Living

As we age, it's obvious that our physical appearance changes–it’s part of life. However, I have noticed, particularly within the last 5 years, how my body has changed a lot...

The last thing we want to do when we are sick, or hurt is going to the ER or urgent care. We see so many doctors, so the thought of...

Since getting diagnosed with lupus in July 2017, I have been on a medication adventure. I learned early on that there was no one size fits all plan for people...

Earlier this year, one of my favorite songs, Ironic by Alanis Morrissette, became my reality. I was sitting in my home office one morning when Luca, my best friend, called...

Dealing with lupus, we have a team of doctors we see frequently. We have multiple labs and urinalyses, and some even have follow-up scans. Lupus can attack any part of...

I sat in my doctor’s office as the 1,000 grams of Solu-Medrol dripped down the clear IV tube and into my arm. Solu-Medrol looks like water, but I wasn’t fooled...

I wanted to share my own personal experience of what tends to cause my lupus to flare up. This may be like what other lupus warriors can relate to or...

Sometimes walking on this lupus journey can be so lonely. It sucks the life out of you and makes you feel ostracized from the ‘normal’ world. I have been in...

When you are in the hospital, all you can think about is going home and crawling into your bed, putting on your clothes or jammies, and loving your pets. You...

When I was first diagnosed with lupus, the Plaquenil alone was less effective than my rheumatologist wanted. So, he told me they would add prednisone and taper me off it...

You don’t look sick. Sigh, this is one of the hardest things to hear. Am I alone in getting mad every time I hear those words? As I fight for...

What health issue have you spent the most time seeking treatment, only to end up with the poorest results? For me, it’s my chronic neck pain. The list of things...

Are there any objective lab markers that can be checked when a flare of lupus is suspected? Are there any markers correlating with disease severity and progression in patients with...

I find it a little bizarre that an increase in disease activity is typically referred to as a flare or flare-up. Google’s English dictionary for flare includes definitions such as...

I recently had a follow-up visit with my pulmonologist. The first thing we did was my pulmonary function test and I was happy to see that my results were the...

There is nothing like dragging through your day just trying to make it to your next moment. One of the hardest symptoms of lupus for me has been fatigue. Fatigue...

Knowing what to eat after receiving a kidney transplant can be difficult. Diets during dialysis and before surgery may be very restrictive. After a kidney transplant, you may think you...

When I was first diagnosed, I had various symptoms, and many of them related to my lungs. I had shortness of breath, sharp chest pain, and fluid around my lungs...

I recently experienced many medical issues, a 7-day hospital stay, and being discharged on IV antibiotics 3 times a day for 6-8 weeks. More doctor appointments and visits from home...

If I hear one more person tell me to move when I am in pain, I will scream! How many of you have said this to yourself? I know I...