Living

Receiving a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is not something anyone really wants to experience. It's debilitating and causes so many other health problems including heart problems, lung problems, and...

I’ve asked myself this question regarding several of my doctors, perhaps too many times, in recent years. As a person who lives with multiple chronic diseases, primarily rheumatoid arthritis and...

I have been reading a lot latterly about our community members and their issues with family. It can be anyone – cousin, grandparent, even a pet. But more often than...

A new article in Rheumatology Advisor highlights recent findings on nutrition for people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). “Role of Nutrition in Protecting Against Disease Risk and Progression in Rheumatoid Arthritis”...

I have lived with symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) since I was a child. Since before I went through puberty. Since the days of adolescent activities, “easy, normal lives,” and...

There was a time when I thought life was linear. I would go to school, graduate high school, go to college, take one year off, go to vet school, do...

Researchers recently published an interesting new study “Fatigue in young adults with juvenile idiopathic arthritis 18 years after disease onset: data from the prospective Nordic JIA cohort” in Pediatric Rheumatology...

In March 2020, the world as we knew it stopped in the United States due to the coronavirus pandemic. As a chronic illness patient (living with rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease...

Do you have energy vampires in your life? You know, the people who if you spend almost any amount of time with them suck out your will to live? They...

Living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) means adjusting... literally everything. Over the years, I’ve found some of the parts of getting dressed that once were easy (clasps, hooks, zippers) have gotten...

I wrote previously about how my thyroid is currently in the process of some kind of self-destruction. Maybe a bit dramatic, but isn't that what an autoimmune disease is in...

2020 was a year. I think we can all agree on that. It really pushed us to our human limits. My 2020 was also pickled with personal loss, personal triumphs...

Although I’ve had rheumatoid arthritis (RA) symptoms for most of my life, I’ve only been treated for it since my official diagnosis five years ago. When I was finally diagnosed...

As I watch the COVID-19 vaccination effort grow and see the number of people vaccinated increase as the number of new infections decreases, I’m growing cautiously hopeful. I can begin...

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one disease but it affects all of us a bit differently. This is important because there are no cookie-cutter answers for how to adapt your space...

Choices. Decisions. Paths. When you have a chronic illness like rheumatoid arthritis (RA), it seems like every day is filled with life and death choices and if you don’t choose...

If you live in a climate that has all 4 seasons, May and June become that time of year when we are eager to emerge from our cocoons of winter...

One evening recently, I noticed my ankle bones. Moments later, I became aware of the tendons attached to them. Out of curiosity, I Googled (as one does) because I suddenly...

Rain, rain, go away! Don’t come back another day. You make me ache and hurt so much I want to take you out with a punch! There are puddles everywhere...

Despite knowing that my own situation with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is unique and that no one else likely has the same experience, I still find myself falling into the comparison...