Articles

2021 was truly a weird year. From the pandemic continuing to having to go back to work in-person to starting graduate school again, the word that best describes this year...

Most of us understand that the very nature of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), physically speaking, is chaotic and unpredictable. I have always understood this to be true and one of the most...

When people ask me, "How do you have the strength to live with rheumatoid arthritis and disabilities?", I shrug because I know no other way. I just must do it...

"Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill." We've all heard the saying. It’s the world’s way of telling us not to make more out of problems than they are...

On September 30, 2021, I had an item published titled The Maestro. Hey, it was a good piece about getting ready for surgery. I wrote in "The Maestro" that I...

How do you handle work with your rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis? That is a recent question from one of our newer members. How do you choose a job you can do...

I live with 2 autoimmune diseases - rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease. In order to manage both conditions, I take biologic medication via IV every 5 weeks, alongside several oral...

Why is it important to read and write about rheumatoid arthritis (RA)? As a writer and fellow experiencer of RA (a neologism I just made!), reading and writing about my...

I’ve spent a lot of the last 2 years at home. It’s been lovely, despite the harrowing aspects of a global pandemic. During this time, I’ve done a lot of...

Pain science has come a long way. When I first was diagnosed with JRA in 1971, pain researchers weren’t all convinced that young children felt pain - at least, not...

Although I experienced chronic pain with my son 4 years ago, at the time I had no diagnosis to explain my pain. In fact, my pain had no voice at...

Recently, I moved across the country for school. I basically packed up my life and moved. A cross-country move, as expected, was stressful and complicated. Surprisingly, though, I did not...

'Tis the season for giving thanks! While these past 2 weird years have been certainly - well- weird, there are still plenty of things for which to express gratitude. I'm...

Living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) means that I have been forced to make my life adaptable - whether I’m at home or away. I’ve thought a lot about how my...

Unfortunately, inflammation is my superpower. It is unfortunate because I’m both very good at creating inflammation and, yet, haven’t found a useful purpose for this superpower. In the last couple...

From the time I was 8 years old, my Christmas memories were of my mother's constant fight to live. My mother suffered from Type 1 diabetes. I say suffered because...

So, you probably don’t know this since I don’t write about it much, but my husband is a man for which I will sing praises until the end of time...

Some people believe that accepting and moving forward with a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis may lead to surrendering to it as well. I am not one of those people. I think that...

When I was a kid, Saturday morning was my jam. And my favorite part of the morning was watching Bugs Bunny on the Looney Tunes hour of Saturday morning cartoons...

Rheumatoid arthritis affects every aspect of a person’s life. It affects a person physically, socially, and mentally. It also impacts their ability to perform everyday activities, work, and go to...