Articles

Disclaimer: Some of the programs mentioned below have been discontinued. We're in the process of updating this information. Managing a chronic disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis, can be made more...

Ever since the day I was first issued my handicapped parking placard, I have been waiting for someone to give me a hard time about it. I’ve heard horror stories...

It was time to make my quarterly appointment with my rheumatologist. I called the Veteran’s Administration Health Care Appointments number and waited, as usual, through several repeats of the recorded...

Hello from Brooklyn, New York! I'm back! Okay, maybe you didn't know I was even gone, but I took a two-week trip back home to Minnesota in early July to...

When I was in college, I loved staying out until the wee hours of the night going dancing or to concerts, then sleeping until noon and spending the rest of...

When does someone's "friendly" advice cross the line and turn unhelpful or even hurtful? Is unsolicited advice really an effort at friendship and support, or is it bossiness and ego/arrogance...

In recent months, I’ve been struggling with an inflammation of the eyelids called blepharitis. Warning: this is gross! I wake up with yellow crusties on my eyelids and a sticky...

Living with rheumatoid arthritis can feel like a nightmare, which sometimes leads me to daydream about things that would make this journey a little easier. Sitting in my car in...

Our healthcare system can be extremely complicated for patients to navigate. And, all too often, it seems like patients are a captive audience, with little to no power to influence...

When I returned home from my last knee replacement surgery I had nurse visits, home rehabilitation with a physical therapist, and also occupational therapy (OT) for helping me adjust to...

So the other day I was at my computer. I was researching an article, surfing the Web for credible background, reading, and taking the occasional note. It wasn’t particularly pleasant...

This past weekend, I traveled with Lisa for a 1-day patient blogger conference held in Chicago, IL. The event, hosted by a pharmaceutical company, was arranged to gather feedback from...

The RA diagnosis and disease management journey can often feel overwhelming, especially when the number of your symptoms increases over time. Are you curious to know how your experience compares...

I can imagine that at first glance the notion of laughing about a chronic disease borders on absurdity. But let me make a case for why laughing can actually improve...

Recently I went to pick up my kids from preschool, and was feeling really achy. There had been a series of storms and temperature fluctuations all week, and the shifts...

I have a new dermatologist. It wasn’t really a choice. My previous dermatologist of many years passed away and the practice was sold. My records weren’t even in the system...

When I was young, I thought rheumatoid disease (arthritis) was something only old people had. Then I got it myself. I was only 31. I learned that there were other...

It’s always a gamble, a guessing-game to get the medications right. I think of it as a delicate balance. Enough of the drugs to reduce the inflammation and rheumatoid arthritis...

I bustle around the kitchen prepping food. It’s my daughter’s birthday, and we’ve invited several families over for a backyard barbecue to celebrate. The guest list was made and invites...

So the final E in my EEE approach to RA management is Engaging (the first two E's can be found here and here.) .  By that I mean simply staying...