Living

Yesterday I was relaxing in the afternoon and I started to feel my left ankle throb. Feeling surprised, I looked down and thought, “What now?” I know by now I...

As a woman and a twice-over-mama, I have realized an unfortunate dichotomy among breastfeeding your child and choosing other things in your life. For example, for many women it’s all...

I recall my grandfather looking at a Caterpillar bulldozer sitting in his yard at the lakefront property he owned. No one lived at the cottage. The cottage was used on...

The pressure in our society to do everything in the least amount of time is overwhelming, to put it mildly. The pressure on the average, healthy person to keep up...

Heading into an appointment with your doctor can be overwhelming or stressful. You also may not always know the right questions to ask, even if you've been living with RA...

Finding someone. Dating. Relationships. When you have rheumatoid arthritis or any chronic illness, being in a relationship comes with extra challenges. If there’s anything relationships don’t need – it’s more...

This was a difficult article to write, weirdly. Many of the incidents happened soon after I moved to a new state, but I felt guilty writing about them. Where I...

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...

I've seen a few posts on our site about individuals who have tried the autoimmune protocol diet (AIP). It's a diet designed to reduce inflammation and also an elimination/reintroduction diet...

Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the most enigmatic chronic illnesses out there; dealing with it daily is a herculean feat. Fatigue, pain, general malaise, depression – the list of symptoms...

"You're a chronic clencher," the massage therapist said to me while pressing her fingers into my tender jaw muscles. Wincing from the pain, I agreed, "Yes, I am." Even though...

During the dog days of summer, we often don’t need much of a reminder to stay hydrated as thirst is a constant companion, but remembering to stay hydrated when summer...

It’s been an encouraging few months, health-wise. The medication I started a couple of years ago is working better than ever. For the first time in over a decade, I...

A study in Arthritis Care and Research looked at and monitored the hand grip strength of individuals in the early stages of their RA. The study reports, “There was an...

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...

It's summer. Of course, Florida is hot during this time of the year, but this past week was one of the hottest I can remember since living in the Panhandle...

I don't mind admitting that I have trouble with my mental health. I have struggled with clinical depression and bipolar II for a long time, and I have been on...

“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...

Disclaimer: I still wake up frequently and commonly experience pain and stiffness in the morning. The pillow placements I talk about below provide additional comfort but do not alleviate all...

UPDATE: The Paraffin Wax Kit Giveaway is now closed. Thank you for your interest! This September, we are acknowledging Rheumatic Disease Awareness Month with a new giveaway! Since many people...