It might have been the 6 episodes of “What Not to Wear” that I watched the weekend before last. Or it might be the weather that is trying to warm up (we get glimpses of spring weather here and there, although it’s past the middle of April and it’s still cold enough that I make the… Read More
I talked a while ago about my Mamaw and how I’m pretty sure she had Sjogren’s Syndrome…and I also talked about her very special way of saying “I told them…” often when people didn’t take her advice or listen to her. It’s pretty iconic of her and I can still hear the way she says… Read More
I’ve always been an optimistic person. I’ve been cheerful, energetic and usually up for anything. But the fatigue, pain, muscle weakness and fine motor skill issues – not to mention the emotional toll – of dealing with autoimmune disease has left me a little lacking in the social calendar. I’ve backed out of plans, turned… Read More
When talking with my rheumatologist today about my concerns, I was trying to stress that it’s not the dry eyes and dry mouth (the “hallmarks”) of Sjögren’s that is concerning me…it’s the fatigue, muscle weakness, loss of fine motor control, joint pain, etc. If it was just the dry eyes and mouth I would be… Read More
My muscle weakness has been getting more consistent, and occasionally more severe. It’s in my quads and my biceps. Things like walking, stairs, washing my hair, cooking, etc., make me cringe. The best way to describe it is it constantly feels like I just finished a vigorous, intense workout. That shaky, weak, tired, just finished… Read More
When I had small children, I never understood why they fought nap time. I always thought to myself “If someone would tell me to take a nap everyday, I’d love it…I’d never fight it!” Of course, this was from the perspective of a normal, healthy, energetic, busy, efficient, successful mother of two young children. Several… Read More
I went for my follow-up appointment with the rheumatologist today. (Hang in there through this post…there’s some background info to get through before you get to the zinger of how I know this doctor had no empathy for what I’m going through!) In case you haven’t read previous posts, the short story is: Two rheumatologists… Read More
I had an all-day interview for a new job two days ago. It involved 4 or 5 meetings with various people, lunch and teaching a class for college students studying to be teachers about using educational technology to “get outside the classroom”. I really liked the people, the place, the energy and just about everything… Read More
I’ve been through the holiday season several times since beginning this autoimmune journey. However, since it keeps getting worse (new and worsening symptoms) over the years, this holiday season has already started out with several frustrations. It’s amazing how little things can really affect your day/mood/attitude. The first one has nothing to do with holidays,… Read More
Illustration of frog in hot water by Jan Hurst. Most people have heard the analogy of the frog in the hot water. If you put a frog in boiling water it jumps out. But if you put a frog in room temperature water and slowly bring it up to boiling it stays in. That’s what… Read More