Articles

Every year, vaccines help save millions of lives. Vaccines work with our body’s natural defenses to create an immune response to a specific disease. They are our best protection against...

I turned 60 years old on April 2, 2022. Somehow it does not seem possible. Although many days I feel much older due to my rheumatoid arthritis, there’s something about...

To be clear: people who aren’t immunocompromised have a lot to say about people who are immunocompromised. And a lot of times, we aren’t even taken into consideration in the...

If you’ve been following my story, you know that I finally decided to have total knee replacement surgery after years of struggling with pain and disability. Actually, I would end...

Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is one of the most common complications of shingles. Nearly 20 percent of people who get shingles will develop PHN. PHN causes severe pain that can last...

I previously wrote about my rheumatologist retiring and how I was now tasked with finding a new rheumatologist by the end of May 2022. I developed criteria and searched the...

I practiced yoga on and off for about 10 years before stopping due to my knee replacement infection, treatment, knee replacement (also called a knee revision), and difficult recovery. I...

Having lived in a four-season climate throughout my life, I have come to understand how important it is to adjust your approach to the day-to-day management of RA to address...

Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is a common viral infection that affects about 1 out of every 3 people in the United States. Its telltale sign is a painful...

Over the years, doctors and researchers have focused more attention on comorbidities, which are 2 or more illnesses or conditions that happen at the same time in a person. Comorbid...

The Media Habits Survey is now closed. Thank you for your interest! Managing a chronic condition is not easy and can be physically and mentally exhausting. What types of media...

The bursitis in both of my hips has been flaring up again lately and I'm not happy about it--especially when I try to sleep and can't lie on either side...

There’s one “b” word that people with rheumatoid arthritis and chronic illness are especially afraid of. No, it’s not the b-word you’re probably thinking of (get your mind out of...

Kelly recently wrote an article titled, The Benefits and Downsides of Strength, and it inspired me to think about my definition of strength. I’ve written on the loss of my...

If you’re a veteran patient or you’ve been on certain medications before, you’re likely familiar with the concept of prior authorization. Prior authorization is a somewhat daunting, hardly logical process...

Sometimes inspiration comes in the most unlikely places. A few days ago, it came when I was listening to a book whose main character was a surgeon. This woman had...

When I consider that I have been journeying with RA for a quarter-century, it seemed only fitting to spend some time sharing my thoughts as an “RA veteran”. One of...

Motherhood is physically draining. There is no doubt about that. However, I never thought being a young mom with RA would put me at risk of additional complications once my...

October is a busy month for me and my office down in Florida. Each October, we attend the Florida Statewide Symposium which is an annual meeting of Office of Undergraduate...

When I was younger and starting out in my career, I had this goal to one day do well enough that I would be able to buy accessibility. As a...