Cara Reel

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Cara Reel 👋Hi I'm Cara💙🏳️‍🌈🖤🤎♀️🏳️‍⚧️
I have like 20 chronic illnesses
hEDS, gastroparesis, POTS, MCAS, fibromyalgia... West Pasco based natural light photographer.

I work in Pasco, Pinellas, Hernando and Hillsborough counties. Available for: Maternity, lifestyle newborn and family sessions.

09/10/2026

One thing you wish you knew sooner about gastroparesis?

09/09/2026

Gastroparesis is partial or full paralysis of your stomach muscles. It means when I eat food sits in my stomach hours sometimes days and I can't do anything to make it move faster or make it move at all. My last GI told me she didn't treat it referred me to a surgeon who my insurance refused to cover for a g-POEM. After that I was left to figure it all out myself. I tried a nutitionist and everything they aren't helpful they just tell you to eat as much as you can but in small quantities. Enzymes don't work for everyone and for some of us add to our already intense stomach pain from the gastroparesis.

07/22/2026

We need to start talking more about ableism.

Any time you think "they look fine" you are being ableist. "They don't really need that mobility aid" ableist. "She was fine yesterday" ableist.

None of us want to be sick we just are. Regardless of "LOOKING" sick I am sick every single day and I have been for more than half of my life. I might look fine but feel like trash and it NEVER ENDS!

We have good days and bad. For me some days I don't even need my cane while others I need a wheelchair. Needing different mobility aids doesn't change that my illness takes its toll every day with every interaction and choice I make.

So before you judge us by how we look, what we did yesterday, or what devices we need to function I need you to remember that there is only one minority that everyone will become part of if they live long enough... And it can happen tomorrow... Next Tuesday... Any day it's possible you will become disabled. Think with kindness and understanding not disgust and contempt we get enough of that every time we step out our front doors.

07/15/2026

The days are starting to blur... I can't remember the last day I was at my baseline in pain or symptom severity. My body aches like I have the flu, my arms and legs keep cramping and spasming.

07/11/2026

Legitimately they have been like this my whole life. I've tried vitamins, nail bed treatments, changing diets, none of it changes anything my nails are like paper. On top of that if I hit them with the edge coming into contact with something hard they snap or split or go entirely backwards. It's just one of the many random things I found out are related to my hEDS
My page is changing and I am shifting more towards more chronic illness content if you don't want to follow any more I get it. This is my life and I am chronically ill and disabled.

07/07/2026

Soups or broth/noodle bowls that are your favorite?

I've unintentionally lost 32lbs since last November that's about 17% of my weight. It's been speeding up not slowing down because lately I've had more and more days where I can only keep liquid down.

I need to keep more soups on rotation to help and basically they will all end up pureed if I want to keep them down. Barley is a no go my stomach just sends it back up but some veggies as long as they are super soft are ok but also I have to avoid vegetables that cause gas and I can only have 3-5 grams of fiber in a day. This is why gastroparesis is so complicated.

Currently what I can keep down sometimes is white bread, crackers, pasta, potatoes (no skins), white rice, very cooked carrots, tuna and chicken that's basically cooked to mush... Ground beef isn't an option along with any kind of bean/legume, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, cabbage, celery, corn, green peas, pea pods, water chestnuts, lettuce, kale and bell peppers. Highly acidic produce like tomatoes and citrus I also can't do. No monosodium glutamate either I have an intolerance.

I'm going to make eggdrop soup today without tofu... But if you have favorite soups that don't include whole grains or any of the produce I listed I would love ideas!

05/30/2026

If you try to be a hateful homophobe or transphobe on my page I'm going to call you out and rub your nose in it. ✌🏼

05/29/2026

Trans people account for only 1% of the population. 5 trans people have been murdered in the last 6 weeks... STAND UP FOR THEM OR THERE WON'T BE ANYONE LEFT TO STAND UP WHEN IT'S YOU THEY COME FOR!

05/25/2026

STOP USING AI IT'S KILLING OUR PLANET!

May is hEDS awareness month and here are some graphics showing just some of the comorbidities with the condition and I p...
05/17/2026

May is hEDS awareness month and here are some graphics showing just some of the comorbidities with the condition and I put check marks for all of the confirmed conditions I have that are associated with hEDS. I have other suspected comorbidities just have more testing to do.
hEDS is GENETIC and does run in families.

Address

Port Richey, FL

Telephone

+18136022272

Website

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