The other day, I took a 20-minute drive to a local lake. During the summer season, the location is crowded and busy, but after Labor Day, it’s quiet and tranquil. Now that fall has arrived, the scenery is beautiful as the leaves change their colors. I sat on a bench…

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…

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.

Sarcoidosis patients and their partners experience a lower quality of life because of nonspecific disease-associated symptoms compared to healthy people, a new study demonstrated.  The study, titled “Quality of Life of Couples Living with Sarcoidosis,” was published in 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…

“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…

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…