Living

As a care-giver, I feel both happy and fortunate to see my wife responding well to her medication, Rituxan. Over the past six years, Lisa’s Rituxan infusions have brought her...

Colder weather can hit with full force - and mornings, especially winter mornings, can be a challenge for many people with rheumatoid arthritis. So we asked our Facebook community: What tips do...

When I was a little girl, I hated getting shots. Annual vaccinations for school were bad enough but when you were sick and had to go to the doctor, it...

Hopeful news from a study reports that modern treatments work to minimize the need for assistive devices (like jar openers, long-handled reachers, raised toilet seats, canes, walkers, wheelchairs, and others)...

Earlier this week I was meeting a new rheumatologist to possibly replace my doctor who has retired. Ahead of time I picked a few questions to help determine if we might...

Periodically and unexpectedly, I come down with fevers. Sometimes they come with other symptoms like coughing, congestion, or headaches. But more often, they arrive and depart mysteriously. Over the years...

A recent article in TheNew York Times took me by surprise the other day: "Minorities Get Less Pain Treatment in E.R." Although, sadly, maybe I shouldn't be that surprised by it?...

I read and write about these things frequently: I even nag, cajole, and encourage others, like you, to adopt them into your lifestyle because of the all-around good they can...

Chronic pain is so different from temporary pain. The ephemeral pain that can be brought on by injury or sickness garners a certain level of respect. Used to feeling well...

I’m sitting in my wheelchair, minding my own business, while taking the elevator and BAM! Someone decides I look like furniture and grabs my handlebar or starts to lounge on me...

I’ve had a nagging thought, a theory really, that only becomes more persistent as I communicate with more and more people with autoimmune conditions. The thought is this: Are people...

What’s life with RA really like? As with many chronic conditions, particularly those considered to be “invisible illnesses”, the full impact an individual’s life can be difficult to assess. While...

I can’t get excited about the holidays this year.  It all just feels like too much.  And ask anyone I know, I am a master gift giver and love bringing...

Side effects from medications can sometimes be just as uncomfortable and miserable as the condition for which a person is taking them. It's one of the challenging Catch-22 situations of...

When I had my first joint replacements, I remember telling a friend that I was worried about the lifespan of my joints. My doctor said that the new joints were...

Today I made my Christmas list for Santa. Don’t those sound great? Yep, but here’s the reality: I already have a four-year-old Kindle Fire. It works great on airliners and...

Glance at the news online some morning or turn on the radio or TV at nearly any given moment and you'll find an alarming number of stories saturated with violence: shootings...

I like to think of myself as a practical person. However, if I’m honest, I sometimes put vanity and ego before practicality, even when it comes to RA. Rheumatoid arthritis...

Hundreds of our RheumatoidArthritis.netcommunity members recently participated in the “Handling the Holidays” survey; Thanks to everyone who took the survey! As we know, the holidays can be a wonderful time...

I don’t use the common name of the disease I’ve had for almost three decades. Instead, I call it rheumatoid disease, and there’s a reason. As a writer, I love...