Lupus Detention House 2021 Instant

Yesterday, I was granted "yard time"—I went for a 20-minute walk in the sun. Today, because of photosensitivity, the sun is the enemy. The fluorescent lights in the grocery store trigger a migraine. The meal they serve (a delicious, healthy salad) contains alfalfa sprouts, which can trigger a flare.

I have learned the power of "Spoon Theory" to explain my daily energy ration. I have learned that "no" is a complete sentence when the warden demands too much. I have learned to find a strange, defiant peace in the quiet days. lupus detention house

There is a specific kind of exhaustion that comes from living in a detention house. Not the kind you see in movies—with orange jumpsuits and metal clanging—but the kind that lives inside your cells. I call my body the Lupus Detention House . Yesterday, I was granted "yard time"—I went for

Living in the Lupus Detention House has taught me a brutal kind of grace. I have stopped fighting for the parole of "being cured." Instead, I fight for commutation —the reduction of a sentence. The meal they serve (a delicious, healthy salad)

One more day survived is one more day the warden didn't win. Disclaimer: This blog post is based on personal metaphor and experience. Lupus affects everyone differently. If you are struggling with a chronic illness, please consult your rheumatologist or a mental health professional.

We didn't commit a crime. We didn't choose this holding cell. But as long as we are stuck here, we might as well be the loudest, most obnoxious inmates on the block.