Rheumatoid Awareness Day: An Interview with Kelly Young
This week on HealthCentral, I wrote about a new initiative for raising awarneess about RA: “May’s Arthritis Awareness Month covers more than 100 different types of arthritis. October 12 is World Arthritis Day. May 10 is World Lupus Day. May 12 is Fibromyalgia Awareness Day. The first Saturday after May 1 is World Ankylosing Spondylitis…
Ratings System
Yesterday, I read Trisha Torrey’s post about the ratingsystem. More specifically, how someone named Dr. Young has protested about his patients rating (judging) his services, calling some of them unfair. He also felt that people who didn’t “get over it” are “bad patients.” Trisha asks that since patients rate doctors, should doctors rate patients, too?…
In Which Normal Becomes a Mental Illness
The upcoming fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) lists the new disorder called Somatic Symptom Disorder. To quote my HealthCentral post from yesterday, “you can be diagnosed with SSD if for at least six months, you have had a symptom or symptoms that is distressing and/or disrupt your daily…
People with Chronic Illnesses Could Be Labeled as Mentally Ill
You may have seen articles about this issue around the Internet recently. The American Psychiatric Association is releasing a new edition of the DSM-V, used for diagnosing mental illness. A new disorder has been added called Somatic Symptom Disorder and it has some worrisome implications for people living with chronic illness. You can read more…
Night Shots
As I may have mentioned once or twice (okay, 35 times), I got a new camera for Christmas. I love my old camera – it performs wonderfully in natural light and has a kick-ass zoom. I’ve always been frustrated by its performance in low light, though. Also? It’s amazing what happened in the camera world…
Writing with a Chronic Illness: Chronic Pain and Writing Practice
After my big flare eight years ago, I decided it was time to do something about that lifelong dream of being a writer. To stop being practical and having a day job and throw it all into getting off the pot, so to speak. Never mind that I hadn’t had a day job for quite…
Perfect Birthday Wishes
Today is this handsome man’s birthday This quote by modern philosopher Slavoj Žižek in the movie Examined Life resonates with both of us “Love is not idealization. A true Lover knows that if you really love a woman or a man, that you do not idealize him or her. Loves means that you accept a person,…
Real RA: Talking with Your Hands
Updated May 2, 2021 There is a legend in my father’s family. A long, long time ago, a Spanish mercenary supposedly had his way with a female ancestor. Equally supposedly, this explains why families with two children always have one with dark hair and one with blonde hair. Writing it down like that makes it…
Watershed
Sometimes, change happens so gradually that you’re not aware of it until after it’s well underway. And sometimes, you can pinpoint the exact moment your life changed, naeeowing the point down so precisely that the watershed between Before and After is a matter of minutes. On January 7, 2005 at 3:35 PM, I got my…
Snow Snow Snow
There was supposed to be a post with words today. Y’know… thinking. But I’ve been crashing for 10 days, winter’s giving me some “interesting” pain levels and I don’t have the energy. So instead, more photos. Canadian winter has come back and is making up for lost time. In the past week, we’ve had three…
Blushing Furiously
There are some truly astonishing people out there. Some of these astonishing people have nominated me not for one, but three categories in the WEGO Health Activist Awards: I am completely overwhelmed and massively grateful. You can see all the nominees on the WEGO Pinterest page – I’m not listed yet, but they’re working on…