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My Weekend Getaway with Sickle Cell Anemia

I rarely leave London, but this weekend I went on a mini “staycation” to Kent with 24 of my friends for a birthday celebration. Packing We rented a mansion on Airbnb with enough space for the 25 of us, though I was not sure what the environment in the house…

3 Ways to Combat Fatigue with Sickle Cell Disease

Fatigue is a common symptom associated with sickle cell disease. Due to the smaller size of our red blood cells, we cannot carry as much oxygen as those with healthier red blood cells. This leads to a lack of oxygen in our bodies and, ultimately, fatigue. Fatigue describes the feeling…

Encounters with Medical Students Can Be Upsetting

My hospital also is a university full of medical students. Trainees follow their supervisors from patient to patient to get a sense of how their work applies to real-life situations. Nine times out of 10, I love interacting with students. I love to discover the person behind the uniform, and…

The Importance of Better Representation in the Medical Industry

Sickle cell disease is a condition that mostly affects people from an African or African-Caribbean origin. Nevertheless, the majority of those who have treated me for this condition have been healthcare professionals of other races. I don’t think they would have typically interacted with sickle cell patients prior to…

More Life Hacks for Managing Sickle Cell

I previously shared some tips for managing sickle cell. If you found those useful, I have a few more suggestions that also may help. Deep Heat I find that when I am in pain, balms such as Mentholatum Deep Heat help. Balms that contain ingredients such as menthol…

This Is What a Hospital Stay Looks Like

Whenever I feel ill, I exhaust my options. To make my sickle cell pain go away, I drink hot water, take painkillers, fill my hot water bottle, find a distraction, or sleep. Most of the time it works, but sometimes the pain is so bad that I call 999…