Columns

Just like that, the last week of summer is here. Woo-hoo, I made it!  I admit I have been waiting for this moment, yet feeling sad that the last week of summer is upon us. It’s Labor Day weekend in the U.S., and life as we…

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…

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…

Last week, I had two doctor appointments — one to see my pulmonologist, and the other to take pulmonary function tests (PFT). As part of the PFT, I did the six-minute…

I had not heard of an infrared sauna before a practitioner told me about the device. Early in the process of diagnosing my sarcoidosis, it was suggested as a way to help manage joint pain. Luckily, my primary care physician (PCP) has an infrared sauna in his office. For…

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…

In all things, give thanks. I heard this saying regularly while growing up. My mother told my brother and me that we should be thankful for every life experience. I’m not sure if we were supposed to be grateful for overcoming our obstacles or expected to…

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…

Weeks after getting a script for what I hoped would be a cheaper alternative to Restasis (cyclosporine emulsion), I was reminded of why so many prescription medications are unaffordable. Three pharmaceutical companies recently agreed to pay California nearly $70 million to settle allegations that they paid to delay…

All too often, life gets in the way of living. That makes it hard to stick with your life’s plan. Like most people, I had a plan for my future. Growing up, I always knew I wanted to be in a creative field. As early as…