One Painful Step at a TimeWalking. Such an important and necessary part of our lives. We need to do it just to function. Not to mention the joy that it brings or the part it...reactions1comment
Attitude is everythingHandling RA on a day to day basis requires a lot of tools. From my perspective one of the most important and perhaps less tangible ones is attitude. For me...reactionscomments
Characterizing RA painI would imagine that like me, most of you are asked from time to time to explain the type of pain you are feeling in your joints ravaged by RA...reactions3comments
Love is in the airWith February being the month designated to celebrate love (thank you Valentine's Day) PLUS my birthday falls on that day PLUS my last name is Hart I felt compelled to...reactionscomments
AnticipationOne aspect of living with a chronic disease like RA that often gets little attention is the notion of anticipation. What I mean by that is the very real prospect...reactionscomments
Please and thank youI often feel that in today's world we are all so busy and in such a rush to get our point across that we sometimes forget the simple value of...reactionscomments
The good, the bad and the uglyTaking a look at RA from the perspective of the good, the bad and the ugly reveals some interesting insights worth sharing. Let's start with the good. For me the good...reactionscomments
Let us give thanksThis is without a doubt my absolute favorite time of year. Yes, I actually do better RA wise once the days are a bit more crisp, the humidity has gone...reactionscomments
Ask and you shall receive."Ask and you shall receive" is a wonderful suggestion, but short of having a magic genie in our pockets, it is not true, for the most part. However how I...reactionscomments
When and how to extend our hands...I recently had an interesting experience that led to me reflecting on when and how do we extend ourselves to others suffering with RA. Are there some boundaries we need...reactionscomments
Turn, turn, turnOne of my favorite songs comes from the Byrds - Turn, Turn, Turn. Whenever I hear it the lyrics really wash over me and I just feel as though every...reactionscomments
What's up Doc?Among the many ongoing decisions associated with wisely managing Rheumatoid Arthritis, arguably the most crucial one is who to turn to for treatment. First you must decide which medical professional...reactionscomments
Finding the right balanceOne of the many challenges we face as we move through the years managing a chronic disease like RA, is finding the balance between being vigilant about our health and...reactions1comment
Dressing for the occasionI have always enjoyed clothes. Shopping for them, selecting outfits, wearing them, etc. It may seem strange but the fact is RA effects everything associated with dressing. Years ago, I...reactions1comment
Outside the linesIt seems that so much of our time managing RA centers around the main aspects of the disease itself, i.e. the joint pain, swelling, fatigue, etc. that it may be...reactionscomments
Laughter truly IS the best medicineI can imagine that at first glance the notion of laughing about a chronic disease borders on absurdity. But let me make a case for why laughing can actually improve...reactions2comments
Getting engaged is delightful at any age!So the final E in my EEE approach to RA management is Engaging (the first two E's can be found here and here.) . By that I mean simply staying...reactionscomments
Those were the days....You would think that after nearly 20 years, my memory of the onset and diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis would be at best faded and at worst deposited into a long...reactionscomments
How slow can you go?I have learned through the years of association and friendship with others with Rheumatoid Arthritis that many of us were used to living in the "fast lane" pre-RA. By that...reactionscomments
Shut the front door!I have always lived with the credo that as one door closes another one opens. This has proven true on so many levels throughout my journey with RA. For instance...reactions3comments
