Pulmonary hypertension (PH) has changed what I consider an accomplishment — and maybe that isn’t such a bad thing. Living with PH has taught me that progress does not have to be dramatic to be worth celebrating. Walking a little farther, recovering a little faster, adjusting to a…
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After a difficult winter and spring dealing with several health setbacks, I’m slowly dipping my toes back into my day-to-day interests. This includes things like knitting, cooking, and reading, but mostly, it means digging back into my art practice. As I ride this recent wave of creative rejuvenation,…
When did you last speak to somebody on the phone? I don’t mean communication via email, text messages, Slack, Signal, Instagram, or other digital platforms. People today tend to opt for the more casual text- or chat-based connections. I imagine, though, that if you have pulmonary hypertension (PH) or…
When I was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension (PH) more than 20 years ago, so much of the conversation was about what might be taken away from me: my health, my independence, my plans for the future, and most likely, even my time. What no one could tell me then…
In a certain way, life with pulmonary hypertension (PH) can resemble a social media profile. What other people see may appear polished, remain private and guarded, or be raw and heavy — but it rarely reveals the whole story. A social media profile is not necessarily false simply because…
Can you imagine staring at a handful of pills while your stomach is already turning? For people managing pulmonary hypertension (PH), that isn’t difficult to imagine. In fact, it may be part of everyday life. Nausea can emerge for many reasons. It may be a symptom of PH,…
When I was recently discharged from the hospital following a stint with COVID-19 and norovirus, my team automatically scheduled me for an in-person follow-up. As the date in July approached, I double-checked the appointments in my online portal and noted a few things. First, I had been scheduled for…
There’s a sentiment that a book finds you at the right time in your life. Sometimes, when you have a chronic illness like pulmonary hypertension (PH), that book finds you when you’re sitting on a bench outside of a hospital. Recently, that book for me was “Famesick,”…
In May, I wrote about my optimistic plan to help care for my mother after a minor surgery. We were keeping our fingers crossed, hoping for only minor complications for both of us during the upcoming weeks. Unfortunately, that’s not how things turned out. In fact, the hit of…
I live with pulmonary hypertension (PH), and I frequently ignore my own advice. As time goes on, those of us with PH become more in tune with our bodies and learn how to pace ourselves. We remember to take our medications as directed, manage fluid retention, and maintain…
If you were fixin’ to connect with pulmonary hypertension (PH) patients in June, you would’ve found a whole contingent of us camped out in Dallas. The PH community took the Lone Star State by storm for the Pulmonary Hypertension Association’s biennial International PH Conference and Scientific Sessions. Alongside…
At the Pulmonary Hypertension Association’s (PHA) biannual conference, it is easy to feel like you should be able to do more. There are sessions to attend, people to meet, dinners to join, and late-night moments you don’t want to miss. There is a kind of magic in being surrounded by…
