Living

There’s one “b” word that people with rheumatoid arthritis and chronic illness are especially afraid of. No, it’s not the b-word you’re probably thinking of (get your mind out of...

Living with rheumatoid arthritis means understanding how to be adaptable in every definition of the word. It means needing to be flexible and creative, thinking on the fly, and finding...

Kelly recently wrote an article titled, The Benefits and Downsides of Strength, and it inspired me to think about my definition of strength. I’ve written on the loss of my...

If you’re a veteran patient or you’ve been on certain medications before, you’re likely familiar with the concept of prior authorization. Prior authorization is a somewhat daunting, hardly logical process...

Sometimes inspiration comes in the most unlikely places. A few days ago, it came when I was listening to a book whose main character was a surgeon. This woman had...

When I consider that I have been journeying with RA for a quarter-century, it seemed only fitting to spend some time sharing my thoughts as an “RA veteran”. One of...

Motherhood is physically draining. There is no doubt about that. However, I never thought being a young mom with RA would put me at risk of additional complications once my...

October is a busy month for me and my office down in Florida. Each October, we attend the Florida Statewide Symposium which is an annual meeting of Office of Undergraduate...

When I was younger and starting out in my career, I had this goal to one day do well enough that I would be able to buy accessibility. As a...

Unpredictability. If there was one word to describe living with RA, it would be unpredictability. Like a lazy porcupine in a balloon store, you never know exactly what’s going to...

Have you ever felt like because you have rheumatoid arthritis (RA), you will never be able to achieve your future goals or accomplish things you’ve dreamed about? Perhaps before your...

In the past decade, the journey with my knees has involved multiple steroid injections, two rounds of hyaluronic acid gel injections in each knee, numerous x-rays taken by different doctors...

The pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis is not a one-size-fits-all situation. When I reflect on it, the types of pain, the way we each experience it, the duration, etc. are all...

There’s 1 symptom of rheumatoid arthritis that I struggle with, regardless of my disease status. Even on my best days - days after my IV treatment when I feel like...

I’m about to say something blasphemous (for me). Over the past 6 months, I stopped napping! I know, right?!?! Ms. Embrace the Nap, Take the Nap, PRIORITIZE the nap stopped...

You’ve probably heard the saying, “it takes a village….” It’s usually used in reference to raising children, but it also applies to RA. You see, rheumatoid arthritis and chronic illness...

Food insecurity is defined by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a “lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life.” It is very well-researched and...

I walk a lot. It’s my main form of exercise, and I walk at a fairly quick pace — one of my recent walks was a 16:30-mile. And while I...

Shame. It goes hand-in-hand with rheumatoid arthritis, chronic illness, and disability. Every day, we get one thousand little subconscious hints that we should hide our illnesses and feel embarrassed about...

My rheumatologist told me that he is retiring in May. Gulp. I have been with him a long time, and I have always treasured his advice and skill in treatment...