Is RA Hereditary?Editor's note: This article was first published in May 2015. Since then, more research has been conducted to understand the role of genetics in rheumatoid arthritis. Read this recent study... By Mariah Z. Leach4 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments8 comments
Breaking My RhythmHere’s a common scenario: I’m feeling pretty good and am up for a task I’ve been putting off, such as painting a room, reorganizing closets, or stripping and waxing the... By Tamara Haag3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments6 comments
EarwormThe irksome earworm I’m stuck with this morning keeps singing the tune to “Bad Boys” in my head. Except instead of “bad boys,” it’s chanting “Bad hands, bad hands, whatcha... By Wren2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments2 comments
Tips for a Tolerable PregnancyWhen I made the decision to become pregnant, one of the chief factors I weighed was how my body would handle the pregnancy. I had long heard about the swollen... By Tamara Haag5 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments2 comments
How She Keeps Living with RAA good friend of mine just shared an article with me that was recently posted on BuzzFeed by a young woman with RA. In the article, she honestly and eloquently... By Angela Lundberg5 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments0 comments
Starting over and over and overIt is all coming back to me now. Remember when we were youngsters and our parents, teachers, coaches, etc. would instruct us to "do that over"? Most of the time... By Nan Hart3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments2 comments
Walking to WellnessA few years ago I visited my primary care physician for an annual check-up. She gave me a good going-over, studied my blood and urinalysis test results without commenting, and... By Wren5 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments4 comments
This Decision is Between My Husband and Me . . . and My RABack when my now-husband and I were talking about getting married, we discussed the things most important to us in merging from single life to a partnership, such as bank... By Tamara Haag3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments0 comments
Car Shopping for RAA couple of months before my 16 birthday my mom got me the most amazing gift any teenager could want: a car. It was a 12-year-old Nissan and was nothing... By Tamara Haag5 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments14 comments
The Need for SleepI got a need. A need for sleep. Partly, I do it to myself. I get all wrapped up in work, volunteer activities, and fun with friends and family. Quickly... By Kelly Mack3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments5 comments
Mylan Initiates Voluntary Recall of Methotrexate Lot #7801082On April 23, 2015 Mylan N.V. announced that it is conducting a voluntary nationwide recall for select lots of several injectable products due to the presence of visible foreign particulate... By Tamara Haag1 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments0 comments
Chew on thisEating is such a necessary part of our existence that we often just take it for granted without giving it a whole lot of thought. It is, however, one of... By Nan Hart3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments0 comments
Arthritis is Arthritis... Right?I’ve had rheumatoid arthritis since I was 31 years old. The young internist who diagnosed me way back in 1987 said that that RA was an autoimmune disease. I had... By Wren4 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments4 comments
Pencil Me InThere is a lot to hate about rheumatoid arthritis: the pain, swelling and fatigue, the side effects and expense of treatment options, and the fear of what the future with... By Tamara Haag4 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments10 comments
The Pillow Queen“Do you really need that many pillows?” I don’t know how many times my husband has asked me that. In spite of being very supportive and compassionate, my husband continues... By Tamara Haag3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments23 comments
Living with End Stage RAAccording to clinical definitions, I’ve been living with “end stage rheumatoid arthritis” most of my life. Obviously, this phrasing is inadequate to describe my disease, because it may be severe... By Kelly Mack2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments16 comments
Living in RheumalandRheumatoid arthritis pain is sneaky. Like a slouching cat creeping up on a mouse, it pounces without warning and sinks its fangs deep into its hapless, unsuspecting prey. That’s me... By Wren3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments0 comments
Does Itching Cause Anxiety or Does Anxiety Cause Itching?Several months ago, I had the displeasure of going to see an immunologist, after my rheumatologist was unable to provide an answer for some severe itching attacks I was having... By Leslie Rott2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments23 comments
Joint Replacement: A Chat with my SurgeonWhile certainly not inevitable, joint replacement is a viable treatment option for many people with RA when the effects of joint damage is no longer being adequately managed by other... By Carla Kienast6 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments0 comments
Would You Like Something with that RA, Ma'am?You’d think all the problems that rheumatoid arthritiscauses—the pain, disability, fatigue, fevers, and that general, all-around cruddy feeling—would be enough. Unfortunately, you’d be wrong. It turns out there’s a whole... By Wren4 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments22 comments