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Courage, They Cried: Life with Chronic Illness

It takes a lot of guts to have a chronic illness. This thought came into my mind as I was preparing for a drug challenge appointment that had the very real possibility of me going into anaphylactic shock.* It’s a fun thing to do on a Wednesday. Granted, this one is a somewhat extreme example…

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Chronic Christmas Advent Giveaway #2: Integrale Adaptive Cutlery

Does your disability or chronic illness make it difficult for you to use using regular cutlery when you eat? Then do I ever have a great giveaway for you! Isabel Heubl created Integrale because adaptive cutlery “wasn’t only ugly, but didn’t fulfil all the functional aspects needed either.” She worked with a large group of…

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#ChronicChristmas Advent Giveaway #1: Books and Books — Winner

I don’t know about you, but I’m having a grand time with this giveaway. The excitement is just going to build with each other the next three Chronic Christmas Advent Giveaways! I might explode by Christmas. Just a warning. Thank you to everyone who entered the first Chronic Christmas Giveaway to win a signed copy…

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Colorblind Teens Experience a World of Color Through Color Correcting Glasses

Have you ever wondered how people who are colour deficient* see the world? And what happens if they try colour correcting glasses? I didn’t know about colour correcting glasses until I had the opportunity to talk to a scientist whose research led to the development of this technology. And then I got to interview two…

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Chronic Christmas Contest #1: Books and Books

I’ve loved Advent calendar since I was a little girl. Opening a small gift every day for the month of December is such a wonderful way to build anticipation while temporarily calming down the excitement  so you don’t explode by the time Christmas arrives. It’s one of the reasons I wrote Chronic Christmas: Surviving the…

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Making the Most Out of Vaccines with RA

As I know first-hand, being immunosuppressed can make it a real challenge to fight back against infection and illness. Vaccines can protect you. With the arrival of flu season, this is even more important: “As another flu season approaches, those of us who take immunosuppressant drugs for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) start getting twitchy. One of…

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5 Tips for Surviving the Holidays with a Chronic Illness

How to do less, so you can enjoy the holidays more.

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The Seated View 2018 Calendars Are Here! (and a Surprise)

I’m really excited about the calendars this year. Not only do I have my usual’s — The Seated View calendar, the Bird calendar and of course the Ships — but I’ve added some new ones. The Seated View 2018 Calendar by TheSeatedView In fact, it’s possible that I may have binged just a little. Can…

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Facebook Live This Wednesday!

According to every merchant out there, Christmas started about a week and a half ago. There are decorations, Christmas trees, even a countdown to Christmas. Which really just ramps up the stress. And you don’t need that. Because stress makes chronic illnesses flare. Join me this Wednesday on my Facebook Page at 2:30 PM ET…

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10 Ways Naturopathy Can Help Your RA

I’ve been using alternative treatments to treat my RA (or at least the symptoms) since I was a child. I grew up in a time when there were no treatments, so I tried a lot of different things to make life easier. A lot of them worked. One especially valuable tool for me is naturopathy….

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Book Review: Turtles All the Way Down

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to have obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and anxiety, read Turtles All the Way Down. There are also a lot of other reason is to read the book. It’s an amazing story of friendship, of growing up, of love in many different forms, of obsessions, compulsions, and finding a…

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What Someone Who has Universal Healthcare Thinks About the Repeal of Obamacare

I have some thoughts about what’s happening with health care in the United States. In my latest column for HealthCentral, I share these opinions: “Last spring, I spent 34 days in the hospital. Three weeks of this was in the ICU, receiving complex high-level care and treatment. For a month after I returned home, a…

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