Author: News Room

7 min readOne day in 2012, when I was a sophomore in high school, I looked in the mirror and was surprised to see light patches on my cheeks that hadn’t been there before. I thought, “Oh my god, what is this?” When I was a child I was diagnosed with eczema on my hands, but that was scaly itchiness—not light-colored spots on my pecan-brown skin. I had never experienced anything like it before, so my mom took me to a dermatologist near Hampton, Virginia, where I still live.The long search for a diagnosisThe first doctor I saw (an older…

5 min readMy name is Emily Washcovick and I’m 31 years old. I live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and work for Yelp as a marketing manager and small-business expert. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when I was 28. But for years before I learned I had the condition, I had been a bit of a perfectionist. I was always really busy, and my energy would come in big spurts. I had a constant stream of thoughts, and my personality was just go-go-go. On the flip side, I would also go through periods where I’d feel low and be very depressed.…

4 min readFive years ago, right around when I turned 30, I started noticing a lot of changes in my body. I’d always had a slim face, but I would look in the mirror and notice that my face was getting rounder. I was like, OK, I guess I’m getting cheeky! I also started gaining weight. I figured my metabolism was slowing down, but that didn’t make sense. I worked out almost every day and ran around after my three kids; plus, I was trying to eat as healthily as I could, and I still gained 40 pounds over the…

6 min readMy moment of clarity came after a tumble down the stairs and an ankle fracture, in 2016. I’d been distracted—again. This time, I was looking at paint chips while walking down a flight of stairs in my house and thinking about what I’d just learned about light reflectance values.While laid up for six weeks of healing, I had plenty of time to consider what felt like my life’s failings. I had a master’s degree, but I’d made it through endless boring classes by daydreaming, doodling, and making lists of what I’d do next. My grades rarely dipped below…

4 min readBy the time I reached my 60s, I’d seen a world of pain: first fused spinal discs, then a fractured skull after a dolly whacked me in the face during a shift as a UPS worker. (That took me a year and a half of rehab to recover from.) Later I had a hysterectomy and other operations related to my skull. But none of that was as bad as the pain in my leg.It started about 10 years ago, an ungodly pressure in my lower back that ran down my right leg into my foot. And it never…

7 min readIn 2012, Len Robertson, a 46-year-old high school music teacher and musician in Brooklyn, New York, noticed a discharge coming from his left nipple. “It was worrisome. I did some research and learned that it’s never a good sign when this happens,” Robertson says. He went to a breast specialist to get checked out, and she removed a benign (noncancerous) tumor from his left breast. While most breast lumps are benign, Robertson took this as a sign to be on the lookout for any other changes in his breasts. Six years later, in the summer of 2018, Robertson…

6 min readAs a child, I’d always loved mysteries found within the pages of books. Detective novels like Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, and other who-done-its. Little did I know that, as an adult, I’d be solving mysteries within my own body.It was easy to overlook the initial warning signs. As a healthy, competitive swimmer between the ages of 8 and 18, I glided through water for up to 3 hours daily. Stomach cramps would pop up occasionally, but they were easily dismissed—I’d waited too long to eat, perhaps, didn’t eat enough protein, or swam too soon after a meal.At age…

3 min readRead more real-life stories about women who’ve been misdiagnosed by doctors in Prevention’s series: I Was Misdiagnosed Not long after my 30th birthday, I began experiencing fleeting moments where it felt like my apartment was somehow tilting to the left. These moments were sporadic, and usually occurring when lying down, so I ignored them for a while. Then, two years later, I dropped 30 pounds in less than a month, and felt like someone was injecting me with adrenaline 24 hours a day. At that point, I knew something was seriously wrong. Distraught, I went to the doctor.…

7 min readHave you ever had to pee so badly that the hair on your arms stands up and goosebumps spread across your skin? In 2013, this intense need to go to the bathroom would hit me suddenly and frequently—before college lectures, during workouts, and at all hours of the night. These urges would become all-consuming. And at 19 years old, that just seemed wrong. But it was just because I was drinking so much water, right? Maybe the food in the dining hall had been extra-salty lately, and I’d just been thirstier than usual. But no matter how much…

5 min readKey PointsScientists reveal one sleep habit that may be a predictor of longevity.In a recent study, researchers found that daytime napping was associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality in older adults.Here, experts break down the findings.Our bodies rely on sleep to function. But while we all may be striving to get our recommended nine hours each night, life often gets in the way, which means you might find yourself curling up on the couch for the occasional—or not so occasional—daytime nap. But new research reveals that what seems like a harmless sleep habit may reveal more…