You, Me and MD — Leah Leilani

A recent cold front has swept through the U.S. As the snow and rain arrive, they bring problems for my skin. The epidermis, the outermost layer, becomes dry, cracked, and irritated. If like me you experience issues with your skin in the winter months, I’d like to share my go-to…

It’s over a month since my gallbladder surgery, and I couldn’t be happier with my healing process. I previously wrote about adjusting to life after gallbladder removal and mentioned using supplements to regulate my digestive system. In this column, I share a review of my experience with those supplements.

Fall and winter have always been my favorite seasons. I eagerly await the cooler weather by prematurely washing my sweaters and drinking warm beverages. This year, I’m particularly excited for the changing of seasons because of some maddening mosquitoes. This summer, a non-native mosquito species terrorized me and other…

Sometimes life with a chronic invisible illness can feel backward and upside down. As if anything that I do, whether positive or negative, could come back to bite me in the butt. It’s dizzying to try to predict people’s reactions to something as simple as a photo of me showing…

“That’s right. You’ll be able to resume your regular diet after gallbladder removal.” My surgeon’s words ring in my ears as my television airs food commercials and I chomp on carrot sticks. Two weeks after my operation and I’m finally back to my old self. I can flaunt my skinny…

In the summer of 2017, I received an email from a woman named Serena Lawrence. She had discovered me on Instagram, and had learned about my past ambassadorship with the Muscular Dystrophy Association and my blog “Millennial On Wheels.”  She told me about a job opening as a columnist…

For most of my life, I’ve suffered from viral-induced asthma. While coughing and wheezing are often a constant with standard asthma, viral-induced asthma is triggered by infections such as the common cold or the flu. My first asthma memory was during my first-grade year. I missed a month of…

When I first started my search for a possible partner in life, all I asked for was someone who’d love me and understand my rare condition, mitochondrial myopathy. I never imagined I’d find a person so determined to help me experience everything life had to offer.  From the…

Let me make it clear that I am not opposed to questions about my disease and why I use a wheelchair. In fact, I encourage them. I mean, we might as well talk about the elephant in the room, right?  By this point in my life, I’m basically an…

For several years, I’ve been feeling nauseated in the mornings after I eat breakfast. Whatever food item occupies my plate that morning — be it a chocolate chip muffin with a few strawberries or an apple with a side of yogurt — inevitably upsets my stomach. Fruits of any kind…

Last Wednesday, July 24, was the four-year anniversary of the day I got my first and only tattoo. One month earlier, I had turned 18 and graduated from high school. I was ready for a tattoo. (Courtesy of Leah Leilani) I wasn’t concerned about the needle, as…

Last year, I wrote about the unfortunate side effects of the medication Lyrica (pregabalin), which I’ve been taking for my fibromyalgia pain. For a while now, I’ve considered the option of switching out my medication for medical marijuana.  I’m familiar with the use of cannabis for therapeutic…