Victim or Victor?Do you ever feel like you are in a dark place? Like you can’t crawl out of a lupus flare before another flare takes a hold on you? Do you... By Racquel H. Dozier2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments2 comments
My Journey To Filing For Disability, Part 1At almost 30 years old, in 2016, the word disability wasn’t even in my vernacular. Sure I knew what it was. I knew a few people in my support group... By Amber Blackburn, RN4 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments0 comments
Health InsuranceWhen I moved back home, I didn’t think things in the system would become even harder to deal with. I just had to make a shift in my life because... By Jokiva Bellard2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments1 comments
Pants That Covered My Pain and Brightened My FutureI crave food! I crave food! I crave food all of the time! Whenever my rheumatologist and I discuss a regimen of prednisone, I find an excuse to avoid the... By Christopher Reed3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments1 comments
Community Views: What Lupus Fatigue Feels LikeFatigue is an intense feeling that many people do not fully understand until they are living with it. Fatigue is very different from just feeling tired. When we are tired... By Editorial Team 2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments13 comments
Things I am Tired of People Saying Because I Have a Chronic IllnessThere are so many things that I am tired of saying because of my autoimmune disease. Most of it relates to spousal support. There have been times when people told... By Jokiva Bellard2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments6 comments
Accepting Lupus After Your Mourning PeriodBeing diagnosed with lupus was probably one of most difficult moments you have had to deal with. You most likely had a whirlwind of emotions and negative thoughts. In all... By Racquel H. Dozier2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments5 comments
Advocacy: We Have the Strength in Service of Ourselves“You have the strength to get up.” Many years ago, a woman got up in a room full of over 300 lupus patients and caregivers and made this statement to... By Christopher Reed3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments0 comments
Why Childcare Is Essential for Me as a Mom With LupusI am a stay-at-home mom and a work-at-home mom, but almost never at the same time. This is because I’m also a lupus mom and I don’t have enough spoons... By Ava Meena3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments2 comments
Judgments We Can Face With LupusI had to give up my career in the travel industry 15 years ago which was an incredibly difficult time in my life, I absolutely loved my job and I... By Charlotte Barnett2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments1 comments
You Should Tell Your StoryWhen I decided to make a lupus video for Facebook, I did not expect to get the recognition that I would get. All my life I only heard my mother... By Jokiva Bellard2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments0 comments
Why I Joined a Lupus Support GroupAt my very first support group meeting, I walked into the Italian restaurant with sweaty hands. Not even the aroma of garlic bread and marinara sauce could settle the nervousness... By Meghan Bea3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments9 comments
8 Tips for Parenting a Toddler When You Have LupusParenting a young child is physically demanding, and it’s often around-the-clock work. It’s been harder on my body than I expected. I constantly find myself at a crossroads where I... By Ava Meena3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments0 comments
Balancing a Healthy Diet With LupusMany have read and been told that there is a specific lupus diet that can help cure lupus. I have found that there is no established diet for lupus. Although... By Racquel H. Dozier2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments2 comments
Am I a Clean Freak?Am I a clean freak or am I just concerned about my health? The more and more I think about that question, the more I realize that I just prefer... By Jokiva Bellard2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments3 comments
The First Time Someone Glared At Me For Using a Handicapped PassThe first time someone gave me a dirty look for using a handicapped pass happened in the grocery store parking lot. I was wearing a fluorescent coral dress and nude... By Meghan Bea3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments0 comments
Communication is KeyMore than 24 million people in the United States have an autoimmune disease, according to the NIH. And even more experience chronic illness. In today’s age, it is hard to... By Chandra Jo Crosby3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments0 comments
Practical Ways to Overcome Depression While Beating LupusWhat the hell? Helpless... Hopeless... Sometimes, I’m just sick of being the adult in this lupus relationship. I don’t know if I’m angry, confident, depressed, anxiety-ridden, happy, sad, or indifferent... By Racquel H. Dozier2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments5 comments
What Are Tips For Building a Good Lupus Doctor Relationship?A good doctor treats the whole patient. I am not talking about the philosophy held by many in holistic medicine. I am also not asking every physician to understand every... By Christopher Reed3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments3 comments
Give Me My Life Back, LupusI want my old life back. Yes, I want my old life back. I want to be able to work and come home. I want to be able to help... By Jokiva Bellard2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments2 comments