My Mountain, My Lupus - A Column by Bridget Gardiner

Even before my lupus diagnosis, my body has had amazing accuracy when forecasting the weather. For someone with arthritis, this becomes an unwanted superpower of sorts. Because when the rain hits, so  does the stiffness and pain in my joints. While painkillers can mask the excruciating painful limitations,…

My Prada high heels were the best thing in my closet. They had that sweet Italian leather scent that only a woman would know. Purchased at a second-hand store, they were a soft light-brown suede wedge that made my calves look runway ready. Even my five-foot-one fairy frame seemed tall and…

I was watching the marsh fly by the car window as the Georgia sunrise and all its beauty stared back at me. A friend was driving me north to the Charleston, S.C., airport to catch a flight to Los Angeles. Driving myself has become a bit of a thing…

Have you ever gone to someone’s house and checked out their medicine cabinet? My grandma once told me the medicine cabinet can say almost everything you need to know about a person. So, today, I am going to walk you through what’s in my medicine cabinet, which meds I…

You’ve probably heard of the book 50 Shades of Grey and you’ve more than likely figured out that it is code for “50 Shades of F’ed Up.” Interestingly enough, that phrase truly describes my being diagnosed and  having to live with lupus. Every day is a different shade of…

I am just gonna call out the white elephant in the room because everyone has seen the news about drug therapies and possible side effects but no one really knows who or how this affects someone with any chronic illness let alone, for me, with lupus. Let’s be honest, we…

You probably have heard the phrase “Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll.” I was used to hearing it as well as I grew up in the music industry in Los Angeles, with parents heavy into the ’80s rock scene. I grew up being told I was a rock star. No matter what…

I am on day 3 of recovery from a 5-day vacation. No, it was not a rave-filled party or an alcohol-induced retreat. In fact, as far as vacations go, it began quite mildly. I packed up the SUV with our two little dogs and my teenage boys, then we pulled…

While my disease is doing better each day and I am feeling better with every treatment, there are some things that will never go away. I will never be “cured” in the traditional sense. I’ve tried so many things and so many doctors, and have been poked and…

Lupus and a healthy skin care routine go together like Tacos and Tuesday. Well, minus the fact that one carves up images of margaritas and good times, whereas the other conjures, in my mind at least, images of dried skin, red rashes, sun sensitivity and bizarre sores…