After my diagnosis, I started looking for ways to help myself heal. Through research and conversations with healthcare providers, I learned that individuals with sarcoidosis have higher levels of inflammation than most of the population. Inflammation is the body’s natural response to infection or injury. It’s necessary for the…

If you have become disabled as a result of sarcoidosis or another health condition, searching for ways to save on medical and prescription costs is often at the top of your mind. But there are numerous other discounts, ranging from travel to lodging, that you may be overlooking. Travel…

I haven’t been feeling myself this past week. I don’t know if it’s the weather or the approach of my birthday that has me feeling slightly depressed. I’m sure the sarcoidosis has something to do with it since side effects include random feelings…

I never know when it will happen. Someone speaks to me and their words land in my ears as if they are in some foreign language or secret alien code. I stand there with a blank look as my brain races to decipher the meaning of their words. If I’m…

“At least you look good.” I often hear this statement, or something close to it. I am confident the words are sincere and said with the best of intentions. Someone who tells me I look good, despite the fact that I have sarcoidosis, is hoping to make me feel…

Physicians often see us at our worst. Remembering to be mindful of how we treat them could go a long way to help bolster their thinning ranks, which results in fewer hours. Physician turnover and the reduction of clinical hours in the United States costs an estimated $4.6 billion annually,…

My calves and ankles were thick and swollen from erythema nodosum. I was struggling with a cough and fatigue daily. We were still waiting for a formal diagnosis, and though it felt like we were getting closer, the delay was difficult to cope with. My primary care physician suggested…

The power of perseverance Marvel Studios is rereleasing “Avengers: Endgame” with new footage this Friday, June 28, in a final push to topple the box office record set by “Avatar.” Whether you are among those who consider the move to be thrilling, desperate, or a cash grab, it’s an…

This has been an interesting week. This time last year, I was released from the hospital about three days before Father’s Day. I was excited to be coming home after being hospitalized for four weeks with my third spontaneous pneumothorax. This year, I…

All too often in my management of sarcoidosis, I find myself falling into survival mode and living moment to moment, just trying to stave off the worst. Various factors will nudge me there. The arrival of a new symptom, worsening of an existing one, or a new obligation. Since…