Summer Travel TipsI have the travel bug. Whenever I have saved enough funds and vacation time, I look for opportunities to travel. Rather than fading with age, the lure of travel beckons...reactionscomments
Why I Won’t Be Walking For RAMay is both arthritis and lupus awareness month. But while I’ll be trying to spread awareness behind the scenes, I won’t be participating in walks for either disease. Why? There...reactions2comments
Coping with Disaster at CollegeDuring high school I worked really hard—physically and academically—towards the goal of going to college. My parents encouraged me every step of the way, fully expecting that although I grappled...reactions3comments
Kids Get Arthritis Too! July is Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month!What do you think comes to mind when most people hear the word arthritis? Do you think the average person picture someone like me – a young mother who has...reactions2comments
Managing Other People’s Perceptions About RAFrom the youngest age I can remember, I knew I was different because people looked at me differently. The cause was my juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. I looked sick—often pale, limping...reactions4comments
The RA Pregnancy Chronicles: The Post-Birth RA FlareThe RA Pregnancy Chronicles is a series of posts that share my experiences being pregnant while living with RA. This post was written during Week 32 of my second pregnancy...reactions1comment
Does Not Adhering To Medication Regimens Make You A Bad Patient?For most of us, prescription medications, whether oral, injectable, or intravenous, are key to treating RA. Some of us are lucky enough to find a medication that works, and then...reactions1comment
Do You and Your Doctor Agree on the Severity of Your RA?We’d like to think that medicine is cut and dry and always based upon objective science. We get a blood test, take a drug, and get better. But most diseases...reactions9comments
Disease and DisabilitySince I’ve had rheumatoid arthritis for more than 35 years now, I have accumulated a lot of physical damage from this disease. A lot of my joint deformities, contractions and...reactionscomments
You Know You Have RA When . . .We know that the typical signs and symptoms associated with a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) include joint stiffness and swelling as well as a number of positive laboratory test...reactions11comments
10 Common RA SymptomsNearly 1,000 people participated in the 2013 Rheumatoid Arthritis in America survey telling us about their initial RA symptoms as well as the most common and frequently experienced symptoms. Learn...reactions6comments
The RA Pregnancy Chronicles: RA Friendly Baby GearThe RA Pregnancy Chronicles is a series of posts that share my experiences being pregnant while living with RA. This post was written during Week 18 of my second pregnancy...reactions2comments
Beer Reduces RA Risk for Women?A new study published in Arthritis & Rheumatology has recently come out claiming that beer can help reduce the risk of women getting rheumatoid arthritis. Really? Beer? This sounds a...reactionscomments
Another Weather RantI know, I talk about the weather a lot on here, but the truth is, it really impacts my RA in a negative way. I know that there are some...reactions1comment
Release the Hounds!One of my persistent complaints about being a chronic disease patient most of my life is the lack of coordination of my care. Looking back, I think my parents began...reactions6comments
Differences between Rheumatoid Arthritis and OsteoarthritisMay is Arthritis Awareness month and RheumatoidArthritis.Net is joining in the recognition. “Arthritis” is a general term and, according to the American College of Rheumatology, is used for over 100 diseases...reactions2comments
The RA Pregnancy Chronicles: Pregnancy-Safe RA ReliefThe RA Pregnancy Chronicles is a series of posts that share my experiences being pregnant while living with RA. This post was written during Week 14 of my second pregnancy...reactionscomments
The RA Pregnancy Chronicles: The Magic R-WordThe RA Pregnancy Chronicles is a series of posts that share my experiences being pregnant while living with RA. This post was written during Week 12 of my second pregnancy...reactions5comments
Chronically Ill Patients and Legislated Health Insurance ChangesToday I received a rather long email from the Director of my Human Resources department carefully outlining the options for health insurance for the new fiscal year that begins July...reactions6comments
What to Expect When Getting an Infusion Medicine for RANeedles and RA go hand-in-hand. When patients are prescribed injectable methotrexate or one of the first line biologic medicines like Enbrel or Humira, they tend to stress over the fact...reactions6comments
