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Try something with me. Find a piece of paper and take a moment to write up to five adjectives that you most identify with yourself. Once finished, continue reading. Look at the words you’ve written. Are you happy with how…

The past few months have been a disaster. Despite being a bona fide joy junkie, I’ve experienced new physical symptoms that have drained me mentally, physically, and emotionally. I rarely feel very low for a long period, but recently I was having such a difficult time that my…

When children are young, they love to drive you up the wall and seem to take particular pride in picking at one another. They put on their best-worst behavior for you on the morning your eyeliner is crooked, you’ve only rinsed out half of the shampoo, and you’re…

I go back and forth on the issue of dating. Sometimes I think it’s because even before I got sick, I was considered “intimidating” to many men. I have been told this for most of my adult life: They meet me, they find me attractive, we start talking,…

When I was diagnosed with lupus, I put on my battle gear and went to war. I changed the food I ate, how I cared for myself, the country I lived in, my career, and even my attitude. I learned to mind my business. As a former fashion…

I remember the first time I was given the corticosteroid prednisolone to treat lupus. Within days, it became clear that the medication was working, but I’d already started to hate it. In retrospect, that was a foretelling sign of the long-term love-hate relationship we would share. The…

I remember when catching a cold felt only irritating; when it meant a couple of days off school with Mum forcing me to down foul cherry-flavored cough syrup and maybe some chicken noodle soup. Those were the easy days of cold and flu. I wish that would still be the case.

We’ve all heard the saying: “I laugh to keep from crying.” Sometimes that’s the way it is with lupus. There are always new changes, symptoms, and hospital stays — more coping, coping, and coping. Then there’s still real life, like family, work, and bills. At times, it gets…

Heartburn, acid reflux, indigestion … I feel like a walking Pepto-Bismol commercial. It seems that even water has the ability to cause heartburn — and here I expected it to put that fire out. I have been a sometimes-vegetarian for years, but recently I decided to ditch anything…

Third in a series. Read part one and part two. Late last year, I met a guy and fell in love. Our relationship blossomed quickly, and we moved in together after only a few months. What binds us is a love of great food and an…