WAAD 14 Blogger Meet and Greet
Invisible illness advocacy

Meet Me at World Autoimmune Arthritis Day 14

I can’t begin to catch you up on where I’ve been lately. Mostly, it’s the continuing saga of a long string of challenges. I can no longer categorize these challenges as either “good” or “bad”. I’m either in a really Zen place or I’m totally shut down, or I’m a bit

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A Little Rain Must Fall © 2012 Jane Waterman
Living with invisible illness

A Day in the Life with Sjogren’s

This post is part of the World Autoimmune Arthritis Day 2014 Blog Carnival. The theme of this year’s WAAD virtual conference is “A Day in the Life of an Autoimmune Arthritis Patient”. A link to the WAAD site follows this post. Blessings, Jane. A Day in the Life with Sjogren’s

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Transformation @ 2014 Jane Waterman
Living with invisible illness

Life Interrupted, Again

I had big hopes for this year. I still do. However, the difference is those hopes have been modified from the impossible, unrealistic ones I had grasped for as I fled 2013, and have reformed as smaller, realistic, and somehow more magnificent hopes – ones that may one day manifest.

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Smoke and Mirrors © 2013 Jane Waterman
Treatments

Seronegative and Out of Luck

On August 21st, I finally got to see my new rheumatologist – some four or so months after the referral was made. I haven’t had a rheumatologist since my first one retired in 2009 – I don’t count the appointment with the doctor who rejected my diagnosis immediately when he heard

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Going Home © 2013 Jane Waterman
Living with invisible illness

Travelling While Ill

It was June 25th when I boarded the plane for Australia, where I had spent 30 years of my youth growing up. I hadn’t been there in 14  years. I hadn’t seen members of my family in 13 years (14 years in some cases). I wanted to do this, but

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Pain Study © 2013 Jane Waterman
Mental health challenges

Grasping for Answers

I have mentally begun this post for weeks, but a chronically ill life has a way of shaking loose any idea of control over one’s destiny. Anyone who has been ill for a while will understand what I mean when I say I’m suffering a bad case of doctor fatigue.

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Eternity © 2004 Jane Waterman
Invisible illnesses

Watermark

A watermark is an outline of the tide’s advance and retreat. In some ways I feel like I am part of that outline, lying at low ebb, among the beautiful broken detritus of the sea. These last weeks I have been merely functioning: meeting the very real needs of the

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Depression and Sjogren's syndrome wordle
Creativity

Wordless Wednesday #3

I’m taking part in WEGO Health’s Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge Day 17 #HAWMC – Go to https://www.wordle.net/ to create a word cloud or tree from a list of words associated with your condition, blog, or interests. Post it! Click on the wordle to view it in a larger size.

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Where I Stand © 2013 Jane Waterman
Interior life

Where I Stand

I’m taking part in WEGO Health’s Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge Day 16 #HAWMC – Tell us 3 things that are true about you, your condition, or your Health Activism. Tell us 1 lie. Will we be able to tell the difference? I’m improvising with this prompt. I’m in a weird

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After Vincent #5 © 2012 Jane Waterman
Invisible illness advocacy

Activist Love

I’m taking part in WEGO Health’s Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge Day 14 #HAWMC – Thank a few of your fellow Health Activists for what they have done. Call them out by name or twitter handle. Share your love. I concur with many of my fellow health activists, and as I

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