Articles

With my voice revealing the nervous tension seated somewhere in my rib cage, I stood in front of a classroom full of undergraduate students for the first time in the...

Part III of a three-part series. When I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), I was taking what was supposed to be my final semester of college. As it turned...

Pets can be a source of comfort and support to those of us with RA. I share how my dog, Leah has done just that for me...

When melancholy sets in, a kind of invisible but thick and heavy fog invades the heart, envelops the body, constricting its very core. All we feel is this constriction, this...

I know. That headline sounds nuts. Who needs to know what to do when she feels good? What can’t you do when you feel good? When you have rheumatoid disease...

Until the last year, wheelchair accessible cabs have been few and far between. In most places across the U.S., they are rare. But I have found them increasing in number...

Exercise, as tolerated, and sufficient sleep and rest, are integral parts of rheumatoid arthritis management. Both in combination can elevate mood (depression affects people with RA at a rate far...

I am R-factor negative and, not only that, all my labs associated with inflammation are always stone-cold normal. This is really frustrating when you go in to your rheumatologist’s office...

The concept of remission was not even on my radar during the first year or so after being diagnosed with RA. My physician and I were far too busy trying to...

"Lose the whole world and find your soul." --Henry David Thoreau I'm reading a book right now by one of my new favorite authors, Rebecca Solnit:  A Field Guide to...

If you are a college student with rheumatoid arthritis, the following article is addressed towards meeting your needs in the classroom through academic accommodations under section 504 of the Americans...

Sometimes, when I go walking, an odd thing happens. My mind, so often filled with the daily stresses and tensions we all live with in today’s world, relaxes. I walk...

About fifteen years ago my juvenile rheumatoid arthritis was raging and my body was rejecting every medicine I tried. I was in a bad spot and pretty desperate to find...

Self-doubt is an odd thing. Too much of it can be crushing, and too little of it pathological. Depression and self-doubt go hand in hand, as low moods tend to...

There is a lot of discussion in the RA community about diet. Some people report that avoiding certain foods like gluten helps keep the disease under control. Others point to...

Because my immune system has declared mutiny, unlawfully attempting to overthrow my joints, I have declared an insurrection of my own. It is a revolt against stereotypes of the chronically...

I wake up and I’m afraid to move because I know it’s going to hurt. I slowly take a peek at my elbows and knees- just as I thought, they...

I usually see it in their eyes. They feel uncomfortable and don’t know how to behave. Maybe it’s my wheelchair or my crooked finger joints or stiff arm gestures. I...

A few months ago Rheumatoidarthritis.net compiled the results of their RA in America 2016 survey. Surveys like this are so important, especially for those of us living with rheumatoid arthritis...

As I explained in a previous post, about a year ago my sex life was really suffering – partly as the result of having two very young children but also...