Sexual Side Effects of Rheumatoid Arthritis Meds
You take the medications to feel better, so you can live well with rheumatoid arthritis. And when you think of side effects, it’s mostly things like nausea and fatigue that come to mind. No one ever expects the medications to mess with your sex life. But they can. In my new article for HealthCentral, and…
In Which I Appear on the ChronicSex Podcast
Most of the time, what I do involves sitting alone in front of my computer and writing down my thoughts, then posting them somewhere and and you read them and sometimes leave a comment. I like this. It suits my introverted nature, yet at the same time it is a two-way conversation. But one should…
Should My Partner Have Sex with Someone Else Because I Have a Chronic Illness?
When you live with chronic illness and disability, pain and mobility limitations can make sex difficult. But does that mean your partner should find someone else with whom to have sex? I see this fairly often, mostly late at night on private Facebook groups where it’s safe to bare what’s deep inside. I’ve been there…
Sex and RA: Asking for Help with a Delicate Issue
Updates June 12, 2020 We all have at least one. Your nemesis, if you will. That one thing that you can’t do because of your chronic illness or disability. Well, of course there are probably more than one, but the others may not bother you is much. Or maybe you found a way around it….
How To Have Satisfying Sex Depsite Chronic Pain
In Febriary, a bunch of HealtHCentral writers participated in the Valentine’s Day project. We wrote about sex, romance and other relationships and how they can be impacted by various illnesses. I posted my last contribution today – yes, I am aware it’s March, things got a bit delayed: “Sex is important. It puts a smile…
Real RA: It’s Not Just About the Jar
The drug commercials like to show couples walking on the beach with a dog (it’s always a beach with a dog), but real RA is not like that. The image of remission is a return to sparkling health with no lasting effects, but real RA is not like that. This is the first in new…
Out Among the English: Body Language & Disability
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about physical barriers tosocial interaction, mostly in terms of design issues and aspects that can be corrected by having some chairs in the place. Today, Part II. Namely physical barriers to interpersonal communication. Say that you’re At a formal occasion – a wedding, formal business event and the…
Speaking About the Unspeakable: How RA Affects Your Sex Life
I’m in a rheumatologist’s office, discussing starting methotrexate. This is long before the miracle of Enbrel and Humira, my first shot at one of the more serious drugs for RA, but my disease is flaring and something needs doing. Methotrexate is the gold standard and can be very effective. It is also very toxic so…
Definition in Opposition
There was another thing that struck me in the New York Times’ Patient Voices feature. What struck me was George’s story, in particular the part where he talks about practicing doing certain things over and over again in order to “appear normal”. It struck another of those tender places, because what do you do when…