I am lean, but not sunken, and not emaciated-looking. Once upon a time, I was 170 pounds, now I top out at about 118. Thanks to lupus, I went on a rapid weight-loss program without having signed up. I was so ashamed when I first lost the weight…
I’ve gone through countless evolutions in the past 18 months. One year ago, I felt physically overcome by weakness. Just getting up in the morning was a feat in itself, let alone tackling the day in front of me. But I made a choice, a choice that has…
I would wake up sneezing as if I had allergies. I’ve not had this happen very often, so I figured I’d brought something new home that I was having a reaction to. I had no idea that what my body was responding to was behind my walls. I’d…
Rarely do I try supplements or alternative therapies. But I was approached to try a supplement geared toward patients with lupus. At the time,…
When my treatment for lupus began, I was prescribed about 10 types of medications. Of those 10, only one made its presence known within the first month. But the thing was, it didn’t just announce itself; it screamed “PREDNISOLONE!”, so that I had no choice but to…
A few years ago I returned to New York, my birthplace, in search of colder weather. That may seem strange, but for me the heat and sunlight of South Florida literally was putting my body in a full-time flare-up. And while some spoonies relish the warmth (and actually feel…
I make no secret that after lupus stole my offline career (selling homes for almost two decades) that I had to shift and find a new way to earn. There are good and bad things about spending most of your life as an entrepreneur. Over the years, I have…
Being calm doesn’t come naturally to me. With a mind that’s constantly racing, there’s rarely a moment when I’m not deep in thought about one thing or another. My life is chaotic. From a need to overfill my waking hours with the things I love most to the…
I believe that everything happens for a reason. Even the bad stuff has a purpose. Don’t ask me what it is, but I know that none of us are getting out of life alive and none of us are getting out unscathed. Before I got lupus, I was…
No one grows up dreaming of falling in love with somebody who’s sick, and for good reason. Chronic illnesses are tiresome and unfair; they’re endless mountains of hard work and uncertainty followed by the type of surprise add-ons no one wants. And if you’re lucky enough to…