Legit BeatDenial is a powerful coping mechanism. Sometimes the depth of a tragedy is too much to bear, and denial allows us to...reactions33comments
ProductivityOne definition of productivity is "the effectiveness of productive effort, especially in industry, as measured in terms of the rate of output...reactions6comments
How Many Fights Can We Manage?It strikes me that people with chronic conditions like rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have to endure a lot of fights. It’s not because...reactions24comments
Rheumatoid Arthritis Should Give UpI took middle school Practical Arts. It was required for all 7 graders in my school system in the 1960s. The curriculum consisted...reactions9comments
To The Forgotten Joints of RA....Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a confusing disease and most people don’t know much about the illness beyond a half-idea of what they...reactions34comments
COVID-19 Vaccine ExperienceOn Friday, February 19th, 2021, I got my first COVID-19 vaccine dose. It was an exciting (and, honestly, a rather odd) time...reactions14comments
The RA Pregnancy Chronicles: The Post-Birth RA FlareThe RA Pregnancy Chronicles is a series of posts that share my experiences being pregnant while living with RA. This post was...reactions1comment
Why Do I Keep Doing That??When was the last time you pushed yourself too far and suffered the consequences of extra pain, stiffness and disability? My arms...reactions32comments
Developing a Treatment PlanI am a planner. For example, my husband will tell you that I love planning trips and visits or dinners. In fact...reactions2comments
“Where oh where is my libido?” or The Time I Decided to See a Sex TherapistThough it isn’t often talked about, I think most people living with RA would agree that RA can have a very negative...reactions1comment
Complaining Allowed?"Do you endure pain in public because you worry that people might think you complain too much?" This was a question that...reactionscomments
My Strange HandsI know that my hands look different, but I am used to them. They are small and my fingers are short and...reactions22comments
How to Appeal a Social Security Disability DenialThough the statistics vary somewhat from state to state, nationwide about 65% of all disability claims are denied on the first application...reactions4comments
Fatigue-Inspired BlundersOne of the worst things about autoimmune illness is the lack of energy. It makes everything else worse, and it saps time...reactions15comments
Will it Get Worse?That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it? Will it get worse? Will this rheumatoid disease (arthritis) I’ve got, which has so rudely and...reactions10comments
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...reactions2comments
Compassion Versus Pity and RAI think that most people dislike the feeling of pity yet instinctively respond to compassion. Why is that? They both come from...reactions11comments
Take a Pill, Gain a PoundThere is a lot of discussion of obesity and rheumatoid arthritis (including many great articles on this site). But I am given...reactions15comments
RA Anxieties: Loss & ProgressionIn this series, we discuss causes of anxiety for those facing physical illness and its side effects. Phrases in bold are the...reactions2comments
The Good LifeI was recently asked to reflect on how I have managed to live with RA for over 20 years, while being a...reactions2comments
