Day After DayChronic 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... By Tamara Haag3 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments2 comments
Hands Off!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... By Kelly Mack3 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Do Auto Immune Conditions Target the Go-Getters?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... By Tamara Haag3 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments23 comments
How Does RA Impact Quality of Life?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... By 2 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments0 comments
When The Holidays Get You Down: It’s The Season Of Giving And I Have Nothing To GiveI 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... By Leslie Rott2 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments4 comments
The Sweaty Side of DrugsSide 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... By Angela Lundberg7 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments28 comments
What Scares MeWhen 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... By Kelly Mack3 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments3 comments
What We Really Want for ChristmasToday 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... By Wren5 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments2 comments
Personal Safety and RAGlance 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... By Angela Lundberg9 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments4 comments
Pain Before Beauty?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... By Tamara Haag4 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments6 comments
'Tis the Season...for Holiday Parties!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... By 2 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments0 comments
What's in a Name?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... By Wren5 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments8 comments
SociabilityI won’t deny that I love the Internet. I’ve been an avid website explorer, both for fun and for work, since the late 1990s. (Yes, I know how old that... By Wren5 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Faking ItMany people with “invisible disabilities” have felt at one point or another that the severity of their condition is called into question. As it is possible to have severe rheumatoid... By Tamara Haag3 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments34 comments
Preparing for the WorstOn September 13, a 72-year-old disabled woman with multiple sclerosis lost her life in the California wildfire known as the Valley fire. She died because she was unable to leave... By Wren4 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments1 comments
Let us give thanksThis is without a doubt my absolute favorite time of year. Yes, I actually do better RA wise once the days are a bit more crisp, the humidity has gone... By Nan Hart2 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments0 comments
The Right Things to Say to Someone with RAWe’ve all been in those situations where someone shares with us that they have cancer, are in need of surgery, or have another serious health condition, and we’re left wondering... By Tamara Haag3 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments5 comments
Evil Wheelchair LadyI recently wrote about a terrible experience flying that resulted in my wheelchair being destroyed by the airline. Another part of this story concerned how I was treated by the... By Kelly Mack3 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments1 comments
Ask and you shall receive."Ask and you shall receive" is a wonderful suggestion, but short of having a magic genie in our pockets, it is not true, for the most part. However how I... By Nan Hart2 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments0 comments
The Activity HangoverEveryone knows about hangovers, where one indulges in too much alcohol and then pays for it the next day in headaches and nausea. Those of us with rheumatoid arthritis are... By Tamara Haag3 min readBookmark for laterReactions0reactionsComments27 comments