Living

People mean well. I will start off by acknowledging this fact. But nevertheless, there are things I still don’t want to hear from strangers. Frequently when someone new learns that...

At the age of fourteen, Laurie Proulx first started showing signs of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (which is now called Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis). Today, Laurie is the mother of two children...

What happens when your pain from rheumatoid disease gets too big to handle? What can you do when your go-to tools, such as heat/ice; distraction; meditation; CBT; gentle exercise; various...

The dog days of summer are upon us. The heat and humidity that come along with these sweltering days can be difficult to deal with, even for the healthiest among...

The truth is, there isn't really an organ or system of our bodies that are not potentially affected by RA. Why is that? Well, experts agree it is largely due...

A few months ago I daydreamed what it would be like to live in a place adapted to my rheumatoid arthritis and physical disabilities. It was during a time when...

Open country roads, Main Street, little cabins on the lake, fresh air (except for the stinky turkey farms), miles of green fields for as far as you can see...no, this...

I believe the two most disheartening words you can hear from a doctor are “chronic pain.” As in “You have chronic pain.” Or worse, “You just have chronic pain.” This...

I am sweating as I grip my walker and lift my feet to propel myself down the long hall when one of the rehabilitation facility administrators rushes up. She’s trying...

I’ve had a good day. I’ve run errands, maneuvering miles through heavy traffic to the bank, to the grocery store, and back home to put everything away; then Mom’s hair...

This is the seventh of ten things I’d like to go back and tell my newly diagnosed self about living with RA. I don’t think that anyone who has RA...

This is the sixth of ten things I’d like to go back and tell my newly diagnosed self about living with RA. Let’s face it, life can be challenging. Balancing...

This is the third of ten things I’d like to go back and tell my newly diagnosed self about living with RA. One of the first things that happened soon...

Lately, I’ve been having some cranky days. I really do take seriously my emotional state and how it influences my rheumatoid arthritis. Perhaps it is silly, but I feel staying...

This is the second of ten things I’d like to go back and tell my newly diagnosed self about living with RA. Mae West has been credited with saying, “Too...

On a recent visit to my rheumatologist, we were sitting with a medical student when my doctor asked me to explain how I was two years old when diagnosed. “See...

Have you ever noticed that you refer to your own Rheumatoid Arthritis disease as “my RA”?  It did not start out that way, but I think this sheds some interesting...

Living with a chronic illness often dramatically changes the way you manage routine activities and responsibilities. You might need assistance to keep up with home chores or may need accommodations...

I’m riding a crowded train home from work and a woman behind me sets her bag on my head. I’m sitting in my wheelchair, so I guess it makes sense...

I turned off the dryer and reached in, burying my hands in the deep-heated load of towels that had just finished the dry cycle. Oh, that felt so good! For...