Columns

Symptom Management Is a Full-time Job

“What’s your worst symptom?” is a question I’m often asked while discussing sarcoidosis. My response is always the same: “Whatever symptom I have at the moment.” It’s true: Whatever I’m dealing with at the moment is the worst symptom. By the time that particular aspect of my condition has…

Stress and Toxic Emotions Impact My Sarcoidosis

It’s easy to feel grateful when everything is going your way, but when you hit a rough patch, it helps to count your blessings. Stress has a clear impact on health and was the last thing I needed, but life’s problems arrive unexpectedly. Over the past two weeks, I…

Some Relationships Simply Can’t Survive Sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis changes everything in life, including relationships. Since being diagnosed, I find that people in my life fall into several categories. First are those who know about my condition and have a healthy, satisfying relationship with me despite it. They include a precious few who occupy a special space…

Find Your Motivation in Enjoyment

I recently met a newly retired teacher at the laundromat. I was holding a book I had loved for the first 200 pages, but then lost interest in. She gave me the same advice she gave students who complained about boring books: Don’t finish it. Her colleagues always urged the…

Why I Said Goodbye to Twitter

Last month, I decided to take a break from Twitter. It is the only social media site I use, despite the grumblings of Facebook-obsessed family and friends. My only regret is not doing it sooner. Ditching Twitter wasn’t as hard as I expected. When I told my 20-year-old niece about…

An Art Class Made My Bad Day Better

It was what I least felt like doing that Saturday morning: learning something new and being among a group of people. But the friend who urged me to attend a mixed media collage art class at the local library must have sensed it was exactly what I needed. Since…