This week, I had a review appointment with my rheumatologist. She is my primary medical professional and manages the other doctors in my specialist team ― the commander-in-chief, if you will. It is an important meeting, generally once every year. We go…
2018 is looking to be a very busy and exciting year for scleroderma patients. Before I discuss some of the many events scheduled for the year: Thank you to those who contacted me during my time away from my column. I am slowly recovering from post-traumatic…
Living with scleroderma has been interesting lately, to say the least. Expletives, curses, profanities, call them what you will … my week has been full of them, right to the brim! I’ve been so full of nastiness that it has been overflowing from my mouth at any…
A veteran soldier wounded in action. A firefighter crawling through a cascade of flames to save a baby. A husband suggesting his wife go to the gym for her New Year’s resolution. These are examples of different forms of bravery. Bravery can be defined in many ways, depending…
Again on this New Year’s Eve, I found myself with the same thought as every other year: “Well, I survived another year living with scleroderma. I wonder how the next one will go.” I am certain that living with chronic…
Stress to a sick person is like adding gasoline to a burning flame to put it out — it just doesn’t work. When living with a life-changing illness, one tends to forget how things were before the disease took over. Inflammation is the root of many diseases, but…
The human body is lined with more than 100,000 miles of veins, capillaries, and blood vessels. These intricate pathways carry blood throughout the body to filter it, heal wounds, and oxygenate our cells. With scleroderma, the overproduction of collagen significantly damages the blood vessels, making it an obstacle…
The other weekend, Max and I went away and I made a brave step regarding my struggle to stay active (or not) while living with scleroderma. There are many people who have instructed me to try things that I knew wouldn’t work for me…
As Christmas approaches, I always become rather nostalgic. It marks the end of another year, and despite trying not to, I tend to look back to the same time last year and note how my health has further declined thanks to scleroderma. This process always begins…
The holidays are the most joyful time of the year for many. Surrounded by loved ones, it’s a time for making new memories, eating delicious food, and focusing on all the happy feelings stored within. There’s a cheerful buzz in the air from November to January that warms…
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