Columns

Physical and mental health are closely linked. Many people who struggle with long-term conditions like pulmonary hypertension (PH) also struggle with things like anxiety. Both PH and anxiety can affect heart rate,…

The average person might feel some concern about how they look and feel in the morning. They might be a little self-conscious about how today’s decisions will affect their health tomorrow. But if you are living with pulmonary hypertension (PH), how you look and feel greatly determines how the rest…

Life is full of the unexpected, the unknowns, and uncertainty. This is no secret. My pulmonary hypertension diagnosis was unquestionably one of my toughest unknowns. Unknowns also may include a job loss, the loss of a family member or friend, and a variety of other life events. I often deal…

For almost an entire year, I felt completely lost. Some mornings, I lacked motivation to even get out of bed. I was trapped in a vicious cycle of anxiety and depression; stuck somewhere between worrying too much and not caring at all.

I received a call a couple of days ago from my pulmonary hypertension (PH) specialist center telling me that I am a high-risk patient and need to self-isolate. I’d already been social distancing for a while, but hearing…

Do you need to hear a happy and uplifting human interest story? Here is one about the day my son met the “Say Hey Kid.” Cullen received a heart and double-lung transplant at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, California, at 14 years old because of pulmonary hypertension…

As I write this, I am watching the news. Shocker, right? As of the writing of this column, 63 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the greater Houston area, although that number undoubtedly will increase. Life has been full of unknowns, especially in recent weeks. It is overwhelming…

Since no one is talking about it, I decided to write about the new coronavirus. And yes, I am being facetious. I have also laughed at some of the memes circulating on social media. Two of my favorites are the panic room filled with toilet paper and a person on…

March is National Kidney Month, the perfect time to remind people with pulmonary hypertension (PH) to take care of their kidneys. I realize people with PH have plenty to keep track of. But PH affects my body as a whole, and yours, too. I am on several diuretics to…

When I was younger, I had recurring nightmares about a kidnapping. Usually, I was the hero chasing the kidnapper. These nightmares would spark panic attacks when, in my waking hours, I couldn’t quickly locate my sisters in public places. I had an irrational fear of…

I have been living with pulmonary hypertension for more than two years. When I was first diagnosed, doctors thought I was a nitric oxide responder. They told me that was good because it meant there were more medications that could potentially help me. I was put on…

Many of us have a tendency to judge ourselves and others based on our accomplishments. A quick scroll through social media proves this point. We are inundated with the presumed successes of others, based on education, career, or extracurricular activities. The pressure of doing well in life can have a…