Healthcare costs in the USA are out of control – it’s something our nation discusses constantly – and I am joining the conversation by sharing real figures from my annual medical charges as a chronically ill person. And I’m starting with an outrageous one. My family’s total healthcare cost in 2018 was $73,123. Our portion of that bill was $20,018. The total cost is much higher than the median US salary (which sits around $44,500). It’s approximately half the cost of […]
Visiting Shete Boka National Park in Curaçao.
Visiting Shete Boka National Park is hopefully near the top of your list of things to do in Curaçao. Young or old, adventurous or reserved – the stunning sights at Shete Boka National Park shouldn’t be missed by anyone. The park is on the western part of the island, about 45 minutes from Willemstad by car. We were staying at the Blue View Apartments in Westpunt at this point on our trip and were less than 10 minutes away by […]
100+ Relatable Signs of Chronic Illness.
For the past year or so I have been writing down my relatable signs of chronic illness every time one would pop into my head. The list steadily grew – to over 100 – until I finally felt ready to share it with the world. Some are funny, some are sad, and some are a bit specific to lupus or autoimmune diseases. Hopefully you’ll find at least a few to be relatable and feel a bit less alone on this chronic […]
2018 Yearly Digest.
At the end of 2017, I wrote in my yearly digest that I never expected that year to be so full of struggles and new beginnings. I had no idea what was coming. Pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum. Being unable to travel, taking small trips, and then a dream vacation. Lupus flares, pleurisy, immobility, pain. A new bird, and almost losing my old one. A newborn, a teething baby, a baby who’s starting to crawl… it’s been hard and tough and wonderful […]
Our Massive 10 Day Curaçao Itinerary.
Our trip to Curaçao turned out to be the dreamiest vacation we’ve ever taken. I suppose a colorful, tropical island with hints of Europe is easy to fall in love with. I spent so much time putting together this 10 day Curaçao itinerary because I did not want to miss out on a single thing Curaçao had to offer. However, having lupus and a six month old baby did limit the trip in some ways. Before all this we would create overflowing itineraries, […]
A Fall Walk Around Lake Lure.
Heading to Lake Lure in late October was my fourth failed attempt over the past year to see stunning fall colors in the North Carolina mountains. Since we are fortunate to live just one and a half hours drive from the internationally known Lake Lure, I will have plenty of chances to keep trying (it’s certainly a great excuse to road trip into the gorgeous western North Carolina region). And, even though the leaves weren’t on fire, the walk was […]
A Lupus Flare and a Teething Baby.
For the first five months, my baby has been an easygoing, dream baby. He has slept 12 hours straight through the night almost every night since he was six weeks old. In fact, he slept so well that from week eight to 12 my husband had to wake him up at night to ensure he consumed enough milk overall (a newborn shouldn’t sleep for more than around four hours without eating). He is one of the happiest and sweetest babies […]
The Dangers of High Blood Pressure.
This post on blood pressure is sponsored by Aeroflow in collaboration with Chronic Illness Bloggers. As always, all opinions remain my own and were not influenced by the sponsor. Do you know what your blood pressure is? When was the last time it was measured? The first time that someone told me I had high blood pressure, or hypertension, was about three years ago. I was at my OBGYN’s office getting checked in for my annual exam, and the woman […]
Lupus and Pregnancy in the Third Trimester.
The third trimester of my pregnancy didn’t have nearly as many sweet spots as the second trimester, unfortunately. It turned out to be quite difficult. Of course, lupus and pregnancy mixed together is never going to be easy. I was able to cope fairly well with most of the issues I encountered until the last two weeks – at that point I was just outright miserable. In this post I’ll be sharing about my medical care, lupus symptoms, and pregnancy symptoms. In […]
Things to Do in New Bern, North Carolina.
A trip to New Bern is absolutely one of the best things to do in North Carolina. This beautiful and historic riverfront city, located in the coastal region of North Carolina, has plenty of fun activities to choose from. New Bern is the second oldest town in North Carolina and its European influence is obvious in the architecture and walkable downtown. It was settled by a group of German and Swiss immigrants, including some from Bern, Switzerland (hence the name). […]