Articles

Rheumatoid arthritis has caused a real dichotomy in my life. It caused so much turmoil but also some wonderful things. More often than not, I want to curl up in...

Surgery – a necessary part of living with RA, unfortunately, and a major event in a patient’s life. Since this is part 2 of a 2-part series on preparing for...

Surgery. For many of us with rheumatoid arthritis and other chronic illnesses, surgery is as much a part of life as fatigue or blood tests or having to make a...

I’m coming to grips that some days are just not good ones. It’s not just the pain, fatigue, or joint limitations from rheumatoid arthritis, it’s the days when the fight...

I had a recent experience that I wanted to share with everyone in this community. My aim is to showcase the importance of community when it comes to having a...

Recently, members of our community discussed shingles. Shingles symptoms are uncomfortable, and can be more severe when combined with autoimmune diseases. It is always an unwelcome surprise when shingles erupt.1...

Yesterday I was relaxing in the afternoon and I started to feel my left ankle throb. Feeling surprised, I looked down and thought, “What now?” I know by now I...

As a woman and a twice-over-mama, I have realized an unfortunate dichotomy among breastfeeding your child and choosing other things in your life. For example, for many women it’s all...

I recall my grandfather looking at a Caterpillar bulldozer sitting in his yard at the lakefront property he owned. No one lived at the cottage. The cottage was used on...

The pressure in our society to do everything in the least amount of time is overwhelming, to put it mildly. The pressure on the average, healthy person to keep up...

Heading into an appointment with your doctor can be overwhelming or stressful. You also may not always know the right questions to ask, even if you've been living with RA...

Finding someone. Dating. Relationships. When you have rheumatoid arthritis or any chronic illness, being in a relationship comes with extra challenges. If there’s anything relationships don’t need – it’s more...

This was a difficult article to write, weirdly. Many of the incidents happened soon after I moved to a new state, but I felt guilty writing about them. Where I...

My husband Richard knows my true nature. I try to hide it and improve upon it, but the truth is that I am impatient. People mistake my exhaustion for patience...

I've seen a few posts on our site about individuals who have tried the autoimmune protocol diet (AIP). It's a diet designed to reduce inflammation and also an elimination/reintroduction diet...

Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the most enigmatic chronic illnesses out there; dealing with it daily is a herculean feat. Fatigue, pain, general malaise, depression – the list of symptoms...

"You're a chronic clencher," the massage therapist said to me while pressing her fingers into my tender jaw muscles. Wincing from the pain, I agreed, "Yes, I am." Even though...

During the dog days of summer, we often don’t need much of a reminder to stay hydrated as thirst is a constant companion, but remembering to stay hydrated when summer...

It’s been an encouraging few months, health-wise. The medication I started a couple of years ago is working better than ever. For the first time in over a decade, I...

A study in Arthritis Care and Research looked at and monitored the hand grip strength of individuals in the early stages of their RA. The study reports, “There was an...