Columns

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is getting more coverage in the news. I’ve often wondered if I have PTSD since I started experiencing symptoms after I was diagnosed with sarcoidosis. Most people probably believe that PTSD only affects veterans, victims of sexual assault, or people who have witnessed death or…

Pain throws down the gauntlet the moment I wake up in the morning. As I’m lying in bed, taking stock of my symphony of aches, pain sends its troops with a message: “Pull the covers back up and maybe we’ll show you mercy. But we make no promises if you…

Every day that I live with sarcoidosis is full of adventure. Some of those adventures are appointments with various doctors. My two main appointments are checkups with my pulmonologist and my cardiologist. This particular adventure was with…

Cold and flu season is quickly approaching. I find this time of year especially challenging now that I’ve been diagnosed with sarcoidosis. I can’t escape the changing weather and temperatures, but experts say there are ways to boost the immune system. The immune system removes toxins from the…

If the proverb “misery loves company” holds true, my brother, Antony, and I will be inseparable this NFL season. On Sept. 15, we watched the quarterbacks of our favorite teams leave the field with injuries, taking with them the New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers’ favorable Super Bowl odds.

So … this has been a very “eventful” weekend! Early Sunday morning, I awoke because I was uncomfortable. I couldn’t sleep and was finding it hard to find a position I could rest in. I went downstairs, sat on my couch, and played golf on my…

The past few days have been “blah” for me. I try to remain optimistic despite my sarcoidosis, but sometimes the stuff of life just creeps in. Once things like worry, self-doubt, and skepticism take over, it’s often difficult to see past them. Whenever I find myself feeling this way,…

When I think of the nearly 20 million students projected to attend college this fall, what comes to mind are the freshmen stepping into uncharted territory. As my niece, Jocelyn, put it, “You go from being at the top of your game senior year of high school to being at the…

To be clear, no one ever made the claim that vitamins and supplements would cure me of sarcoidosis. However, they might boost my immune system, and that might help me to better manage the symptoms. From my own research and conversations with physicians, I learned that we should…

Attending medical appointments is routine when battling active sarcoidosis. But we stand to benefit most if we see our doctors consistently, not just when we’re ill, but also when we’re well. Lifestyle choices such as exercising regularly, eating healthfully, getting adequate sleep, and avoiding smoking or overindulging in alcohol can…