Living

May is both arthritis and lupus awareness month. But while I’ll be trying to spread awareness behind the scenes, I won’t be participating in walks for either disease. Why? There...

During high school I worked really hard—physically and academically—towards the goal of going to college. My parents encouraged me every step of the way, fully expecting that although I grappled...

From the youngest age I can remember, I knew I was different because people looked at me differently. The cause was my juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. I looked sick—often pale, limping...

The RA Pregnancy Chronicles is a series of posts that share my experiences being pregnant while living with RA. This post was written during Week 32 of my second pregnancy...

For most of us, prescription medications, whether oral, injectable, or intravenous, are key to treating RA. Some of us are lucky enough to find a medication that works, and then...

We’d like to think that medicine is cut and dry and always based upon objective science. We get a blood test, take a drug, and get better. But most diseases...

Since I’ve had rheumatoid arthritis for more than 35 years now, I have accumulated a lot of physical damage from this disease. A lot of my joint deformities, contractions and...

We know that the typical signs and symptoms associated with a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) include joint stiffness and swelling as well as a number of positive laboratory test...

The RA Pregnancy Chronicles is a series of posts that share my experiences being pregnant while living with RA. This post was written during Week 18 of my second pregnancy...

I know, I talk about the weather a lot on here, but the truth is, it really impacts my RA in a negative way. I know that there are some...

One of my persistent complaints about being a chronic disease patient most of my life is the lack of coordination of my care. Looking back, I think my parents began...

May is Arthritis Awareness month and RheumatoidArthritis.Net is joining in the recognition. “Arthritis” is a general term and, according to the American College of Rheumatology, is used for over 100 diseases...

The RA Pregnancy Chronicles is a series of posts that share my experiences being pregnant while living with RA. This post was written during Week 14 of my second pregnancy...

The RA Pregnancy Chronicles is a series of posts that share my experiences being pregnant while living with RA. This post was written during Week 12 of my second pregnancy...

Today I received a rather long email from the Director of my Human Resources department carefully outlining the options for health insurance for the new fiscal year that begins July...

Needles and RA go hand-in-hand. When patients are prescribed injectable methotrexate or one of the first line biologic medicines like Enbrel or Humira, they tend to stress over the fact...

Recently, my boyfriend and I had plans to go to the movies with another couple. I hadn’t felt good all day.  I alternated between napping and feeling awful, but managed...

The RA Pregnancy Chronicles is a series of posts that share my experiences being pregnant while living with RA. This post was written during Week 9 of my second pregnancy...

There are so many things I would like to tell myself as a child. If I could write a letter to my younger self, I feel like I could share...

Your body is completely amazing. Every single day your joints and muscles and organs and glands and nerves work together to keep you going. Each individual part of your body...