health
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Don’t Worry About the How
When I was in my late thirties, I decided that I wanted to go back to school to pursue a career that, over a decade prior, had taken root in me. I was dissatisfied with my job, mostly because I couldn’t manage the stress. And I hated the idea of reaching the end of my… Continue reading
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Taking Great Pains
There is the kind of pain that takes your breath away but then mercilessly leaves you alone after a short while. An electric jolt when you stub your toe in the middle of the night. The surprising sharpness of a paper cut. The sting of fumes when you chop onions. And then there’s the pain… Continue reading
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Phoenix Rising
For N.G., thank you for reminding me that I have wings. I am not the me I was before all this began. The grieving process, for the me that used to be, has been punishing. It’s like attending your own funeral even though you are still alive. At the beginning, I felt completely broken. Like… Continue reading
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Riding the Tides
Three days after I started taking prednisolone (30mg), I got sick. Really sick. A nasty cold that completely took away my taste and smell. No fever, no chills. Just coughing, phlegm, and a nose that filled the thickest tissue with one blow. After two weeks on prednisolone, I was talked into getting four vaccines, all… Continue reading
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Leaning into Self-Tolerance
Every year, around November/December, I pick a word for the upcoming year. Something actionable, something to focus on for the year. Something that will guide me in my actions. I learned this tradition from a dear friend of mine, one of those friends that gets you just the way you are. No explaining needed. For… Continue reading
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Finding My Own Way to a Correct Diagnosis
Like most, my autoimmune journey started with a misdiagnosis. Though it begged me to advocate for myself, this was a skill that I simply did not possess and one that would take me years to hone. I accepted the original diagnosis in 2011 of active Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) with secondary Sjögren’s Syndrome and overlapping psoriatic… Continue reading
All Flared Up 