One thing that affects my illnesses profoundly is the weather. As temperatures have started to drop, my body already is feeling it. So, I only can imagine what anyone feels like who has survived the recent onslaught of severe weather that has impacted our country — especially those with chronic…
There’s something about being diagnosed with a chronic illness at a young age that the rest of the world can’t help but see as tragic. Diagnosed with lupus at age 20, I know all about what that’s like. It’s not that someone older is any less unfortunate…
Do you have someone in your life who doesn’t understand why you are always “sick and tired?” Is it hard for them to fathom that the illness you have won’t go away after a good nap or latest diet fad? And are they confused as to why you may…
I saw a statistic that said that only 31 percent of adults with lupus are working full time. The rest of us are just battling it out. If you are like me, you applied for disability, but with the backlog or whatever reasons they have for not getting…
Last week, Selena Gomez posted a photo on Instagram about her recent kidney transplant. Her openness about both her condition and the treatment has undoubtedly been a much-needed catalyst to greater awareness and recognition of lupus, especially since her latest surgery. As part of our ongoing ritual…
Battling lupus stinks. It takes so much out of you. When I was diagnosed, I was selling homes, I had a full social life, and I was a big ball of energy. I would cook, clean, entertain, and work. As lupus settled into my body, I have…
A recent post on Facebook depicted a mother’s overwhelming love for the midwives and nurses who helped her through her very first C-section. Attached was a photo of a truly vulnerable moment between a nurse and the new mum. The scene shows the midwife tending to…
Despite my chronic illness, some days I feel like a rock star. No brain fog, no body pain, no fever. It’s these rare days that often trick me into thinking I am invincible and can do just about anything. I have a habit, though, of wearing myself out in…
I found out the name of the thing that was torturing me in February 2016. I was told I was suffering from lupus. At that time, I decided that I had received a death sentence. It was torturing me in so many ways. I shared with my mom…
Though there is no cure for lupus, the word “remission” tends to bring a lot of hope and comfort to those around me. While remission is the goal I have been hoping to achieve for the past year-and-a-half, I have to admit that its prospect doesn’t bring…