“I hear you’ve been sick”

You’re not wrong. But also, I feel fine. And I want to keep it that way—hence the mask.

I'm feeling A-OK these days. The only difference from five years ago is that I mask up before stepping into social situations. The combination of prednisone (stops inflammation by preventing the body's immune system from responding to infection or injury), methotrexate (keeps cells from dividing by blocking actions of folic acid in the body—folic acid is required to help cells divide and replicate) and rituximab (targets B cells which direct antibodies to attack invaders).

This felt like less of a “thing” in 2020 when everybody was wearing masks— and everybody was staying hom. Now I feel like I’m masking up to rob a bank or something every time I enter a building.