The Need for Better Diagnostic and Individualized Tests for RAThere are several blood tests that rheumatologists currently use to diagnose and monitor rheumatoid arthritis disease activity. Rheumatoid factor (RF) is an...reactions5comments
That Thing No One Talks AboutI am the mother of a toddler – my son is now 18 months old and he is a major handful! Luckily...reactions10comments
Feeling Better by Helping OthersI find it healthy to remind myself when I’m feeling terrible and achy that there are a lot of other hardships in...reactions2comments
Brick Walls and Childhood DreamsA month or so ago I watched a motivational TED Talks video at work in my special ed students' "Life Skills" class...reactions1comment
These Are a Few of My Favorite ThingsWhen my rheumatoid arthritis strikes, when I’m feeling especially bad—it helps me to focus on some of my favorite things. In fact...reactions2comments
Can vs. Love, Part 2Not too long ago I wrote a post about the challenges of making decisions and sacrifices in life because of RA--Doing What...reactionscomments
Traveling With Refrigerated MedicationsFor many people, holiday plans include some kind of travel. In addition to the ordinary stress and chaos of travel, many of...reactions10comments
RA Costs More Than You May Think – Patient Out of Pocket ExpensesBetween June and August of this year, Rheumatoidarthritis.net utilized an online survey to gauge trends in RA patients. The entire survey results...reactions10comments
RA Impacts Much More Than Bones and JointsWhen people hear the general term arthritis, they typically think of an older person with joint pain as in osteoarthritis - common...reactions10comments
Being Thankful For RAIt sounds weird. It sounds almost antithetical to say that you are thankful for a chronic illness. But in reality, I am...reactions3comments
Being ThankfulOne of my most favorite holidays is Thanksgiving. I love the pure purpose behind it—giving thanks. There’s no confusion with religious tensions...reactions1comment
Parenting Amidst the PainI have had rheumatoid arthritis longer than I have been a mom. At times, motherhood has challenged me to the greatest degree possible. I’ve...reactions1comment
Therapy for My Therapy?I recently had an appointment with the psychologist I’ve been seeing for two years and let’s just say it didn’t go very...reactions14comments
Clinical Trials for New Rheumatoid Arthritis Drugs – Hope for the FutureAs mentioned in a recent post (When RA Treatments Fail to Work), up to 40% of RA patients do not respond to...reactionscomments
Running Errands Efficiently with a Path of Least ResistanceYou all know the moment when you pull into a busy store parking lot and say to yourself “Is this the apocalypse? ...reactions3comments
A Change in PainEarly in September last year my pain changed. I don’t remember it happening on a specific day in a sudden way, but...reactionscomments
Stuck In The MiddleRecently I have found myself thinking a lot about the arthritis community as a whole. Did you know that we have the...reactions2comments
Seronegative RA – When Blood Tests Don’t Tell the Entire StoryDiagnosing rheumatoid arthritis in the early stages of the disease is often difficult. The diagnostic processes are clinical and notreactions13comments
What Is Wellness?Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines wellness as “the quality or state of being healthy.” It seems simple, but for people with rheumatoid arthritis this...reactions2comments
Smart GoalsI've been working as a substitute special education paraprofessional (para) at a high school since the beginning of the school year. Teaching...reactions1comment
