How Lupus Changed My Approach to Setting Life GoalsI've always been a Type A, goal-oriented person. In the weeks leading up to New Year's Day every year, I research the best type of planner, then fill it with... By Meghan Bea3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments3 comments
Creative Outlets for Lupus Patients, Part 2When you have lupus, it can sometimes feel like you are just surviving instead of living. Making time for creativity can help relieve stress and add some joy to your... By Meghan Bea3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments3 comments
4 Creative Outlets for People Living With LupusAccording to Brene Brown (author, social scientist, and researcher), "Unused creativity is not benign. It metastasizes. It turns into grief, rage, judgment, sorrow, shame." I have found these words to... By Meghan Bea2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments2 comments
How To Accomplish Goals Despite LupusOne of the most painful parts of getting sick with lupus was having to let go of my goals and plans. I mourned the loss of the life I had... By Meghan Bea3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments4 comments
What To Expect When You Take ImmunosuppressantsLupus is an autoimmune disease. This means that instead of attacking invading germs, the body's immune system attacks its own skin and organs. Often, this assault by the immune system... By Meghan Bea2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments6 comments
How Lupus Indirectly Caused My Divorce"In sickness and in more sickness," my then-fiance and I joked in the months leading up to our wedding ceremony. We had dated 7 years before getting engaged. Three of... By Meghan Bea3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments6 comments
How To Tell if You're With a Supportive Partner, Part 2A lupus diagnosis can feel like being suddenly abandoned in a foreign land. You thought you understood how your body interacted with the world around you, only for all the... By Meghan Bea2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments4 comments
How I Use Mini-Habits to Accomplish GoalsAs a lupus patient, I don’t have as much time or energy as most people my age. Even after getting the over 10 hours of sleep a night that I... By Meghan Bea3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments3 comments
How To Stay Positive When You Feel Like CrapA question I often get asked as a lupus patient, along with "Why is your hair so messy?" and "How much coffee can one person drink?" is "How do you... By Meghan Bea2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments7 comments
How To Tell if You are With a Supportive Partner"A good marriage is one which allows for change and growth in the individuals and in the way they express their love.” – Pearl S. Buck Marriage isn't easy, as... By Meghan Bea2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments0 comments
5 More Tips to Manage InsomniaAs a lupus patient, I often struggle with insomnia. I previously wrote an article on ways to manage it. Here are some more tricks I’ve learned to help me fall... By Meghan Bea2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments1 comments
How To Win at Black Friday When You Are Chronically IllBlack Friday. When we hear these words, most of us think of frenzied crowds charging through Walmart doors, exhausted sales associates and harangued store managers, and people filling their carts... By Meghan Bea3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments1 comments
All About HydroxychloroquineTwelve years ago, I sat in a rheumatologist's office for the first time. "You have lupus," she said. "I'm going to start you on a dose of Plaquenil or hydroxychloroquine."... By Meghan Bea2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments5 comments
3 Strategies to Get a Good Night's SleepLupus patients are often fatigued and need more rest than the general population – which is why it’s so frustrating that many people with lupus experience insomnia as a symptom... By Meghan Bea2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments5 comments
My Diagnosis Story, Part 2During my second semester of grad school, I continued to search for a diagnosis. I was growing sicker and sicker. The brain fog intensified and the fatigue became unbearable. I... By Meghan Bea2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments2 comments
Why You Need a Lupus Role ModelWhen I first became sick with lupus, I was a twenty-year-old college student majoring in music performance. My life was filled with books and exams, orchestra rehearsals, and practicing the... By Meghan Bea3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments0 comments
My Diagnosis Story, Part 1I was first diagnosed with lupus, an autoimmune disease when I was 22. But like many people with invisible illnesses, it took a long time to finally figure out why... By Meghan Bea3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments0 comments
That Time Steroids Made Me Crave Cheese-Flavored Ice CreamIt was 11 pm on a Friday night, and I was stalking the frozen food section of my local grocery store. Like King Arthur searching for the Holy Grail, I... By Meghan Bea2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments0 comments
Lupus and My Struggle with Revenge Bedtime ProcrastinationThe year of the pandemic has brought us few experiences outside of our homes, but certainly many new words and phrases. "Zooming," "lockdown," and "work from home" have all become... By Meghan Bea3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments0 comments
8 Health Insurance Terms You Should KnowAside from paying your monthly premium, health insurance is something you rarely think about when you’re healthy. But when you’re diagnosed with lupus, you will frequently need to call your... By Meghan Bea2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments0 comments