A person with Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative disease that causes problems with movement and speech, often has characteristic signs and symptoms. These include a tremor at rest, rigidity, unstable posture, slow movements, hesitant speech, and a mask-like facial expression. But these are late symptoms of the disease – and often …
Read More »Yearly Archives: 2010
Remember the Time…
It’s been 2 months since I finished chemo, and it’s beginning to seem like a distant memory. It’s strange looking back and remembering that every 2 weeks I had to go for chemo, and that every week I’d have a blood test. And what about the fact that I used to have …
Read More »Alyssa’s Fight Like A Girl Story (Lupus)
Hello Fight Like A Girl Club! My name is Alyssa and I have Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. I am 14 years old and a freshman in high school. I was diagnosed 6 years ago by my rheumatologist and have since been battling with lupus. Lupus is a chronic disease in which your immune …
Read More »Coping with Hair Loss during Chemotherapy
After being diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma, one of the most difficult things after hearing that I had cancer was being told I would lose my hair during treatment. I know it’s vain – hair doesn’t really matter, but looking healthy is something I’d taken for granted. When the time came, …
Read More »Tracy’s Fight Like A Girl Story (RSD)
My story begins in 2001 when I went to the ER for kidney stones. The IV I had did something crazy and I now have reflex sympathetic dystrophy. Since then, I have also been diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, fibromyalgia, autoimmune hypothyroidism with adrenal fatigue, as well as parry-romberg syndrome. I have started a …
Read More »The Dichotomy of Chronic Illness
Having an illness without a cure is a situation filled with dichotomy. You want to get better, but most of the time you can’t get better. You try things that you think will make you improve, and sometimes they make you worse. It’s hard on the head (to say the …
Read More »Diane’s Story (Kidney Cancer, Breast Cancer, Ovarian Cancer)
At age 45, I have battled cancer 4 times. My story with cancer began when I was 17 years old after a trip to the ER because I had the worst tummy ache of my life. I had to be put through numerous tests that showed something I would later learn was known …
Read More »October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Happy Breast Cancer Awareness Month! Breast cancer knows no season or month for that matter, but it’s that time of year when breast cancer awareness programs get full attention. The color pink is everywhere you turn. From pink yogurt lids to pink soup cans to pink potato chip bags on …
Read More »The Heppers (Not to be confused with Lepers)
Anyone who has a form of Hepatitis knows what I mean. As soon as you say you have Hepatitis, some people take a few steps away. Though it is very common, and most people actually probably know someone with one form of it or another – whether they know it …
Read More »I Spy A Lupus Warrior!
For those who don't know; October is National Lupus Awareness Month! Even-though we also share this month with Cancer Awareness; I believe it's important for all of us to stand up and use our voices to shed some light on this often over-shadowed illness called lupus!
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