Living

I first started dealing with chronic pain and illness in 2015. Each year since then, I’m determined that this will be the season of my life where I don’t have...

Lupus 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...

When we hear the term "hospital bag," we think of a sweet decorative bag full of onesies and maternity clothes. What if we thought about that term to describe those...

It was a cold dark night. I could hear the wolves howling at the moon. A cool breeze came through my window and I shuddered. As I closed the window...

Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is anxiety in the aftermath of a traumatic event. You may think of it happening to a soldier returning from war or a victim of...

It suddenly dawned on me yesterday that I have spent half of my life being sick and it’s a pretty scary thought! I was diagnosed with lupus about 14 years...

My problems with chronic dry eye appeared suddenly a few months after I was diagnosed with lupus. While on a road trip with my husband, I suddenly couldn’t make out...

It’s been a long time that I have had to wear a mask. Not the mask because of the pandemic but, the mask of making myself look well when I...

During 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...

Since my lupus symptoms began, one of the main issues I have struggled with has been a near-constant foggy-headed feeling that seems to come and go with intensity. In the...

Just recently I was in a car accident, my second car accident. This time my daughter and husband were in the car with me. This emotional experience impacted me deeply...

There is so much more to lupus than meets the eye. I mean literally, lupus can meet your eyes and have an effect on them. Not only can the medicines...

The stigma of explaining lupus to others can be overwhelming sometimes because they don’t know what you go through daily. I have some people that call me most of the...

Do you ever feel like you aren’t well as you battle lupus? Does it feel like everything is coming at you all at once and just wearing you down? At...

The quality of life becomes precious to anyone from birth to old age, but when you have a condition that attacks your norm, everything becomes more serious. I find myself...

Have you ever felt guilty for not being able to do something because of lupus? Has your guilt caused you some undue stress? How about just being hard on yourself...

When 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...

Owning a handicap sticker should not cause you to feel shame. Some disabilities are not visible, so sometimes others will think you don’t deserve that spot as much as they...

As the saying goes, lupus invites all its friends to the party – or in this case, the body. Our 2nd Lupus In America survey gave us a more detailed...

There are different seasons for different clothing’s but especially for people living with lupus. I learned that a long time ago when I started to have discoid lupus. When I...