If you know me, you know I don't slow down very well. My brain is always 10 steps ahead of the rest of me. While I’m doing one thing, I’m already making a mental list of the next 10. My husband will tell you I can turn “relaxing” into a project if you give me five minutes. Living with a chronic illness never really changed that. Even when I was sick, I wasn‘t very good at resting. Instead of focusing on getting through today, I was already planning everything I was going to do once I felt better. [More]

If you’ve read my articles for any length of time, you know I spend a lot of time talking about the challenges patients face. I write about insurance denials, prior authorizations, delayed diagnoses and the frustrations that come with living with a chronic illness. Those issues are real, and they deserve attention. But today, I want to write about something different. I want to say thank you. A few weeks ago, I had a bad fall that left me badly injured. [More]

When most people think about primary immunodeficiency (PI), they think about bacterial infections. This is because many patients do not produce enough antibodies to effectively fight bacteria. However, some patients also experience recurrent or persistent viral infections. [More]

For some of you, this may not be relevant yet, but it will be soon.
What I am talking about is heat. While it may be cool yet where you live, where I live, summer has already arrived. Along with it comes everything that makes this time of year what it is: trips to the beach, backyard barbecues, pool parties, vacations and long sunny days. There is a lot to love about summer. [More]

When most people think about primary immunodeficiency (PI), they think about infections — and that makes sense. Recurrent sinus infections, lung infections and needing antibiotics over and over again are often what bring patients into the office. But over the years, I’ve come to realize that infections are only part of the picture. [More]

Over the course of my 37 years in clinical practice, I have had the privilege of caring for thousands of patients, both children and adults. Looking back, one of the most important lessons I have learned is not just about what I diagnosed, but what I may not have recognized early on.
During my first 12 years practicing in Cincinnati, I did not diagnose a single patient with primary immunodeficiency (PI). At the time, I had been taught, as many physicians were, that PI was extremely rare. Because of that, it was not something I actively considered in my daily practice.
In hindsight, I often reflect on this: I may have seen these patients, but I simply was not looking for them.
Everything changed when I moved to Omaha. [More]

I know most people look forward to the world waking up from its winter slumber. There’s something hopeful about spring, the blooming flowers, the warm breezes hinting at long summer days and the rain that promises everything will turn green again.
And then there’s me.
I hate spring.
Now, to be fair, I don’t hate the idea of spring. Who wouldn’t love the thought of fresh flowers, soft rain and longer days? It sounds wonderful. It sounds like a reset. It sounds like something out of a really good novel or movie.
It’s the reality of spring I struggle with. [More]

How many times have you heard, “But you don’t look sick?” Usually, it isn’t meant in a bad way. It’s said with a smile. Sometimes, it even feels like a compliment, like you’ve done a good job of looking OK. Other times, not so much. It’s said when you park in a handicapped spot or sit in a space reserved for people with disabilities. It’s the people who are trying to be nice that make your response complicated. On one hand, you know they mean well. On the other hand, there’s that quiet moment where you think: What does sick even look like to you? People living with invisible illness hear this all the time — from strangers, from people they know and even from people who genuinely care about them [More]