Living

Editor's note: In this series, we discuss causes of anxiety for those facing physical health conditions like rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Phrases in quotes are the words of our community members...

I was recently diagnosed with severe obstructive sleep apnea after having a sleep study test. This condition means that my airway closes while I am sleeping, which causes me to...

Not long ago I was having a conversation with a friend who is the mother of two teenagers, and as she shared her challenges in parenting them, she mentioned all...

Being a parent is a tiring job, and often, life with a chronic illness often comes with fatigue. Both together can be a recipe for complete exhaustion and feelings of...

Whether or not you have a child, most individuals would agree that parenting is hard. Although there is no right or wrong way to raise a child, new trends, latest...

Navigating life with a chronic condition can be challenging. Adding children and parenting stress into the mix can make it feel like an impossible task at times. No matter where...

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a confusing disease and most people don’t know much about the illness beyond a half-idea of what they think arthritis is. It usually involves deformed hands...

Out of all the problems I have experienced with RA thus far in my medical journey, this disease's effects on my sleep are the most potent. From tossing and turning...

I’ve always considered myself lucky with my Rheumatoid Disease. My clinical symptoms don’t stop me from working, rock-climbing, and generally taking care of myself or my pets. However, recently I...

Remission is that big idea that often hides like the elephant in the room when I talk to my doctors or other Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patients. It also hides in my...

I know that my hands look different, but I am used to them. They are small and my fingers are short and stubby. More than that, several of them have...

As I had written earlier, one of my doctors was worried that I may have sleeping problems. To be honest, over the years a few doctors had mentioned sleep apnea...

I'm currently reading a fantastic book about living with chronic pain, "Pain Woman Takes Your Keys, and Other Essays from a Nervous System" by Sonya Huber. Huber herself struggles with rheumatoid...

Kelly Mack recently wrote an article on her techniques to make sure prescriptions and other medical procedures run smoothly through her insurance company. I agree with her article and often...

I love to travel. I love exploring new places and new cultures. If you're also like me in that you have RA, you know that traveling can be a struggle...

In recent months I’ve been meditating, and this practice has helped me shift my brain’s focus from the pain in my body. As I’ve been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis/rheumatoid disease...

One of the worst things about autoimmune illness is the lack of energy. It makes everything else worse, and it saps time like nothing else. Be that as it may...

I know that every day I have pain. I know that the name for this state of being is called living with chronic pain. I know that my pain comes...

President Trump is back with a vengeance, once again trying to repeal Obamacare a.k.a. the Affordable Care Act, (ACA) and all of the health care protections and provisions the act...

The definition of remission is “a temporary or permanent decrease or subsidence of manifestations of a disease”. No symptoms? No need for meds? It sounds like something I’ll never achieve...