“You’ve burned through all your serotonin.” In one sentence, my therapist captured it all. She summarized the burdens of my life that were heavy and numerous. Too heavy. They weighed on me and sometimes felt like they were taking away my options. I was going through a deep level of burnout. Most importantly, she emphasized that it wasn’t my fault. Instead, she explained the scenario – that she has seen far too often – where my brain had essentially burned […]
Category: Health
The Importance of Recognizing and Treating Sleep Apnea.
This post on sleep apnea is sponsored by Aeroflow in collaboration with Chronic Illness Bloggers. As always, all opinions remain my own and were not influenced by the sponsor. Nearly five years ago I was sitting next to my soon-to-be husband, attempting to take on the role of gracious caregiver, as he fell asleep after his wisdom teeth removal surgery. I felt awkward and even a little bit creepy watching him sleep with a half-eaten bowl of jello in my […]
The ABC’s of Lupus. (Or, 26 Things About Lupus.)
A few months ago I stumbled across a post called “Fibromyalgia A to Z” and it struck me as a great way to quickly share lots of information about a chronic illness. There are many symptoms and aspects of my illness that don’t necessarily find their way into my blog posts about lupus and this was certainly one of the more creative ways to share 26 of them with you. I hope you learn something new about lupus from this […]
A Day in the Life with Lupus.
Have you ever wondered what life with lupus might be like? As one of the 1.5 million people in the U.S. and about five million people worldwide with lupus, I want to share a day in my life with you. In case you aren’t familiar with lupus, I’ll give you a brief introduction. Lupus is an autoimmune disease that makes your body self-destruct. Normal, healthy people have an immune system that works properly and kicks into gear when there is […]
10 Things I Didn’t Realize Would Happen After I Was Diagnosed with Lupus.
Being diagnosed with lupus was a bewildering experience for me. Suddenly, everything made sense – the joint pain, the rashes, the fatigue, the swelling… the endless appearance of new and strange symptoms. Yet, at the same time, nothing seemed to make sense. No one in my family had an autoimmune disease; I’d barely even heard the word lupus spoken before. It’s been eight enlightening months since I was diagnosed with lupus, and I feel like I’m just starting to get […]
In the Depths of My Sickness with Lupus (and Learning to Put My Health First).
I’ve been absent from this blog since my last post in early June, although my posting frequency had been slowing down since the beginning of the year. I didn’t choose this three month blogging hiatus. In fact, I was more or less dragged away – down into the depths of my sickness with lupus. I was too sick to put even the shortest of blog posts together, and for a while I had no idea when I would be well enough […]
Using Hemp Based CBD Oil for Chronic Pain (Product Review).
Living with chronic pain and illness has driven me to the edge of my sanity at times, and once or twice it’s taken me right over the edge into delirium. I’ve tried so many different things to relieve my chronic pain from fibromyalgia and lupus. This includes trying ice, heat, exercise, salt baths, bed rest, massage therapy, physical therapy, and at least a dozen medications. I will keep trying things as much as my ability and finances allow (I have a […]
The Chronic Disappointment of Chronic Illness.
We were supposed to have an adventure today. I had it all planned – the directions, the hike, even the post-trip burger indulgence. Lupus had a different plan for today. One that included a 24 hour headache, extreme fatigue, and a nearly non-functional body. So I’m sitting at home – probably giving myself a first degree burn with my heating pad – instead of going for a hike. And I’m thinking about the sudden, inevitable, disappointing side of chronic illness. I […]
On Being Thankful for My Spouse as a Chronic Illness Sufferer.
Mr. Meena: husband, engineer, son, roller coaster fanatic, birdy daddy extraordinaire. My spouse is all of these things and more. But his most recent title is “carer”. My husband cares for me, but not just in the usual manner of a husband caring for a wife. He is a carer; he takes care of me because, as a chronic illness sufferer, I can’t always take care of myself. While any chronically ill person has huge burdens to bear, it may […]
What Chronic Illness Has Given Me.
I am not grateful for my chronic illnesses, nor will I ever be. They have made my life unbelievably difficult and I would exchange them for a healthier life in a heartbeat. However, since being chronically sick is my current reality, it helps to focus on what chronic illness has given me instead of what it’s taken from me. My chronic illnesses have forced me to simplify my life, to excise anything that wasn’t necessary. During my two year journey with […]