As y’all can tell, over time the format of this blog has started to evolve a bit. At first, I tried to keep it all food and health-based, but I think it’s fun to share some more lifestyle related content (like My Favorite November Puschases). I hope y’all continue to stick around, even if I’m sharing a little less about paleo food and more about me, myself and I. 😉 Now onto the point of this post.

My transplant tattoo

My first tattoo is still probably my favorite. It’s my pre-transplant EKG, a semicolon and my post-transplant EKG. I also got it in white ink. It was importnat to havesomething simple and special to me. 

I reached out to my last transplant coordinator from the children’s hospital I had my transplant at (and now work at!) and had her pull my EKGs for me. It’s a constant reminder of how far I’ve come and how hard I’ve worked to remain healthy. The semicolon between the two EKGs represnets the moment of my transplant, my life took a pause, but continued on. 

ach transplant recipient is different, but I did ask my center for permission before getting a tattoo. I also did a lot of research to find a clean and respectable tattoo shop. I will say, I learned a ton about white ink tattoos. A lot of artists won’t do white ink because of how it shows up different on different people. I read a lot of information and had to let my artist know that I understood that it might not turn out white and or fade easily. Luckily, I think my skin tattoos pretty well (is that a thing?) and I’ve had no fading or discoloration. 

XX inguz tattoo

After I got my transplant tattoo, I decided I really wanted something to represent my Crohn’s journey. From when I started getting sick, to starting my first Remicade infusion – I always told my self where there’s a will, there’s a way. I started doing some researching and learned about the Viking Inguz, which literally is a symbol for, where there’s a will, there’s a way. It looks like two X’s next to each other. It’s on the inside of my right ringer finger. 

Like my transplant tattoo, this is a reminder to me of how far I’ve come. The months leading up to my Crohn’s diagnosis were some of the darkest months and days. This reminds me there is always a way out, no matter how dark the days seem.

Bluebonnet tattoo

My last tattoo will truly be my last. It was so extremely painful! The two before this one didn’t hurt that bad, but MAN this one hurt. I think it’s because it’s 1) the largest and 2) the only one with color.

The weekend of my bachelorette, my two friends and I decided to go get tattoos. I’d planned to just get the XX’s but I started talking to my best friend telling her I also wanted something Texas related. We decided to both get Texas’ bluebonnets. I decided to get it on the inside of my right ankle, thinking it’d be pretty hidden. Jokes on me – this is definitely my most visible and asked about tattoo. I love the color, design and love that my best friend also has the same one. 

Do you have any tattoos?