A guy I was seeing took it upon himself to Google me. (Yes, I’m “Googleable.” Lol.) He tells me this over the phone while I’m folding clothes. It’s usually no secret that I perform. Most guys I date are very aware of that early on. He doesn’t linger…
Sometimes I think people forget that on the other side of the keyboard are other people. Things we would never say to someone in real life are often typed and sent without any regard for how the other person may feel because they can’t see us. I am…
At 18, my lupus diagnosis was still two years off, and happiness was a world of difference from what I now know it to be. Good times were a night out on the town, dancing till the wee hours of the morning, then reminiscing with friends while…
Some of you will remember the 1980s public service commercial where the man holds an egg in his hand and says, “This is your brain.” He then cracks it into a sizzling cast iron pan and says, “This is your brain on drugs. Any questions?” I’m not sure…
I opened my eyes this morning and knew it would be a great day to write. Why? Because with what I was feeling, I would be in bed all day. Pretty much everything hurts except my fluttering eyelids. Yep, no pain there. Battling lupus is like fighting the…
I think that because those of us battling lupus don’t look sick, people have no idea how much the disease affects every aspect of our lives. I know I’ve shared my feelings on this subject at various times in this column. Unfortunately, when your entire life is disrupted, it’s…
Death isn’t an abstract concept to me. I’m sick, and regardless of the fact that my sickness is outrageously unpredictable, my eventual descent toward passing will likely be pretty linear. I’ve learned to accept that deteriorating health will be par for the course for someone like me,…
Few couples hearing the term “in sickness and in health” at their wedding have thoughts of chronic illness enter their mind. But the reality is, with almost half of the American population dealing with some type of chronic illness, this should be something all couples consider. Relationships, while…
The word “remission” doesn’t mean what most people think it does. When most people use the word remission, they do so in relation to cancer and assume that it’s easily interchangeable with “cure.” But it’s not — in fact, it’s far from it! Remission only refers to an…
I have been asked what my goals are twice in the past two months. At one time, I would have told you that I was an ambitious overachiever. Now, I strive to get out of bed before 9 a.m. The first time it was on a questionnaire at the…