Two of the most commonly known symptoms of sickle cell disease are a vaso-occlusive crisis (perhaps the best-known symptom) and fatigue. But others aren’t so well-known; in fact, I’d say most people aren’t aware…
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It’s been several weeks since my last column, because I was unfortunately hospitalized at the beginning of February. I was hoping to have been discharged by now, but sadly I’m still here. Last month,…
I spent much of the fall of 2019 in the hospital due to a sickle cell crisis. It became so severe that it affected my organ function and triggered a severe case…
Happy New Year! It’s 2022, and my New Year’s resolution is the same as always: to experience and maintain good health. I’m not completely naive. I’m acutely aware of how sickle cell disease works,…
I have been experiencing a lot of pain lately due to sickle cell crises. I previously wrote that my crises have started to correlate with my menstrual cycle, but I’m now experiencing…
Winter has finally arrived here in the U.K. I really dislike the winter, in case you didn’t know. One of my biggest sickle cell disease crisis triggers is cold weather. Although sickle…
Last Monday, I awoke to a flurry of comments about the results of a landmark sickle cell inquiry here in the U.K. that uncovered evidence of racism in sickle cell patient care in…
I wrote about feeling unwell without any apparent cause in September, and then again last month. So, guess what? I was recently sick again. But in my quest for silver linings, I…
I was unwell for a week in August. It began with deep lethargy. After about two days of that, the vomiting started. Everything made me vomit: brushing my teeth, drinking water, nibbling food.
I have a difficult time knowing when I’m not feeling well apart from when I have a severe illness. That sounds ridiculous, right? Because I have a chronic condition, someone might think I would…
I recently watched a film on Netflix called “Strain,” which depicts the life of a child with sickle cell disease. The film mentions that stroke is a symptom of sickle cell, which I…
When a sickle cell patient mentions a crisis, most people think of a painful, vaso-occlusive crisis. I can understand why — it’s by far one of the most common complications of sickle cell…
Today is my birthday. When I was born, the life expectancy of sickle cell patients in the U.K. was 10 years old. It was worse in Nigeria, at 5 years old, which is why…
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