Pencil Me In...There 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...Reactions0reactionsComments10 comments
Life as I know it......I was diagnosed with RA after months of wrong guesses just before my 36th birthday. I was scared, shocked, and frustrated. It's never easy to hear that you have something...Reactions0reactionsComments2 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...Reactions0reactionsComments23 comments
It's not me....I could start this story telling you all I've had this for over ten years. Or I could start by saying I am learning to ride a motorcycle and started...Reactions0reactionsComments1 comments
I feel like a crybaby!...I'm 58 years young, and was diagnosed with RA three years ago. Since my diagnosis, I believe I have had RA for well over 10 years, because the pain and...Reactions0reactionsComments12 comments
Living with End Stage RA...According 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...Reactions0reactionsComments16 comments
elaine...I am 76 yrs old. I had fusion of C1 to T1, then T 10 to L5 with titanium bars screwed to each vertebrae on each side of my spinal...Reactions0reactionsComments1 comments
Living in Rheumaland...Rheumatoid 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...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Retirement with RA...Ok let me shake things up a bit here. Lots of talk about pain, mixed diagnoses etc...so lets talk about something a bit less serious. I am a male who...Reactions0reactionsComments3 replies
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...Reactions0reactionsComments23 comments
Looking Good Vs Feeling Good...Ladies especially, have you found that if you wear makeup, folks you interact with think you are feeling good? If I actually "do" something with my hair and put on...Reactions0reactionsComments2 comments
This wasn't part of my life plan!...Wow I hope some day, some way I can get back to my personal/professional development plan. Before all my health issues took a turn for the worse I was fortunate...Reactions0reactionsComments2 comments
Joint Replacement: A Chat with my Surgeon...While 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...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
From Reactive Arthritis to Rheumatoid Arthritis...In 2004 I had a SEVERE respiratory infection from a virus. As I was finally getting over it, and starting to get up and do things, my feet hurt horribly...Reactions0reactionsComments1 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...Reactions0reactionsComments22 comments
I can't even think of a title!!!!...Hello....At 56 yrs of age, I just found out yesterday that I have Rheumatoid Arthritis. I've always had a low grade fever and elevated arthritic markers....I'm an Army Vet...and life...Reactions0reactionsComments11 comments
Onset of RA in the UK...Shortly after the new millennium began I set off to study abroad at the University of Oxford in England. I was a 22 year old college senior, and the world...Reactions0reactionsComments4 comments
Asthma & infusions/other treatments...Question: I developed adult-onset asthma within the last year. My rheumatologist stopped all treatment except a low does of MTX and prednisone. Why? He told me that he has received...Reactions0reactionsComments2 repliesTreatment
From Pain, to AS, to RA...I've always had bad feet. When I say bad feet I'm talking about a foot with a negative arch--pancake flat, duck flat, whatever you would like to call it. As...Reactions0reactionsComments1 comments
Growing pains....Did I read somewhere that growing pains were connected with RA?? I remember having awful pains years ago in my legs. My mum went with me to the doctors only...Reactions0reactionsComments2 comments
