For years, I battled with my weight, but in 2020, things escalated beyond my control. I gained an alarming amount of weight, and no matter what I tried, the scale seemed determined to move in the wrong direction. And believe me, I tried EVERYTHING. I enrolled in a medically supervised weight-loss program that consisted of... Continue Reading →
Systemic September…
For years, my autoimmune/inflammatory arthritis disease impacted my joints. I lived with pain from inflammed joints life altering exhaustion, but I was able to push through wth the help of medications, therpies, and force of will. Then my disease becme systemic. A CT scan showed my liver, intestines, lungs, colon, and heart lining all showed... Continue Reading →
Caregiving, Chaos, and Limits…
I’ve had one hell of a month. Like… if there were an Olympic event for emotional whiplash, I’d be standing on the podium with a gold medal and an ice pack. It started with my almost 10-year-old cat, Jaxson. He had a cough. Just a cough. I did what any responsible pet parent does—I took... Continue Reading →
The fear of the unknown…
Life is scary for all of us right now. None of us have experience with this, so I've been following the recommendations of WHO (World Health Organization), the CDC (Centers of Disease Control), and the ACR (American College of Rheumatology). I did reach out to my personal rheumatologist and her advice was to get blood... Continue Reading →
A scary good day…
On Monday, I had my annual mammogram. The following day, I received a message that there was a problem and I needed to come back. I missed the call and didn't get the message until late, so I had to wait until this morning to call back. The way the message sounded, there was an... Continue Reading →
It’s in my blood…
I'm the type of rheumatology patients who has "normal" blood work. My vitamin D is typically wonky but everything else come back clear. No explanation as to why I'm so tired. No explanation for my swollen joints. Now don't get me wrong, I DON'T WANT anything to be wrong, I just want an explanation. I... Continue Reading →