Precious, Not Fragile - a Column by Heather Novak

Chronic illness doesn’t come with a pause button or a manual. Having hypoparathyroidism and several comorbidities means my best-laid plans too often get turned on their head. After five weeks of stable occipital neuralgia symptoms, I was counting down the days to see one of my favorite…

After three more diagnoses and five weeks of recovery, I’m thrilled to be back writing columns. Over the past year, I’ve documented my journey to finding solutions to my increasing pain levels. At first, my medical team agreed that a large part of my pain stemmed from hypoparathyroidism…

I’m often asked by fellow hypoparathyroidism patients how they can get an at-home calcium tester, and I’ve always had to explain that there wasn’t an option — until now. Finally, one is in development! Saturday is Rare Disease Day, and I wrote last year’s Rare Disease Day column…

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…