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…

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…

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…

Before sarcoidosis hit me, I was a Pilates enthusiast and practiced yoga, too. Between classes and my practice at home, I stayed rather active with these two forms of exercise. However, like so much in life, the ability to stay active drastically changed after my diagnosis. But then an…

Twice in the past month, a charley horse in my right calf has ripped me from blissful sleep. Even though prednisone wasn’t to blame for the agonizing 4 a.m. wake-up calls, it’s the first thing I thought about while lying in bed, writhing in pain. I’ve lost count of…