Living a seronegative life isn’t always the most pleasant for those of us with autoimmune diseases. Instead of having our symptoms justified by positive bloodwork, we have to rely on a slew of other diagnostic methods to be taken seriously by many doctors and insurance policies. Around five years after my onset of dry eye disease – and a change in medications for my autoimmune disease – I began to experience dry mouth. Once I had both types of dryness, […]
Category: Lupus
Quick Links
Lupus:
My 5 Year Lupus Diagnosis Anniversary.
Diagnosis Number Three: Lupus.
In the Depths of My Sickness with Lupus (and Learning to Put My Health First).
10 Things I Didn’t Realize Would Happen After I Was Diagnosed with Lupus.
Daily Living with Lupus (Guest Post).
A Day in the Life with Lupus.
The ABC’s of Lupus.
How Am I Supposed to Get Better When It Seems Like I’m Always Sick?
Healthcare & Medical Providers:
Signs That You Need a New Rheumatologist.
My 2018 Healthcare Costs with a Chronic Illness in the USA.
When Your Doctor Quits Unexpectedly.
What I’d Like to Say to My Medications.
Please Stop Telling Me to Take an Antidepressant for My Autoimmune Disease.
Lupus and Pregnancy: read all posts.
Lupus and Parenthood:
A Lupus Flare and a Teething Baby.
You can find my (more general) posts about chronic illness here.
Blog roll:
Living in burnout.
“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 […]
Did you notice?
Have you noticed how a chronic illness affects a friend or family member? It might impact them in ways that are hard to see sometimes.
Celebrating Lupus Awareness Month + a New Lupus Coffee Mug.
There’s a few more weeks until Lupus Awareness Month starts and I always look forward to sharing articles, stories, and photos about my life with lupus. This year I’m celebrating lupus awareness in a new way by sharing a product that I created: the lupus strong coffee mug. I’m posting ahead of time so that you can add one to your cupboard (or win one!) if you’d like to use it for spreading lupus awareness in May. This coffee cup […]
My 5 Year Lupus Diagnosis Anniversary.
Today marks five years since a doctor confirmed my lupus diagnosis. In early January of 2017, he told me he suspected lupus and when I returned three weeks later the blood work confirmed it. Technically, he called it “pre-lupus”, but I later developed more symptoms and he dropped the “pre” part of the diagnosis. So, happy diagnosiversary to me! Every January I am acutely aware that another year had passed, and this five year marker is hitting a little differently. […]
My Third Trimester: Hobbling Along and Delivering Early.
My third trimester started off a bit stressful. At 28 weeks, I failed my one-hour gestational diabetes test. I was stressed about possibly having yet another health complication during pregnancy. I then had to endure a three-hour-long glucose test which I passed, thank goodness! But the stress of my third trimester was only getting started; I have a lot to share with you about what happened over those nine weeks! Yep, if you’re counting along that means my son was […]
My Pain Needs Privacy.
Recently, I spent three and a half hours in my OB’s office for a second gestational diabetes screening. It was a long appointment and something I wasn’t totally equipped to handle at the time due to my pain levels, but it was necessary. So after the first hour, I asked to lie down in an exam room to help me cope with my pain. Lying down helped with my SPD pain (from pregnancy) and my neck pain, but the most […]
My Second Trimester: I’m Not Having a Good Time!
My second trimester was hard at the beginning and the end, but I had a few sweet days somewhere in the middle. There weren’t nearly as many good days compared to the honeymoon phase of my first pregnancy. Like many other moms, I’ve found my second pregnancy to be harder overall. Related: The First Trimester With My Second Baby. It’s been tougher because of more severe and frequent pregnancy symptoms on top of taking care of a toddler while pregnant. […]
Please Stop Telling Me to Take an Antidepressant for My Autoimmune Disease.
How many doctors have told you to take an antidepressant for your chronic pain? My number is around seven, and most of them stated it was my only option for pain management. This was generally done in a matter-of-fact manner, not a compassionate, I-care-about-what-is-wrong-with-you approach. But what if my pain is caused by something that needs to be treated another way? Shouldn’t we look further into this? My health is not something to be dismissed or treated with a one […]
The First Trimester With My Second Baby.
We’re expecting a second little Meena in June 2021! This first trimester has been quite different compared to my previous pregnancy – and not just because I’m taking care of a two-year-old while pregnant. My medical care has gone a bit differently and I’ve had more varied and intense symptoms. Thankfully, my lupus hasn’t been as intense – so far – and I have a lot of help. In this post, I’m going to detail what it’s been like to […]