Living

For years, I believed that strength meant a stiff upper lip. As a lupus thriver, I thought I had to be invincible. But I was wrong. When I was first...

For those of us living with lupus, healthcare is personal. From seeing specialists to managing medications, we know how much these decisions affect our lives. But beyond our individual experiences...

The Reclaim Your Rest Giveaway is now closed. Thank you for your interest! Here at Lupus.net, we are celebrating Lupus Awareness Month by giving back to our incredible community of...

When I flare I’ll usually feel pain on my right hip or stiffness in my hands. But, this time I was feeling this radiating pain in my neck and upper...

Living with lupus comes with its own set of challenges, but an often overlooked and deeply painful aspect of the experience is the ableism that people with chronic illnesses, like...

I am exhausted. At first, I thought it was just fatigue towards the tedium and permanence of chronic illness chores, but it’s more than that. I recently learned the term...

In my life before lupus, I was goal-oriented and hard-working. Dreams of academic success, a college scholarship, or scoring a high rank in musical competitions motivated me to study hard...

I remember combing my hair and clumps being pulled onto the comb. Washing my hair and it just falling out in my hands. Every so often I have “hot spots”...

Having lupus means you have multiple appointments throughout the years. Not only with your rheumatologist but with the rest of your care team. Mine consisted of my nephrologist, pulmonologist, oncologist...

Every night, I count out a handful of pills. Six of these pills, which are prescribed by my rheumatologist to keep my lupus under control, are immunosuppressants. As their name...

I’ve been sharing my life with chronic illness openly online since nearly the moment my symptoms started happening. Sometimes it might look easy or seem natural, but it’s surprisingly difficult...

Living with lupus amongst other chronic illnesses is an uncharted journey that demands resilience, adaptation, and a strong spirit. When I got diagnosed with lupus, I was 27 and did...

The winter holidays conjure images of snowmen and candy canes, presents wrapped under a tree or beside a Menorah, and plates piled high with frosted sugar cookies. Unfortunately for us...

Does anyone remember as a child how you would just sit and doodle? We would doodle during class getting out nervous energy. Doodling, often seen as a mindless pastime, silently...

Turning 35 is a milestone for anyone, and as crazy as it sounds it is pretty much middle age for a huge amount of the population. Every day is super...

One of my most painful days with lupus wasn’t a day when my joints were swollen or when my fatigue was overwhelming. It wasn’t even when I was bedridden with...

Have you heard of choosing your hard? It’s usually framed in a way where either direction is hard (such as marriage or divorce) and you have to pick one. Well...

My husband and I recently purchased a car so now I’ve been planning several road trips for the future. But, living with lupus presents unique challenges and we just can’t...

My heart skipped a beat. I took a deep breath and then the anxiety hit. I muttered to myself, “What’s wrong with me? Is my lupus messing with my heart...

Lately at every party (I guess because I’m married and 34 and childless) people ask, "so when are you going to have kids?". I have a long winded explanation in...