To mask or not mask? Healthcare workers in hospitals and clinics around the country wear masks to avoid infection. Why shouldn’t the general public wear one as well? If COVID-19 is transmitted by dropletss from an infected person’s oral or nasal secretions, it’s common sense that wearing a mask helps provide a barrier between those … More To Mask Or Not Mask
Liver diseases such as PBC can cause pain, either due to liver function or the complications of liver failure. Pain can also lead to depression and isolation. Pain is often a significant issue for many senior citizens. Whether from arthritis or injury due to a fall, suffering with pain can be a chronic problem for … More Pain Management for our senior population
Evolution in chronic illness As a chronic illness warrior who has dealt with migraines, meningitis, plantar fasciitis, multiple surgeries to repair damaged hyper-mobile ligaments and joints, a rare autoimmune liver disease called PBC, chronic bronchitis and allergic asthma, among a myriad of other challenges, they all pale in comparison to the big one. I always … More Evolution in chronic illness
Sam Moss is an incredibly insightful and creative blogger and advocate for those of us with chronic pain. These strategies are designed to help you improve your health and well-being by pacing yourself. In PBC, our chronic fatigue is much like living with chronic pain, it takes everything out of us and some days we … More Chronic Illness Catastrophe Days – How Can We Survive These?
Latest news on PBC ADVOCATE activities in 2018: With 2018 nearly over, it seems like a good time to recap some of the highlights of advocacy activities in 2018. Many exciting events and opportunities to advocate for PBC patients happened this year. As we continue to build our network, and develop new connections through that … More 2018 Advocacy Recap
A fellow chronic illness blogger, Sam Moss, has eloquently written on this topic and I share it here for readers to read in the hopes that it touches you as it did me. Finding A “Peaceful Kind of Happiness” In A Chronic Illness Life. May your life be filled with happiness. Cathy
Today is a truly monumental day for PBC patients around the world. PBC now (finally) has the last step in our name change from Primary Biliary Cirrhosis to Primary Biliary Cholangitis in the book, literally. The ICD-11 codes were just released and we have our new code for Primary Biliary Cholangitis, DB96.1. Thanks to all … More Primary Biliary Cholangitis gets officially a new ICD Code
Clinical Trials & Studies Many patients of PBC hear about clinical trials for new therapies and wonder, what is in it for me? Can I participate? What do I have to do to qualify? Which is the best fit for me? There are some very stringent rules and regulations that govern participation in a … More Clinical Trials – Patients Have Power
I recently read an interesting commentary written by two physicians, both of whom are dealing with autoimmune disease in their own bodies. The journey of each autoimmune (AI) disease patient is different and because the risk of having multiple AI diseases or disorders is higher if you have one, this is particularly relevant to the … More What Doctors Have Learned By Having Auto-Immune Illness Themselves
We had two successful local meetings for members of the PBC patient community in January. Our first meeting was held January 27, 2018 at the UC Davis campus and was a combined meeting of PBC and PSC patients. Because there are many similarities between Primary Biliary Cholangitis and Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (besides the obvious similarity … More Local California meeting update
PBC Advocate 