The "Get Out of Flare Free" Card...Living with rheumatoid arthritis is frustrating to say the least. This disease causes pain, inflammation, and fatigue, all of which can place...reactions2comments
Guinea Pig...I need to start by saying I am incredibly grateful to have found a medication that is making a difference in my...reactions4comments
Sleep Hygiene as a Defense Against RA Painsomnia...People with rheumatoid arthritis have more than a passing acquaintance with painsomnia—the sleep-disrupting pain caused by RA. In fact, more than half...reactions1comment
What Does 'Remission' Mean to Me?...The definition of remission is “a temporary or permanent decrease or subsidence of manifestations of a disease”. No symptoms? No need for...reactions27comments
Bills. Bills. Bills....Medical billing. Just saying those two words is enough to make a Delta Force soldier cringe. It’s something all of us who...reactions9comments
Unfair...Labor Day marked the last day of the Minnesota State Fair a.k.a. "The Great Minnesota Get-Together," as it always does. Each year, thousands...reactions1comment
Genetic Factors and Family History...Experts believe that people who develop RA inherit something in the genes involved in the formation and operation of our immune system...
How to Treat Your Eyes with Kindness...In this video, I discuss some strategies for easing the discomfort that RA often causes to our eyes....reactions1comment
The Harassment Plan...After years of painful experiences and even more painful delays, I’ve learned then when I deal with my health insurance and/or my...reactions8comments
RA: My Faithfully Annoying Travel Companion...I love to travel. I also hate to travel. Usually the "love" part of it outweighs my hatred of it, thankfully. But...reactionscomments
Facing Fatigue...About three months after being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, I realized that I was more tired than I had ever been in...reactions17comments
Not Cured Yet...The first blood test result after starting my new medication, I actually didn’t believe it. I thought there was an error at...reactions10comments
Treating RA During the "Opioid Crisis"...I’ve had rheumatoid disease (arthritis) for more than 30 years, and I’m very interested in how the “opioid crisis” affects patients like...reactions4comments
Pain is Relative...We’re all familiar with that common and oh-so-subjective medical tool, the pain rating scale. “On a scale of 1 to 10, where...reactions6comments
The Value of RA Related Pre-Pain Clues...At first thought, it may seem strange to discuss pre-pain as a concept but I believe it is a distinctive part of...reactions16comments
“How Are You Today?” and Other Hard Questions...Each time I encounter another person I face a choice: should I pretend to be the person I think I’m supposed to...reactions14comments
Goodbye (and Good Riddance!) 2018: Part 2...Part 2 of "Goodbye (and Good Riddance!) 2018" After suffering from painful whiplash from a car accident, an excruciating throat infection, and...reactions2comments
On Being an Optimist...I am, and at the age of 64, will likely remain, an optimist by nature. I have always lived with the outlook...reactionscomments
Is It RA or Not and Does It Matter?...How to differentiate between RA and non-RAsymptoms, which are perhaps, just as important....reactions1comment
Dr. Who's On First...“Doctor. Doctor. Doctor. Doctor.” Anyone who has tried to get anything done after years of RA (or any other autoimmune illness) knows...reactionscomments
