Sexual Side Effects of Rheumatoid Arthritis Meds
You take the medications to feel better, so you can live well with rheumatoid arthritis. And when you think of side effects, it’s mostly things like nausea and fatigue that come to mind. No one ever expects the medications to mess with your sex life. But they can. In my new article for HealthCentral, and…
Get Savvy — a New Movement for Patient Insights
Chronic illness advocacy is pretty much a patchwork and not always as pretty as a quilt. Each condition has its own way of being engaged in feedback to organizations and actually connecting is very much a matter of luck. Savvy Cooperative is changing that. What Is Savvy? “Savvy is an online platform that acts like…
#AskLene July 2018
This month on the #AskLene Facebook Live, I talked about disability benefits — what’s good about them, what isn’t, and what it takes to qualify — as well as what to do when people don’t believe you have a chronic illness.
Build a Good Relationship with Your Doctor
When you have a chronic illness, your doctor is one of the most important people in your life.When you find a good one, they’ll be with you for years, even decades, sometimes more than other relationships. My new post for Mango Health shares tips on how to build a good relationship with you doctor: “If…
Changing the National Building Code for an Inclusive Canada
I have never visited my sister’s home. I have never been to my partner’s home. If my friends are having a party, I can’t go. My partner and I can’t live together. Housing in Canada is usually not accessible to people who use wheelchairs. It contributes to isolation — you might even call it segregation…
CAPA Creates New Methotrexate Tool for People with Inflammatory Arthritis
Dawn Richards presenting the CAPA methotraxate tool at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology “We all have a story about methotrexate,” said Dawn Richards, Vice President of the Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance (CAPA) Steering Committee. This medication has been around for a long time and is considered the gold standard for treatment of inflammatory arthritis….
Taking Pride in Your RA Body
When you have rheumatoid arthritis, celebrating your body is a revolutionary idea. I wrote about that journey in my new article for HealthCentral: “When you think of the feelings you have toward your body, especially connected to rheumatoid arthritis (RA), is pride one of them? For most, the answer is no. Living with the changes…
Nutfree Deliciousness: I Discover Overnight Oats and My Body Gets Happy
Updated March 27, 2021 I’d started fantasizing about oats. Now, this is worthy of mention because in terms of culinary delights, I have never in my life been rendered to drooling stupefaction by the thought of anything involving oats. I mean, I like the wee flakes, but obsession? I’m a big fan of listening to…
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…