Photo Friday: First Pride
There is a first time for everyone. Your first Pride. I still remember mine — the first year after I’d moved downtown, I went with a friend and felt completely overwhelmed and overjoyed. It’s a feeling you like to spread around, so last weekend, we took a couple of kids I know to see their…
The 30-Day Lipstick Adventure and What I Learned
I learned a number of things during the 30-Day Lipstick Adventure. One was understanding why a lot of female YouTubers have long hair. Because when you shoot out of sequence several weeks apart, having short hair makes it very obvious what you are doing. Especially if you get a haircut somewhere in the process….
Can Antibiotics Treat Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Have you ever heard that antibiotics can treat RA? I investigate in my new article for HealthCentral: “When your doctor presents you with treatment options for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), it’s natural to feel more than a bit overwhelmed. That’s when many of us start consulting the deep recesses of a search engine. And that’s where…
What It’s like Being Institutionalized As a Child Away from Your Parents
When I was 11 years old, I was sent to a rehab hospital on the coast, far away from home. At the time, there were no treatments for juvenile arthritis. Instead, they treated you with physiotherapy, aqua therapy, and occupational therapy. This was the only option in Denmark at the time. My parents had no…
For Grace Works to Implement National Pain Strategy in California
Cynthia Toussaint at the 2017 For Grace Summit. For Grace is a wonderful organization that focuses on improving the lives of women who live with pain. I recently interviewed the founder of For Grace, Cynthia Toussaint, about a new project. Last year at your annual Women in Pain conference, For Grace started a two-year program…
Photo Friday: Name That Turtle
Last weekend, The Boy and I went to the Evergreen Brickworks and took a long walk in the Don Valley woods. I’ve talked about how much I love this place before, and this trip was no exception. The trees were green, we saw more birds than ever before, and the trails had been much improved,…
Life After Pregnancy and Childbirth With RA
Women with RA used to not have children. But with advances in medication, this is no longer the case. So how do you cope with the period just after birth and taking care of your baby? My new article on HealthCentral covers it all: “The time directly after your baby is born —postpartum — can…
How I Cope with Taking Medication for My Chronic Conditions
Let’s get this out of the way first: no one likes taking medication. If my fairy godmother showed up in a sparkling red off the shoulder number (because my fairy godmother rocks) and offered to waive her magic wand over anything in my life, of course my first choice would be to magick away my…
What You Need to Know About Methotrexate
Almost everyone who has RA who will be prescribed methotrexate at some point or another. So I wrote a slideshow on everything (almost) you need to know about this medication: “When you first get diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) there is a very good chance that you will leave your doctor’s office with a prescription…
Exercise with Severe RA: Starting the Day with a Dance
I’ve been thinking about exercise. Partly because it’s spring — well, currently waffling back and forth between spring and Springter in Toronto — and partly because I’ve had yet another health professional talk earnestly at me about moving my body. In response to which I pointed out, as I have so many of the times…