My blogging started as a way to update friends and family on our hospital travels and prayer requests. Once I started @relentlesslysassy on Instagram, I became a resource for feeding tubes, different autoimmune treatments, fighting against inevitable malnutrition, etc. Some of the things I’m asked online deserve more than just an Instagram post, and some of my personal updates are too big to cram into a paragraph. SO, I blog! And the cherry on top- over time it’s become a great way for me to incorporate my biggest coping mechanism… SHOPPING!

The list is endless, but I’m always going back to the classics!

J.Crew, Tuckernuck & Lilly Pulitzer (of course) are my go-to’s for closet staples.

Serena & Lily, Jonathan Adler and Homegoods are where I get the majority of my home decor!

Nope! I get a lot of “You look like you’re feeling great!” and while I love getting dressed, I don’t feel well at all. Despite trying and trying again, I went into “retirement” in the winter of 2021. I had to leave so many jobs due to surgeries and hospitalizations, it just didn’t make sense.

While Drew was away at school, I worked in event planning for our church (love a good party!), and as a stylist for J.Crew- SUCH fun experiences and I learned a lot. I’m really fortunate to have a family who understands and encourages me to prioritize my health.

Getting a life-altering diagnosis can be really hard to process. If you’re open to talking about it, I’d recommend sharing your story on Instagram and using hashtags to find other people who are dealing with the same thing! The Instagram (or “sickstagram”) community changed my life. Living in an able-bodied world can feel so isolating, and having even a few people you can shoot a message to throughout the week to complain or ask for advice is really valuable. I’ve met a couple of my best friends on there.

StuffThatWorks is another neat resource- when you put in your diagnosis, it groups you with other people nearby who are dealing with the same things and is a cool forum to discuss treatment plans and next steps.

I have a feeding tube because my stomach and large intestine are failing. My feeding tube slowly pumps nutrition into my jejunum for my small intestine to absorb, since my stomach can’t digest food I take by mouth. I am 100% EEN, which means I only get nutrition from my tube feeds- nothing orally.

You can read more about different types of feeding tubes in my post on What is a tube flip? and My GJ separation.

I use Kate Farms Peptide 1.5 formula.

You can support me by ordering through this link!

I do not use Kate Farms because I partner with them. I use Kate Farms because it’s the most tolerable formula for me and makes me the least sick. I think part of my job as an influencer in the feeding tube community is to share honest products that genuinely improve my quality of life- and KF does exactly that. Kate Farms and I began an official partnership in November 2021 after over a year of me raving about their formula.

You can shop my Instagram posts by going to my Shop page!

Yes! If you’d like to work together here on the blog, or on either of my Instagram accounts (@relentlesslysassy @relentlesslysassystyle) please email me at relentlesslysassy@gmail.com