Health • The Dreaming Panda • Page 5

These 3 Myths about PANS Are Ruining Lives: A Response to Misguided Medicine

Published on July 11, 2018January 12, 2024 by DreamingPanda13 Comments

In 2012, when I developed an extreme case of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder overnight, all I wanted was to get better—not to spend the next six years fighting to get treatment for a “controversial” disease. However, when conventional therapies failed, and I rapidly declined after Strep and mono two years later, only steroids were able to help my severe psychiatric symptoms. It was then that I realized the truth wasn’t always easy to accept: Continue reading “These 3 Myths about PANS Are Ruining Lives: A Response to Misguided Medicine” →

4 Things I Learned from 4 Years of Blogging… And an Announcement!

Published on June 20, 2018 by DreamingPanda8 Comments

What in the world have I done?! I thought to myself.

A wave of panic ran through me, and my heart began to pound as I stared back at the computer screen. I couldn’t believe it finally happened. I’d exposed myself before the whole world—my life story, in front of any eyeballs that landed upon it. Despite everything in me saying I shouldn’t be sharing so much, I’d just published the first post on this blog. But there was no turning back now. Continue reading “4 Things I Learned from 4 Years of Blogging… And an Announcement!” →

I Woke up in a Body I Didn’t Recognize: Living with Involuntary Movements

Published on June 6, 2018 by DreamingPanda5 Comments

In June 2014, I lost my body.

Over seventeen hours, I watched in shock as my body grew a mind of its own, erupting in wild, bizarre movements I couldn’t control. What started as innocuous twitches in my legs grew into full-body thrashes and twists and jerks over the course of one day. And then I realized I couldn’t walk, because every few steps, my legs gave out and sent me collapsing to the floor. Continue reading “I Woke up in a Body I Didn’t Recognize: Living with Involuntary Movements” →

11 Lyme Facts I Wish I’d Known Sooner…

Published on May 23, 2018 by DreamingPanda10 Comments

When I was a kid, I never quite fit in at school, but the outdoors were my refuge—every day, I came home and found peace and quiet in our woods. Little did I know, nature was about to stab me in the back worse than anything the other kids might’ve said.

Continue reading “11 Lyme Facts I Wish I’d Known Sooner…” →

10 Ways to Feel Less Hopeless When Chronically Ill

Published on April 25, 2018 by DreamingPanda8 Comments

“I just can’t keep going.”

“I feel completely hopeless.”

“How can anyone live like this?”

These messages come to my inbox nearly every week from kids and teenagers who think PANS or Lyme is the end of the life they once loved; from adults who’ve been fighting for years, unsure how much longer they can go through the cycle of relapse, treatment, and recovery; and even from parents who are tired of being too strong for too long.

Continue reading “10 Ways to Feel Less Hopeless When Chronically Ill” →

Why I’m Doing Better Than I Think

Published on April 11, 2018 by DreamingPanda15 Comments

These days, when friends ask how I am, I tell them I’m fantastic—and for a moment, I almost believe it.

I tell them about my new projects. I tell them about grad school in the fall. I tell them about a professional development program this summer. When I talk about everything I’m doing, I fool everyone—even myself—into thinking I’m healthy. Continue reading “Why I’m Doing Better Than I Think” →

How I Finally Made Peace with My Lyme Diagnosis

Published on March 29, 2018 by DreamingPanda7 Comments

“Close your eyes,” the Lyme specialist said. “And hold your arms out straight.”

My body began to jerk while I stood in front of the exam table with my arms extended. As I strained to stop the involuntary movements, I could sense my parents’ dismay even through my eyelids.

Continue reading “How I Finally Made Peace with My Lyme Diagnosis” →

Is There Hope in the Unknown of Chronic Illness?

Published on March 13, 2018 by DreamingPanda25 Comments

Three months ago, as I drove away victoriously from the IV infusion center for the ninth, and final, time that semester, I almost dared hope I’d left behind the last three years of treatments and relapses… Almost.

It was the end of my college career, and I’d just spent its entirety fighting Lyme disease and an autoimmune condition that doctors still aren’t sure how to treat—or what the long-term prognosis is. I’d not only juggled exams and papers and weird living arrangements for four and-a-half years, but I’d been battling through countless procedures and medications and appointments—always in the naive hope that my illness would soon be over. Continue reading “Is There Hope in the Unknown of Chronic Illness?” →

Why PANS/PANDAS Awareness Matters: An Open Letter to Legislators

Published on February 21, 2018 by DreamingPanda2 Comments

This week, legislators in Wisconsin have the opportunity to save hundreds of lives and millions of taxpayer dollars: a bill to establish an advisory educational council on PANS/PANDAS is under review. New York is also considering similar policies, and several others including Virginia have successfully implemented them.

Continue reading “Why PANS/PANDAS Awareness Matters: An Open Letter to Legislators” →