Is It Discomfort or Is It Pain?
Discomfort. It’s a word often used in the medical world when referring to procedures or experiences that could involve pain. And it bugs me. This latest rant began when I read an article about dental implants that referred to “post-surgery discomfort.” This discomfort was described as being akin to that which happens when you…
#TOtheWaterfront: Opening the Blue Edge
Last Friday, I was at the official opening of the revitalized Queen’s Quay. But I get ahead of myself. Look for the guy in the green t-shirt, they said… Four years ago, I posted about accessibility barriers in the path to the beach. Subsequently my MPP, Glen Murray, a true champion of universal design, facilitated…
In Which I Get a Steroid Shot
“Will you shoot me up?” I asked. She said yes. Relief flooded over me like a wave. I`d explained how the bad flare had gotten much worse on the weekend. How my neck and shoulders were in a tight knot, every movement bringing a crunching of tendons, as well as screaming in pain. I had…
Where the Surf Meets the Sand
The last time I was on a beach was the summer I turned 14. It was also the last time I walked Photo by Ole Andersen The doctors had given me a reprieve before I was to report at the hospital and get encased in plaster to spend a month in a body cast. My…
Among the ELITE
Being recognized is always nice. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t get an extra spring in their step when they’re told they’re doing good stuff. It certainly makes me happy every time I get a comment on email from someone saying they appreciate my writing and my advocacy. I keep every single one of them….
10 Questions to Ask Your Doctor when Diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis
1. What caused my rheumatoid arthritis? 2. How might my rheumatoid arthritis progress, and what is my prognoses? 3. How advanced is my rheumatoid arthritis? If there is already damage to my joints, is there anything I can do to reverse it? 4. If I am diagnosed with one autoimmune disease, does it put me…
Why I’m Walking*
*This being the theorectical walking in my wheelchair. I’d like you to meet my friend Brad (and his babies Bella and Myah). He and I were the double act in the #LiveBold RA update released earlier this year. Go ahead. Watch it. I loved the first RA multimedia story, but this one is my favourite….
Ten Years Later
What am I doing with a blog? That’s what I asked myself in my very first post on The Seated View. Which was ten years ago today. I also thought (briefly) that I didn’t have much to say. Almost 1500 posts later, I think we know the answer to that one. So, what did I…
May-hem: A Re-Post
Last year, I did myself a favour. I wrote — and posted publicly — a reminder about what May is like. Then I created a reminder in my calendar that I should a) read the post and b) that my loved ones know why I’d be incommunicado for the month of May. The reminder arrived…
No Child of My Own
Last week’s excellent CreakyChat on family planning and rheumatic diseases brought up some memories. I remember the moment I decided not to have children of my own. My mother is pushing my manual chair through the old part of Rigshospitalet, the hospital where I spent several years waiting for hip replacements. The hospital where I…