Precious, Not Fragile
— Heather Novak

It’s 4:30 a.m. and I’m staring at the wall, willing my brain and body to go back to sleep. I can’t tell what awakened me — a sound outside, a bad dream, the insistent pain in my hip and shoulder — but it doesn’t matter. With a sigh, I reach…

This week is the one-year anniversary of my first column with Hypoparathyroidism News! It’s been an incredible experience, and I’m so thankful to have been given the opportunity to share my rare disease journey. Looking back over the past 43 columns, I’m emotional at these snapshots of my life.

Note: This column describes the experiences of a columnist and/or an interviewee with several therapies, including Yorvipath (palopegteriparatide), Calci-Chew (chewable calcium carbonate), One-Alpha (alfacalcidol), and Forteo (teriparatide). Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. When I started my journey…

Anyone who has spoken to me in the last two months knows how excited I am about the cultural phenomenon happening with the popular romance franchise “Heated Rivalry” — a story about two LGBTQ+ men who are rival hockey players that fall in love. Not only is this…

As January creeps along, I’m back to work, balancing publishing and column deadlines, and myriad doctor appointments. Taking time off and adjusting my holiday schedule to give myself more breathing room turned out to be a great gift. I managed to crawl out of a vicious seven-week pain cycle,…

Navigating the holidays with hypoparathyroidism is a lesson in conserving energy, pacing myself, and continuously reevaluating my calendar. It is the season of visits with loved ones, holiday parties, deadlines, and extra nasty communicable viruses — which is why I’m always masked. To keep pushing through the end-of-year sprint,…

Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with Yorvipath (palopegteriparatide) injections. Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. I have a group of friends who are convinced I’m clairvoyant. When I reply that it’s just my anxiety, they…

Earlier this year, I experienced significant shoulder pain. I blamed it on my hypoparathyroidism, assuming it was from a muscle spasm, one of my frequent symptoms. Instead, the pain turned out to be from a pinched nerve beneath my shoulder blade. While my disease was a contributing factor, it…

As I cross off the days on the calendar leading up to my 41st birthday on Monday, I can’t help but think about how this year feels so different from the last several. I celebrated my 40th birthday last year in March, finally stable as part of the Yorvipath…

A sunny Saturday morning, and there I was again, sitting in the waiting room at my chiropractor’s clinic. As inconvenient — and expensive — as it is to add a second appointment during the week, I’m grateful he could fit me in. I’m also thankful I was able to identify…

My therapist had me sit with teenage Heather during my last eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy appointment. This Heather had her light brown hair in a bob, wore big glasses and plaid shorts, and was rocking back and forth, full to the brim with anxiety and an illness…