Nothing More than Feelings: How Doctors Minimize RA Reality
Updated August 30, 2020 Catastrophizing is a popular concept in medicine, particularly when dealing with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and chronic pain. You’ll find endless studies and articles on the concept, described as negative self statements, feelings or coping strategies. For instance, someone saying “this is the worst pain I’ve ever had” or “what if I can’t…
Catastrophizing and Good Doctoring
I’ve been thinking. And what with being on vacation, there’s actually been mental room to move some ideas around, played connect the dots and whatnot. Settle in, this is a long one… More specifically, I’ve been thinking about catastrophizing. This is a concept discussed in the field of rheumatology. The concept states that people who…
The Sanest Thing I Ever Did
Updated September 26, 2024 Sometimes, there’s nothing for it. Sometimes, you try and try and try and then you try some more, but you can’t get past where you are. Sometimes, the struggle takes on a life of its own, colouring everything else around you, making it impossible to have a moment that is free…
Ease of Use: IMAK SmartGlove
I think this is one of those cars that can work great for some and not so great for others. Several other reviewers had a very positive reaction, so I think it’s worth looking into. If you have problems with wrist pain or carpal tunnel issues, give it a try. It might do the trick…
Ease of Use: Clarity D714 Cordless Phone
The Arthritis Foundation’s Ease-of-Use Commendation recognizes products proven to make life easier for people who have arthritis and other physical limitations. These products are independently tested by experts and evaluated by people with arthritis. I have been asked to review a number of Ease-of-Use products during May, Arthritis Awareness Month in the US. My mother,…
Ease of Use: Fiskars Titanium Easy Action Scissors
As you may have noticed, this week is a little heavy on Ease of Use review. I made a commitment to post these before the end of the month and miscellaneous life events got in the way of a more even distribution. Hang in there. We return to your regularly scheduled program on Friday. The…
Ease of Use: DuoGlide Sweep Chefs Knife
The Arthritis Foundation’s Ease-of-Use Commendation recognizes products proven to make life easier for people who have arthritis and other physical limitations. These products are independently tested by experts and evaluated by people with arthritis. I have been asked to review a number of Ease-of-Use products during May, Arthritis Awareness Month in the US. My mother,…
Ease of Use: Tramontina Saute Pan
The Arthritis Foundation’s Ease-of-Use Commendation recognizes products proven to make life easier for people who have arthritis and other physical limitations. These products are independently tested by experts and evaluated by people with arthritis. I have been asked to review a number of Ease-of-Use products during May, Arthritis Awareness Month in the US. My mother,…
Independence with RA and Disability: Reachers
One of the biggest frustrations of living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and disability is how it eats away and that your independence. Whether it’s the inability to open a jar, or needing others to pick up an item you dropped on the floor, the gradual erosion of independence is like the death of a thousand…
Faces, Earthquakes and Ebola: Making Pain Scales Work in Real Life
“Please rate your pain on a scale from 1 to 10.” Said by many doctors and it sounds pretty simple, right? It isn’t. When you live with chronic pain, rating that pain becomes a really complicated question. Pain scales are an attempt to assign an objective measurement to a subjective feeling. And it gets very…
Everything – A Re-Post
On Monday, in the Health Council of Canada video I talked about the consequences of not being able to get the medication you need because of cost. Yesterday, I posted my guest blog for the Help Council of Canada about the cost of chronic illness. Today, I’d like to shares something I posted back in…
Pain Management in Recovery and Addiction
My latest post for MyRACentral is about managing pain when you’re addicted or in recovery: “ My friend T. lives with high levels of chronic pain. The pain makes it difficult to get through each day and it’s not just having an impact on his physical function, but on his relationships with his family and…