Living

For quite awhile, I felt that my chronic pain was just another symptom of the bigger disease in my life, cystic fibrosis (CF). I was born with CF, although I...

Have you ever had a real doozy of a month? I have. I fell seriously ill and to be very honest, it was the worst. If you have an autoimmune...

Have you considered joint replacement? Did you factor in your age when making the decision? Did your doctor give you a speech about joint failure and longevity? A friend of...

Over the decades that I’ve lived with rheumatoid arthritis, I’ve learned to straddle 2 realities. One reality is my daily life, where I structure my days so I can best...

In August 2019, before Covid-19 exploded and the world was overtaken by a deadly pandemic, I lost my rheumatologist. It was a devastating blow when he first told me the...

As someone who lives with chronic illness, I have come to expect the unexpected in many ways. Unfortunately, life still throws curveballs our way. This summer, my lower back pain...

It's funny- when you live in pain, you spend a lot of time thinking about (and trying) different ways to think less about your pain. Like, if you could just...

Who would have thought: I'm sick again! And it's at the worst possible time for a graduate student: finals week. This serves as a stark reminder of how much my...

As many of you already know, the month of May is dedicated to Arthritis Awareness Month. This year, in honor of awareness month, we are testing your knowledge of RA!...

With summer just around the corner, many of us are ready to enjoy more activity, BBQs, and days in the sun. It’s been a long, cold winter and you’re excited...

Stay with me here: I think there's a surprisingly intricate relationship between alcohol and RA. Don't get me wrong; I love occasionally indulging in a drink after a difficult day...

When we moved 4 years ago, one of the most difficult challenges was establishing a new relationship with a rheumatologist here. In my previous community, I had a very successful...

You probably wouldn't know this unless you have RA—and maybe even if you do have RA, you haven't thought about this—but having RA is really expensive. You might think that...

I really like to try to treat my rheumatoid arthritis and chronic pain through a holistic approach. Over the past 18+ years, I have used a combination of prescribed medications...

Before a rheumatoid arthritis (RA) diagnosis, many people have an incomplete picture of the disease. We were curious about how their perception of the disease changed after they were diagnosed...

I refuse to be a warrior in the war on RA. Every time I go to an arthritis-related event, they honor warriors. I have arthritis, but I am not a...

This article was inspired by my current rheumatologist. She is my eighth rheumatologist, and I believe 8 is my lucky number. I started seeing her in 2018. At that time...

Many people who receive federal benefits for disability have a challenge with being able to save due to asset restrictions. While you may want to put away some funds for...

Before I was even diagnosed with RA, I was experiencing some joint pain in my wrist; not just a dull ache but a full and complete freezing of my right...

I have decided that it is time for me to consider a little bit of “spring cleaning” for my body. I wanted to find out (for me) how my body...