Janeil Whitworth

If I were asked to describe my relationship with healthcare providers, one word comes to mind: loyalty. It’s true that when I find a healthcare provider I click with, I...

As a parent, you have likely collected peculiar (and sometimes niche) skills due to your parenting journey. Whether you're a master creative thinker and design the best cowboy costumes in...

One of the biggest assumptions people make about having rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is that you are elderly. In other words: no spring chicken. Over the hill. Gettin’ on. And other...

For my 30th birthday a few years ago, my husband surprised me with a big, big, big surprise gift. He knew I wanted a way to exercise and be outside...

There are many special individuals out there filled with compassion and selflessness that make this sometimes overwhelming and isolating world a little less overwhelming and isolating. This group includes both...

There have been so many times in my life dealing with chronic illnesses that I have wondered what it would be like to take a moment to step out of...

I have a dear friend whose love language translates to mysterious Amazon packages showing up at my doorstep. Sometimes the items are funny, such as a bizarre pair of lobster...

As a newbie to methotrexate (MXT) therapy, I don’t always know what to expect. I’ll admit I’m a little lost when trying to connect my symptoms to the side effects...

Your suitcase is packed, passport and travel documents organized, and road trip snacks gathered; but like clockwork, joint pain, fatigue, and disappointment set in. How are you supposed to travel...

Every fall as the weather turns colder and the leaves begin changing from green to red and orange, I curl up with a cozy blanket (and usually some ibuprofen) and...

For the past 1.5 years, I have walked a unique journey as I have supported my mom through stage 4 melanoma, a type of skin cancer that has spread to...

As a newbie to the rheumatoid arthritis (RA) community (although not a newbie to the chronic illness community), I truly had no idea about the treatment options when it came...

For quite awhile, I felt that my chronic pain was just another symptom of the bigger disease in my life, cystic fibrosis (CF). I was born with CF, although I...

It's funny- when you live in pain, you spend a lot of time thinking about (and trying) different ways to think less about your pain. Like, if you could just...

With summer just around the corner, many of us are ready to enjoy more activity, BBQs, and days in the sun. It’s been a long, cold winter and you’re excited...

Every two weeks, I gather the cardboard box from the refrigerator, pull back the lid and read the warning printed on the box of my biologic. "IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION: CIMZIA...

It’s that time again! The birds are chirping, the relentless cold is lifting, and you’re noticing the dusty, dingy dirt tracked in all winter long for the first time. It’s...

My sincerest hope is that your 2022 was a better year than mine. Don’t get me wrong, there were many moments of happiness and fun. However, overall, 2022 was very...

Until my own episode, I never realized RA could affect your eyes. Joints? Sure. But eyes? It seemed far-fetched in a disease like RA. I was aware of the need...

I remember the first time I saw a rheumatologist, he asked me a simple question: Do you experience any stiffness? Promptly, I said no and I was telling the truth...