David Advent

I had a conversation with one of my friends recently about RA. We were discussing chronic illnesses and the intricacies of their problems. This friend knows I have RA, but...

Sharing your story when you have a chronic illness with people who have similar experiences is a wonderful experience — in the sense that you build community together. I recently...

If you're taking an injectable medication for your RA, you're likely familiar with injection site redness and reactions — even if you have not had one. It's one of the...

I am a perfectionist. I place an immense amount of pressure on myself to complete any given task. It can be at work, at school, or a regular household chore...

Now more than ever, my time is both limited and valuable. Sometimes, though, my time — because I have RA — clashes with normal conceptions of time in our society...

Never in my life have I experienced the amount of snow that has fallen in Wisconsin this winter, and apparently, this is a warm winter for Wisconsin. Coming from Florida...

It's that time again: I've developed yet another pain and complication because of my RA. For those of you who have rheumatoid arthritis (RA), you know this feeling of dread...

I recently went through a painful experience. I woke up one morning in incredible pain; my neck was almost locked up, I couldn't move my hand, and I felt just...

If there is one unifying experience that almost everyone with RA (or any chronic illness) in the US has had — besides pain — it’s expensive medical bills. This is...

Going into the fall and winter months means the cold is returning, even to the warmest parts of the country. Around this time last year in Florida, our temperatures went...

Content Note: This article discusses disordered eating. At another regularly scheduled endocrinology appointment, I'm sitting in pent-up anxiety wondering what is wrong with my body. Here we go again. I've...

Unless you have RA — or another chronic illness — you probably won't understand this. But in July, I had my last appointment with my rheumatologist in Florida. This rheumatologist...

It's hard to believe the big day has come: I graduated with my master of arts (MA) degree in literature, media, and culture in May 2023. This has been a...

A life on the go might seem like it doesn't work with having rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and taking Humira. However, though it might seem odd, that's not the case —...

If you have RA, you likely have experienced some pain in your feet. For me, RA foot pain was actually one of the first places that I did indeed feel...

I’ve been way too fatigued lately. Too tired. It feels that I have to exert so much more effort to accomplish the things that people my age can do with...

Who would have thought: I'm sick again! And it's at the worst possible time for a graduate student: finals week. This serves as a stark reminder of how much my...

Stay with me here: I think there's a surprisingly intricate relationship between alcohol and RA. Don't get me wrong; I love occasionally indulging in a drink after a difficult day...

You probably wouldn't know this unless you have RA—and maybe even if you do have RA, you haven't thought about this—but having RA is really expensive. You might think that...