Articles

The feeling of heaviness or weight on one's joints is yet another enduring aspect of RA that we have to handle on a daily basis.  Over the years this sensation...

"Illness is definitely not elegant, and certainly not venerable." — Ludivico Settembrini in The Magic Mountain As I walked through the lobby of the University hospital, I stood tall, like a man...

Since my diagnosis just over eight years ago, I’ve steadily worked my way through all the biologics except one. Your body can build up a resistance to medications just like...

Here in Vermont, fall is just around the corner and with it comes shorter daylight hours, dark mornings and cold weather. I happen to like the cooler temperatures but not...

It’s instinctual—I cringe when I hear a cough, see a sneeze. I can’t help it. After years of immunosuppressant drugs, bouts with long-lasting colds plus bronchitis and pneumonia, I am...

A diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) impacts more than just the person who receives it. Even if you have no personal experience living with a chronic illness, if your loved...

On July 1st of 2016, the Rheumatology Research Foundation announced 85 recipients of education, training, and research funding. The financial awards serve various functions: "One example is the Investigator Award...

Here I am 20+ years into RA and I still, quite frequently, cannot tell when I am flaring versus when a treatment, be it medication or otherwise, is no longer...

There are two things I have found that solicit the most unwanted and inaccurate advice from others: rheumatoid arthritis and parenting. Whether it is friends, family members, or casual conversation...

Dear Mom, I'm not Prince. I'm not secretly taking Fentanyl or having to land my private jet in Illinois in order to get revived from a drug overdose. I'm not addicted...

OK, this is something we’ve really got to talk about. Yes, it’s a bit awkward; it’s the kind of thing we usually don’t discuss in polite company. But if you’ve...

Living with rheumatoid arthritis is frustrating to say the least. This disease causes pain, inflammation, and fatigue, all of which can place limitations on one's activity level. While that's bad...

Note:If you haven’t read my earlier posts, “The War On Opioids Comes Home” and “Laying Off Opioids: Part 1,” you might want to now. They’ll give context to this post...

I just got married, for the first time, at the age of 47. Growing up with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (now called juvenile idiopathic arthritis), I wasn’t sure this would ever...

Seeing Instagram or Facebook photos of fellow RA sufferers, my "Spoonies," running in marathons or completing triathlons is amazing and inspiring. Running, mountain-climbing, hiking, biking very long distances at a...

Ever wonder why the RA drugs you take only seem to affect certain joints? Or why the drugs might be literally life-changing to one person with rheumatoid disease, but have...

Most people are surprised when they hear that I have rheumatoid arthritis. This is in part due to RA being an "invisible disability," meaning that I may look fine on...

I’ve loved to read since I learned how as a little girl. Reading has always informed and even transformed my days, my nights, and my life. With a book in...

Living with a chronic condition like rheumatoid arthritis requires my active engagement in managing my health. I have learned that being knowledgeable and inquisitive about my care and maintaining my...

Despite the fact that I, and many of us, have terrific support, there is still a strong sense of loneliness that accompanies RA.  At first glance, one may think that...