BARBARA'S TCHATZKAHS

By LOREN BERLIN Sometimes drugs that heal your body can cause side effects that dampen your spirit. Loren Berlin, who has ulcerative colitis, writes about gaining weight as a result of a drug treatment. Two years ago, when I was 29 years old, I experienced my first flare from ulcerative colitis, an autoimmune disorder of the colon with intermittent cycles of disease activity and remission. I lost five pounds in less than a week, was unable to eat or drink, and was bleeding internally from the ulcers and inflammation decimating my large intestine. My gastroenterologist prescribed prednisone, a corticosteroid that vanquished my symptoms in seventy-two hours. Literally. One day I was on the verge of hospitalization. Three days later I was no longer bleeding. It was amazing. But it wasn’t free. Prednisone is infamous in the medical community for its side effects. It can cause osteoporosis and diabetes. It suppresses the immune system and can lead to insomnia and depression. Sure, that ...

From the fabulous Kate Harding.Net: What’s interesting is that at first, it was really hard for me to know what to say. My first, reflexive thought was that I could just tell my own story! I mean, I’m thin and all. But I quickly shot that down. Talking about my experiences as a thin person, on a FA blog, would be an excellent demonstration of thin privilege, but it wouldn’t accomplish much else. Fat acceptance is fundamentally not ABOUT the thin experience. It’s really not about me, at all. In fact, that’s really what I should be talking about. But I’m going to take a minute to ward off as much of the anticipated defensiveness as I can right off the bat, even though I hate feeling like I’m placating the WATM-style whining (this time with Thin!). After all, it’s not like the FA community needs a lecture on thin privilege (HEY GUESS WHAT FATTIES I GET IT NOW CAN I HAVE A DOUGHNUT): this is really for thin people out there who haven’t really considered their own privilege. So, do some thi...