Kelly Mack

Over the years, talking about my rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and explaining it to others has changed as I have shifted my mindset and experienced the progression of the disease. I...

It may seem an obvious thing to say, but I have to point it out: surgery is challenging. For me (and I’m guessing many other folks with rheumatoid arthritis or...

During the first months of my reverse shoulder surgery recovery, I saw rapid changes and improvements. First the healing, then the strength made great strides in recovery. Now that I’m...

When I had my knee infection and revision surgery about 10 years ago, I told everyone my goal for recovery: to stand and walk. It was my fifth joint replacement...

Read the first part of this article here. As a child, my juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (now called juvenile idiopathic arthritis, or JIA) was extremely aggressive. Starting with my left knee...

When I moved out of my childhood home to go to college, I was thinking about the adventures of my new life. I was excited and terrified. It was a...

My world shrinks smaller when I go into “fierce mode.” I pull back from outreach and engagement. I determine what are the necessary things for me to do, and concentrate...

Many people who receive federal benefits for disability have a challenge with being able to save due to asset restrictions. While you may want to put away some funds for...

A bit of advanced planning and preparation before shoulder replacement surgery can help with the recovery process. Although every individual is different, there are considerations that can be helpful for...

I am a planner, and I always have been. When I was 15 years old and had my hips and knees replaced, I thought about how I may need to...

It’s seared in my memory: sitting in my wheelchair across the desk of my school guidance counselor with my mother sitting beside me, talking about my goal to go to...

At a recent visit to a new spinal doctor, I learned that my top couple of vertebrae have become "naturally fused" as a result of my rheumatoid arthritis (RA). He...

In recent years I’ve had more problems with reduced neck and shoulder mobility and increased pain. I went for some sessions of physical therapy and found that helpful, but not...

I’ve always been a fan of ramps. When I was younger and could walk more, I liked them for being easier for me than stairs because I could walk them...

When I was a kid growing up with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (now called juvenile idiopathic arthritis), I spent a lot of time in the car being driven to medical appointments...

I’m coming to grips that some days are just not good ones. It’s not just the pain, fatigue, or joint limitations from rheumatoid arthritis, it’s the days when the fight...

My husband Richard knows my true nature. I try to hide it and improve upon it, but the truth is that I am impatient. People mistake my exhaustion for patience...

There’s a lot of improvements that have come along for families who have children diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (or JRA- juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, which is what it was called...

“No one is harder on you than you are,” said my husband Richard recently, and I had to agree! In this case, I was getting over a tough cold and...

All of the times I have had surgery, it never felt optional. It always felt like something I needed to do to either maintain quality of life or to survive...