One Year Later
I’m so glad to be here. I wanted to write something for today. One year ago, on March 30, 2016, things went south after I was extubated, I flatlined, but through some highly skilled intervention, I survived. That is one hell of a miraculous gift. Although I am normally full of words about the experience,…
The Heartbreak of Missing Out Because of Chronic Illness
There are blank spaces in my life when I had to disappear because my RA flared and I only had enough energy to get through each day. In my new post for HealthCentral, I share what it’s like to miss out because of chronic illness: >”There are many different ways of getting there, but the…
Finding Hope in a Life of Chronic Illness
There are times where it can be a struggle to find hope when you with a chronic illness. In my new post for Mango Health, I share building blocks to nurturing a sense of hope:“Hope is the thing with feathersThat perches in the soul,And sings the tune without the words,And never stops at all”– Emily…
Walking in A Cloud
It was a fairly dismal March day — cloudy, with tiny pellets of snow pelting my face as we walked west. We were in need of adventure, but uncertain what kind, so decided to pick a direction and see what happened. Union Station loomed ahead and since neither The Boy or I could remember when…
Setting Boundaries in Health Care
Do you know what you’d do if faced with an angry doctor or a nurse who repeatedly couldn’t find a vein? My new post for HealthCentral looks at setting boundariesin health care situations. “We all have a sense of boundaries on what we will accept, and what we can do and say to each other….
How to Get Past Writer’s Block
Some people claim there is no such thing as writer’s block. That all you have to do is sit down and keep writing and that claiming you’re blocked as just procrastination or avoidance. I beg to differ. Sometimes, it seems as if the writing part of your brain is hibernating. Writer’s block is a…
Hairloss and RA: Why and How to Cope
RA comes with friends, a.k.a. comorbidities and this medication side effects. These are not always that visible, but one, usually rare, “friend” is: hair loss. Like we don’t have enough to deal with. In my new post for HealthCentral, I look at the causes of hair loss related to RA and what you can do…
Self-Care Tps for a Bad RA Day
Having a bad day (week) with rheumatoid arthritis? Check out the self-care tips in my new slideshow for HealthCentral: “Bad days are inevitable when you have rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Between the pain, the intense fatigue, and general feeling of being unwell, sometimes it can be challenging just getting out of bed. Treating the disease with…
In Which a Zombie Is Conceived
Some people call it their re-birthday. This is more fun. A year ago today the seeds of my becoming a zombie were sown. Well, truth be told they were probably sown a few days to a week before that. If we are going to stay in this metaphor, a year ago today was the moment…
Photo Friday: Distinctive Line
I love this exhibit from the Art Gallery of Ontario. It’s by John McEwen and is called The Distinctive Line Between One Subject and Another.