How Mindfulness Helps Me Cope With RA
Mindfulness has taught me to slow down and appreciate the small details around me as a source of joy. In my new column for HealthCentral I talk about how it helps me live with chronic pain and easy ways for you to try it: “IT’S SNOWING AS I write this. Big fluffy flakes falling quietly, gradually…
What to Do When Your Doc Dismisses Your RA Pain
More than ever, it’s important that you and your doctor agree on pain management. In my new call for HealthCentral, I discuss self-advocacy tools that can help you communicate your pain with your doctor to get you feeling better faster: ““IT’S ALL IN your head.” Although a doctor may not say those exact words, many people…
Your New Year Action Plan for RA
Got big goals for your life with rheumatoid arthritis in 2022? In my first column of the year, I share strategies to get you there: “NOT TOO LONG ago, I set aside time to review 2021 and create some goals for the future. As a small business owner, I am very clear in the fact that…
How to Soldier On When RA Requires Real Bravery
The meds make you feel sick, but you’ve still got to take them, and the doctor visits feel endless. In th itmn for HealthCentral, I share tips for getting through the hard times with rheumatoid arthritis: “WE DO IT silently and behind a smile. We do it with a grimace and a groan. We do it…
Finding Control When RA Takes the Wheel
RA is not the boss of you, though it often feels that way. In this column for HealthCentral, I write about how to reclaim agency over your life: “I HAVE NOT been in full control of my life for over five decades. That’s how long I’ve lived with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an unpredictable condition that regularly…
5 Ways to Do the Holidays, RA-Style
It’s hard to find the line between joyful holiday bustle and a stressful mess that sends you reeling into a post-holiday rheumatoid arthritis flare (or a pre-holiday or joining-the-holidays). Throwing out traditions that don’t work for you anymore is a good place to start. In my new column for HealthCentral, I share five ways to create…
Finding Hope When RA Meds Don’t Put You in Remission
What do you do when medications don’t work as well as you’d like? In my new column for HealthCentral, I write about how developing a hopeful mindset can help you get through the pain and frustration: “EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK, there is hopeful news about rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment and what it can do for your life—all…
How to Talk to Kids About Chronic Illness
Most of us were taught to be awkward and avoid talking about chronic illness and disability. In my new columm for HealthCentral, I share tips on how to teach your children to be inclusive and comfortable with rheumatoid arthritis and disability, including a list of books for different ages to help you get the conversation…
Removing the “Ick Factor” From RA Meds
Like it or not (and mostly it’s not), medication is part of living with RA. But when you’re not used to swallowing pills or giving yourself an injection, how do you get to a point where it’s less intimidating or gross? In my new column for HealthCentral, I share my pro tips to get the…
Managing RA Pain in a Post-Opioid World
Pain meds aren’t always available when you need them. In my new olumn for HealthCentral, I share relief strategies can help get you through a rough patch: “LIKE IT OR not (and really, who would?) to have rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is to know pain—even people in remission may have occasional flares or breakthrough pain. For me…
How to Talk to Your Doctor About Sex and RA
Rheumatologists don’t always bring up the topic of how RA affects sex, so you may have to. WHich can seem daunting. In my new column for HealthCentral, I share tips for starting a conversation with your doctor about how RA affects your sex life: “WHEN YOU HAVE rheumatoid arthritis (RA) it affects all aspects of…
Post-Lockdown: Venturing Out When You’re Chronic
We seem to have decided that the pandemic is more or less over, taking off masks and flinging them in the air in celebration. Of course, those of us who are high risk due to rheumatoid arthritis and other types of medical conditions know we are not quite out of the woods yet. For people…