Stories

I was just barely 30 when I was first diagnosed. Of course, denial set in and delayed treatment for a time. Then I started plaquinel, but found the side effects...

My name Is Juliet. People who know me really well call me DJ. When I was in grade school I started having health issues. For months I would have sinus...

When I was diagnosed with RA about three and half years ago, I did not know much about it. My RA Dr. at the time, came back with me blood...

I start each morning with a prayer, "God help me to find the good in each day. Help me to NOT be defined by the pain that I feel in...

Lately I feel like I cannot catch a break. It’s always a few steps forward and a few steps back. I’m constantly trying to figure out what’s too much and...

I married Christy, my partner of 15 years, in April of this year. It was an incredible time in our relationship and meant the world to both of us to...

I was diagnosed with RA when I was 20, a year after I had my daughter. I woke up one morning and felt like I was hit by a truck...

Hi, I'm a 63 year old mum of 5 and grandma of 7, from the UK. I was diagnosed with sero-negative RA in 1987, when I was 36. My youngest...

Being diagnosed over 20 yrs. ago-I remember friends suggesting a variety of "cures" ( they were well meaning) but it wasn't until a friend brought me to the local indoor...

Here in the northeast we really treasure our summers because they come and go far too quickly. And this past winter was an especially long and difficult one so that...

I should know better by now. I wear sneakers or comfortable shoes daily, but of course I had to push the envelope for my cousin’s wedding. Bloated, uncomfortable and angry...

Being a newcomer to rheumatologic illness does not mean I am inexperienced. In my professional life, I am a primary care physician, board-certified in internal medicine, and working on becoming...

This time of year brings with it a sense of renewal thanks to the budding landscape that I see each day. I truly feel a sense of starting fresh in...

My journey with RA started about 25 yrs ago. I had been diagnosed with fibromyalgia a couple years before, so at first I just thought it was getting worse. Not...

Decisions, decisions.... It seems when you live with a chronic disease like RA you are continually faced with making decisions...like it or not. I am not just talking about the...

The scene – I wake up and before I have time to open my eyes I feel an incredible burning, sharp piercing pain in my shoulder. I lift my head...

So how does this famous phrase tie into RA? Well, this post is all about patience and the need for anyone with a chronic disease to possess this trait if...

I was diagnosed with JIA when I was 6 years old. My RA started in my pinky finger and my family and I started calling it “Blubber” because it was...

I was diagnosed in 2005. I am now 62 struggling with this affliction. In 2011, I was hit by an F250 pick up truck while walking across the street. That...

I've been a nurse for 16 years & even though I was only diagnosed with RA 2yrs ago. I suffer from OA & have RSDS in my entire Lower Right...