Author Archives: thelittlewolfhunter

When the rug gets pulled out from under you

Sometimes when you’ve lived with a chronic illness for a long time you generally “know the drill”. It almost seems that even when things get a little wonky, you are somehow able to pull yourself together (my favourite keyword: ‘adjust’) to get back on track. The normal types of stresses are quickly identified: work getsContinue reading “When the rug gets pulled out from under you”

When something new pops up…

It has been a long time since my last post. The usual busy schedules and health-related maintenance (and holidays) have kept me from writing posts that I feel ready to post. I want to share some of the recent issues I’ve encountered, so this will be my longest post to date (lucky you)! It shouldContinue reading “When something new pops up…”

I’m enjoying being involved in the bigger picture

Wow. I think it might be a month or so since my last post. While nothing really MAJOR has happened with me or my health, I’ve been trying to get more involved in lupus/patient events. I’m very interested in (obviously) lupus awareness and education, but I am also generally interested in making patient’s lives better.Continue reading “I’m enjoying being involved in the bigger picture”

Everything in slow motion

It’s been about two weeks since my last post but I’m still here! My brain and my body have been less-than cooperative. I’ve continued to be fatigued and in pain. Turtle-mode is my new speed (which I do not like very much). Oh have I been wishing for teleportation! My energy is so low that moreContinue reading “Everything in slow motion”

Know your family history

I’ve always thought it was probably a good idea to know your family medical history, but until recently, it was never something to pay much attention to. Because of a family history of breast cancer, I had my baseline mammogram at age 35. After seeing an OB/GYN this year for a checkup, she recommended that I see a geneticContinue reading “Know your family history”

The decision cycle when your lupus isn’t stable

There is always a back-and-forth and a need to be flexible when you have lupus. Things change! I believe for many of us, there is a decision-making process that goes into many of our activities, especially when we are not feeling so hot. I was thinking about this over the past week or so asContinue reading “The decision cycle when your lupus isn’t stable”

Body image and lupus

Body image can go through a ‘loop’ when you have lupus (insert dorky giggle here). But seriously, I struggle with my self-image sometimes (which is a self-esteem issue unrelated to lupus), and when I was put on prednisone after being diagnosed, I hated how the side effects made me look. I felt frustrated because I couldn’t controlContinue reading “Body image and lupus”

The doctor-patient relationship

I took part in a twitter chat yesterday about patient-centricity. Several definitions were discussed, but they all described patient-centricity as a health system where the patient is the focus of care, where the patient’s world is taken into consideration, where collaboration is key. It’s an important concept that those of us with chronic illnesses eventually come toContinue reading “The doctor-patient relationship”