It seems to be a growing trend that doctors have a lot less time to spend with their patients. Many make you sit in a room all alone long after your vitals have been taken, with old magazines full of old news.  While you’re sitting there, all of the…
It doesn’t matter when or where I tell someone I have lupus, the reaction is always the same. The person’s face will drop as they realize I’ve just shared with them that I have a illness I’ll live with forever. Cue the onset of sympathetic and pitied glances.
Lupus and a healthy skin care routine go together like Tacos and Tuesday. Well, minus the fact that one carves up images of margaritas and good times, whereas the other conjures, in my mind at least, images of dried skin, red rashes, sun sensitivity and bizarre sores…
It seems that people like to lay blame when they don’t have a full understanding of something. They tend to seek an explanation and when they can’t, then decide it must be someone’s fault. I have a feeling that those who deem themselves healthy think they mean well…
I’ve always been an over-thinker. There’s rarely a time when there isn’t something racing through my head. But it used to be different, a lot more carefree and a little less serious than it is in my present. Now I don’t just over-think, I over-worry – and it’s…
I don’t know how to tell you this, but turning 21 isn’t going to be quite what we expected. Your life is not going to be a fairytale. You’re going to face some really hard times from which no one can save you. You’re going to learn that…
People tend to think of their animals as part of their family. They provide unconditional love and are there by your side through the good and the bad. That’s just the everyday value that a family pet provides. For those battling lupus, depression can be overwhelming, a feeling…
It wasn’t until I had to live with a low-sodium diet that I came to realize that salt is literally in almost everything! It occurs naturally in most proteins, and is added to pretty much anything that isn’t a fresh fruit or vegetable. Eating used to be a…
Being diagnosed with a chronic illness as a child can affect an individual on so many different levels. For myself, being diagnosed at age 14 with several chronic illnesses (including lupus) increased anxiety and stress in my life. My illness caused me to make decisions and choices that I would…
When people think of massage they often think of luxury — something to reward or pamper yourself with. Some may use it to alleviate stress, or perhaps a pulled muscle from a workout at the gym. Massage is not something many recognize as medicinal in nature, nor do they…