My Strange Hands...I know that my hands look different, but I am used to them. They are small and my fingers are short and...reactions22comments
How to Appeal a Social Security Disability Denial...Though the statistics vary somewhat from state to state, nationwide about 65% of all disability claims are denied on the first application...reactions4comments
My life Mary VB...I have had RA since I was about 16 but it took the Doctor's about 4 years to confirm it with consistent...reactions1comment
The Fear and Loathing of Pain...I officially had pain medication (morphine) put into my pump along with the muscle relaxer baclofen and then I was so ill...reactions5comments
Fatigue-Inspired Blunders...One of the worst things about autoimmune illness is the lack of energy. It makes everything else worse, and it saps time...reactions15comments
Will it Get Worse?...That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it? Will it get worse? Will this rheumatoid disease (arthritis) I’ve got, which has so rudely and...reactions10comments
Laughter truly IS the best medicine...I can imagine that at first glance the notion of laughing about a chronic disease borders on absurdity. But let me make...reactions2comments
Sad...Hi, I'm Beth and I'm new here. I was eight years old when I was diagnosed eventually with RA. This was in...reactions5comments
Compassion Versus Pity and RA...I think that most people dislike the feeling of pity yet instinctively respond to compassion. Why is that? They both come from...reactions11comments
Take a Pill, Gain a Pound...There is a lot of discussion of obesity and rheumatoid arthritis (including many great articles on this site). But I am given...reactions15comments
Difficulty with walking...Having a lot of difficulty with pain and movement. Was dx with RA 3 yrs ago. I’m 68 they said I had...reactions6comments
RA Anxieties: Loss & Progression...In this series, we discuss causes of anxiety for those facing physical illness and its side effects. Phrases in bold are the...reactions2comments
The Good Life...I was recently asked to reflect on how I have managed to live with RA for over 20 years, while being a...reactions2comments
Friendship: How My Chronic Illness Helped...Raise your hand if you wish there was an easy way to weed out the “fake” friends. There is! Relationships are hard...reactions7comments
Updating Goals for 2018...For four years running (2014 Goals, 2015 Goals, 2016 Goals, 2017 Goals), I’ve taken the time to review goals set for the...reactions2comments
You have all the signs of an alcoholic!...I've been drinking since I was 15/16, beer with my dad. One here and there. Then in high school a few after...reactions9comments
The Elephant in My Rheum...Remission is that big idea that often hides like the elephant in the room when I talk to my doctors or other...reactions4comments
Tenosynovitis...I've been living with Rheumatoid Arthritis for 13 years and thought I had the physical manifestations of the disease down...nope. Last fall...reactions13comments
Drink to Your Health...I spend a great deal of time considering what food to eat, especially since RA has brought along the fun side effect...reactions1comment
What Pain Wants...I'm currently reading a fantastic book about living with chronic pain, "Pain Woman Takes Your Keys, and Other Essays from a Nervous System"...reactions10comments
