. Nothing extraordinary to anyone else, perhaps, but everything to me.

There was a time when something as simple as getting up, getting ready and heading out for a walk could feel like a much bigger challenge.

Living with endometriosis, PMDD, PCOS and chronic pain has changed so much about my life. There have been years of pain, cancelled plans, missed moments and days when my body has made even the smallest things feel difficult.

So I don’t take mornings like this for granted. Being able to enjoy the fresh air, wander around our beautiful corner of Yorkshire, watch the seasons change and spend time with Bobby is something I appreciate more than I can explain.

Autumn has always been my favourite season. The crisp mornings, golden leaves, cosy layers, darker evenings and everything that comes with the ber months. I think I love it even more now because of how much these slower moments mean to me.

Then there’s my little family, Jonny and Bobby. My favourite people, my favourite place and the life I’m so grateful to be building alongside all the difficult bits.

Chronic illness is part of my life. It has changed things, and there are still plenty of days when it gets in the way. But it doesn’t get to own every moment.

Sometimes happiness looks like a big adventure. Sometimes it looks like a quiet walk close to home, a takeaway tea, being well enough to enjoy it and today, that was more than enough.

What’s one ordinary little thing that means more to you than people might realise?

K. 💛

#ChronicIllness #Endometriosis #YorkshireLife #AutumnWalks #FindingTheGlimmers by @katie_unfiltered

In my head, we absolutely smashed this. In reality…I’m not sure what was happening with my feet. 😂💃

My sister and I gave the Babydoll dance a go today. I have never claimed to have any rhythm but we had a laugh, got some steps in and made some Halloween memories.

A year ago, I couldn’t have imagined being able to join in like this. Living with chronic illness means there have been plenty of moments I’ve had to sit out, miss or watch from the sidelines.

So today, even with questionable choreography, I’m just really happy I could give it a go.

It doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t have to be impressive. Sometimes it’s just about being well enough to join in, laugh with your sister and enjoy the moment.

A little Halloween reminder that the small things really do count.

Are you a natural dancer or do you also have absolutely no rhythm? 💃🕺

K. 💛

#ChronicIllness #Endometriosis #LifeWithChronicIllness #HalloweenReels #LittleMoments by @katie_unfiltered

The scariest thing I’m dressing up as this Halloween? A woman still fighting for her health. 🎃

No fake blood, no special effects. Just another hospital gown, another appointment and the ongoing plot twist that getting diagnosed with endometriosis doesn’t mean the fight is over.

18 years to get a diagnosis, excision surgery, a nerve stimulator and still navigating life with chronic pain. Honestly, ghosts have nothing on NHS waiting times. 👻

Behind the joke is something I wish we didn’t have to talk about so often: women deserve to be listened to, believed and given access to the care they need without having to fight quite so hard for it.

Endometriosis isn’t just bad period pain, and getting a diagnosis isn’t the end of the story. What’s the scariest part of navigating healthcare with endometriosis for you?

Happy Halloween. Stay spooky, and please take women’s pain seriously.

K. 💛

#Endometriosis #Halloween #WomensHealth #ChronicPain #NHS by @katie_unfiltered

5 things I wish I’d known before my endometriosis diagnosis. 💛

After 18 years of symptoms and searching for answers, there are things I wish I could go back and tell my younger self.

1. You don’t have to look ill to be struggling.
2. You are not being dramatic for wanting answers.
3. Getting a diagnosis can take time, and that journey can be exhausting.
4. A diagnosis isn’t a cure. It can explain so much, but it doesn’t automatically make the pain disappear.
5. You deserve support with the life you’re living now, not just a name for what’s wrong.

I spent years thinking I just had to get on with it. I wish I’d known sooner that my symptoms deserved to be taken seriously.

I can’t change those 18 years, but I can share what I’ve learnt in the hope that someone else feels less alone in their own journey.

Which of these do you wish someone had told you sooner?

K. 💛

#Endometriosis #EndometriosisSupport#EndometriosisAwareness #WomensHealth #ChronicIllness by @katie_unfiltered

I’d rather be known as the chatty girl on work trips than the chronically ill one. 💔

If you know me, you’ll know I can talk to absolutely anyone. Put me in a room full of people and I can flick a switch, become chatty and make connections. I love my job and I’m so grateful for the opportunities I get.

But there’s another side people don’t always see.

I’m actually an introvert. I crave quiet, calm, familiar surroundings and routine. When you live with chronic illness, those things aren’t just preferences; they’re how you cope.

Work trips can be amazing, but long days, disrupted sleep and constantly being switched on can be exhausting. Add the days before my period, when PMDD makes everything feel more overwhelming, and it can be a lot.

You might see me laughing, chatting and getting on with it. You might not see the pain, exhaustion or how desperately I need quiet afterwards.

I don’t share this for sympathy. I share it because both versions of me are real.

I can love my life and still find parts of it hard. I can be grateful for opportunities and still need more recovery time than people realise. I can look fine and be struggling underneath.

If you mask how you feel, push through so people don’t see you differently, or save the hard bits for when you get home, I see you. 💛

#ChronicIllness #InvisibleIllness #PMDD #ChronicPain #WorkingWithChronicIllness by @katie_unfiltered

This is my reality after a day of travelling with endometriosis.

Not drinking enough water, being out of my normal routine, the stress and exhaustion of travelling not being able to go to the toilet when I need to and by the time I get to the hotel, get into my PJs and finally stop for the evening my stomach can be SO bloated, uncomfortable and painful.

I have a belly even on my “good” days but by the evening, especially after travelling, the bloating can be horrendous. It can be hard not to feel frustrated when you’re trying your best to look after yourself and your body still feels like this.

This isn’t me sucking in, posing or showing you a before and after. It’s my real body, on a real evening, dealing with real pain.

Endometriosis isn’t just about periods. It can affect so many parts of everyday life, including travelling, digestion and simply feeling comfortable in your own body.

I’m sharing this because I know I’m not the only one who gets home from a trip feeling like this. And sometimes, seeing someone else’s reality reminds you that you’re not alone.

Can you relate to this? Does travelling or being out of your usual routine leave you painfully bloated, too?

Share this with someone who needs the reminder that real bodies don’t look the same all day, every day.

K. 💛

#Endometriosis #Bloating #EndometriosisAwareness #ChronicIllness #ChronicPain by @katie_unfiltered

This is the reality of living with endometriosis and chronic pain. Every day is different and every persons journey is different. Never compare yourself.

K. 💛

#endometriosis #chronicillness #invisibleillness #womenshealth #chronicpain by @katie_unfiltered

Had to jump on this trend. Endometriosis really is the gift that keeps on giving. 10/10, would NOT recommend.

#Endometriosis #EndoAwareness #ChronicIllness #InvisibleIllness #EndoWarrior by @katie_unfiltered