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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…

I am on a journey. I’m chasing remission from lupus by using a plant-based lifestyle. I’m keeping a record of how I feel, my symptoms, and the food I eat. I have been a vegetarian for a few years. However, I’ve fallen off the wagon on occasion:…

Second in a series. Read part one. IV iron infusions Every few months, I go through the cycle of having blood and urine analyses completed before visiting my nephrologist. The fact that I’m so young and active plays a critical role in determining my course of…