10 Things about What It Is Like To Be On a Ventilator
Updated December 6, 2020 Trigger warning: this post is about medical trauma. This post is a look at the experience of being on a ventilator from the point of view of the person on the receiving end of the tube. This happened when I had complications to the flu and ended up in the ICU.(side…
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“Because of you, the sun shines brightly here.” That’s a quote from last year’s blogiversary post, posted exactly a year ago today. In it, I wrote about the amazing improvement it won’t take me 10 years to get back to normal in my health, strength, and stamina in the 10 years I had been blogging….
I Survived the ICU
Trigger warning: Medical trauma So, where was I? The last time I posted, I had the flu and was pretty miserable. It was the precursor to a roller coaster ride into a very dark place. The flu turned into pneumonia, which sent me to the hospital in the middle of March. There was a trip…
Barriers to Creating Accessible Housing, Part I: Ontario Building Code Accessibility Standards
As you may be aware, I have been doing advocacy work in accessibility for many years, serving on a variety of committees. In the last three years, I have been involved in the R-PATH Committee, which advocates for accessibility in Toronto Community Housing (TCH). I have long been very frustrated with the lack of usable…
How Creativity Can Help You Cope
I was really excited when I was approached by Mango Health and they asked if I’d write some articles for them. Mango Health has created an app that helps you remember when to take your medication, and remind you of when renewals of your prescriptions are due (available in the US). Super helpful. They also…
Going to the Mattresses: My Quest for a New Bed to Help my Chronic Pain
I need a new bed. More specifically, I need a new mattress, and as my current bed frame is a double XL, and there isn’t a lot of choice in that category, I decided to go for a whole new bed. I had a couple of requirements: a double bed, no higher than 22 inches…
Your Life with RA Third Anniversary Sale
Three years ago today, Your Life with Rheumatoid Arthritis: Tools for Treatment, Side Effects and Painwas published and I fulfilled my lifelong dream of being an author. It’s been an amazing three years. My little book was very well received by people who live with RA and I have been lucky enough to meet many…
Longing for a difference: Super Bowl Ad and Opioid Addiction Insanity
A little over a week ago, this ad ran during the Super Bowl [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yr78_7Kip3Q] It deals with opioid -induced constipation and is, in my opinion, both discreet and direct, as well as very, very charming. It’s a very subtle ad for a medication that might help, but it is also much more than that,…
Does Menopause Affect RA?
“I’ve been meaning to call you,” my doctor said as she opened my file. What? Call me? She never calls me, unless I call her first. What possible reason could she have to call me?? Why did I come in today?? I DON’T WANNA KNOW!!! A-hem. I can’t be the only one who reacts like…
With and Without: Comparing Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fibromyalgia Pain
Updated June 16, 2021 Explaining the difference between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) pain and fibromyalgia pain isn’t easy. Articulating what pain feels like is extremely difficult to begin with, adding an attempt to differentiate different kinds of pain is even more of a challenge. I have both RA and Fibro, the latter adding on to the…
The Best Way to Achieve Rheumatoid Arthritis Remission and Barriers to Its Use
Updated May 3, 2020 It is now possible for many people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to go into remission. This in and of itself is mind-boggling to me. I grew up during a time when there were no treatments, and when the inevitable of progression lead to severe disability, wheelchair use, and often early…
Miracle & Catastrophe: Finding a Natural Remedy for GERD and Acid Reflux
Dear Trophic, It’s damn near a miracle. And also a tragedy. But let me start at the beginning. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has always done a number of my stomach, and so has RA meds. It is a particular “blessing” to be hit with a disease that requires strong medications, and a sensitive stomach (the latter…