Articles

It’s nearing two decades since my diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis/rheumatoid disease (RA/RD). Before long, the post-diagnosis length of my life’s timeline will be longer than the stretch before I knew...

My first experience with numbness related to my life with rheumatoid arthritis occurred after my double knee replacement surgeries when I was a teenager. While the incision healed, I was...

Attempting to clean my bedroom the other day, I found a couple of worn old notebooks lying buried in a pile on the floor. I hadn't looked at them for...

At a recent conference, one of the marketing guru speakers argued that “we’re all competing against the best experience ever had by a customer!” It sounded nice, but I couldn’t...

“Ow, I hurt.” “WHY DIDN’T YOU ASK FOR HELP??” “...” I recently wrote an article asking why I continually push my limits. Many community members commented with their experiences with...

As I write this, I am at home in front of my computer instead of riding my bicycle.  Instead, I am sitting here nursing a broken foot one day away...

Even after all these years, I am still shocked (yes, shocked) by the vast number of outlandish ideas people have about rheumatoid arthritis. I thought, just by my own personal...

I’m sitting here writing with my stationary bicycle next to me and I’m pondering my next move. Do I force my painful, swollen knees and ankles to get on and...

One of my favorite summer shows is about a concierge doctor in the Hamptons, New York. In one episode, a patient spends his entire adult life with a MS diagnosis;...

It's July, and July in Minnesota (usually) means hot, muggy, humid, tropical, oppressive, and miserable weather. The miserable part is my own opinion, of course; some crazy people love living...

The title of this article is my favorite definition of pain. Pain is an unpleasant experience that is subjective in nature, with a physiological component; this definition may be more...

There is a lot of discussion of obesity and rheumatoid arthritis (including many great articles on this site). But I am given to wonder, which came first – the RA...

This video looks at pausing and appreciating what we have in the present moment to give us joy and satisfaction. This actually provides stability and skill to handle our RA...

So, I’m just making my bed, a small chore I do every single morning without much thought. Neatening my bedroom for the coming day lightens my mood and puts a...

A very interesting thing happened to me a few weeks ago: I attended my 10-year high school reunion. First of all, I am not old enough for this reunion. Second...

I recently was talking to a good friend of mine who lives with ulcerative colitis, and the conversation turned toward how hard answers can be to seemingly innocuous and easy...

My husband and I really enjoy travel. We visit family, friends, and take trips to different places to see the sights, enjoy the food, and discover new experiences. I’ve felt...

I was recently at a meeting that included a number of other RA patient advocates. Over lunch, conversation turned (not unexpectedly) to various treatments and side effects. One of the...

Below is a screenshot from my phone. It shows a recent night of sleep tracking from my Fitbit. The red parts are when I was awake. It’s pretty easy to...

We have all heard about how certain events or changes in our lives can produce stress.  Marriage, divorce, the death of a loved one, a new job, moving to a...