Columns

Can I just tell you that having lupus can really take it out of you? Mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Over the past few weeks I have run the gamut. There is not just an emotional toll for me. I…

When it came to my first six months with lupus, it felt like I took so many losses. My diet, my energy, my face, my body shape, the list just kept growing. I felt like I never got to take anything back. I never got to have a…

I write this in a state of disbelief and heartbroken shock. Not long ago I found out about the passing of someone whose presence merely graced my life, yet left a lasting imprint. I’d love to dedicate this column not only to one wonderful and strong woman,…

I recently was released from the hospital with more narcotics than a drug cartel, or at least that is what it felt like. Each one comes with its own issues and side effects. Instructions vary: Take after dinner,…

Though I openly hate it, I owe my good health to the prescription drug prednisolone. Anyone who has been prescribed the corticosteroid knows the love-hate relationship all too well. And while I can now look back and be grateful for its miracle powers of healing, there was…

Unbeknownst to me, there is a debate raging in online forums — and it has nothing to do with politics. The debate has been going strong for more than 30 years regarding whether birth control and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) causes flare-ups in Lupus patients. Most women are diagnosed…

As a lupus warrior, a hospital stay (or several) will be a definite part of the future. I am becoming an expert about making a hospital stay as pleasant as chronic pain will allow. Any hospital stay is a challenge for you and your whole family, especially if…

  I remember the day I was diagnosed with lupus. And I remember the weeks that followed as I floated around in a haze of shock, not truly able to comprehend what was happening. I wasn’t in denial, but I hadn’t quite grasped what had occurred and…

I’ve always been a thankful person; expressing gratitude has never been an issue for me. When I was a child, my stepdad once told my mom that I was grateful even if I was given an empty paper bag. My gratitude caused my stepdad to do nice things…

There were times right after my lupus diagnosis when I longed for a relationship that was more than platonic. There were times when I felt I needed someone to hear out my frustrations and wrap their arms around me in a way that was different than a family…