Do You Have ‘Visible’ or ‘Invisible’ Rheumatoid Arthritis? A Look at the Pros and Cons
Whether or not your chronic illness is obvious to others can affect how you’re treated — and sometimes, how you feel about yourself. I write about the benefits and drawbacks of visible and invisible RA for CreakyJoints Caanda: “One glance at my hands will tell you I have rheumatoid arthritis (RA). They show the classic…
Made With RA: Dealing With FOMO When You Have RA
It’s so hard to miss out on all the fun and important things because rheumatoid arthritis got in the way (AGAIN!). In my new column for HealthCentral, I share ways of being flexible so you can you work around the barriers: “WHENEVER I HEAR a healthy person talking about FOMO (fear of missing out), I want…
Made With RA: Your No-Drama Guide to Virtual RA Support Groups
Your peeps are out there, you just need to hit the right keys. In this column for HealthCentral, I share tips on how to find the right rheumatoid arthritis support online: “LIVING WITH RHEUMATOID arthritis (RA) can feel very lonely. Since this condition affects just about 1% of the population, it’s rare to meet others with…
How Journaling Can Help You Live Better with Chronic Illness and Pain
Did you know journaling can be an important tool to add to your bag of chronic illness and pain coping tools? It’s been shown to help people cope with pain, PTSD, depression, and even have a beneficial effect on your immune system. This is the first in a series on journaling and chronic illness and…
My Body Can Beat Your Weather Radar
Photo credit: David Govoni Every single person I know who has chronic pain response whether. Get any of us together in a room and the conversation will inevitably turn to have the current weather is making us feel. Exactly how this is in which kind of weather makes it worse, can differ from person to…
I’m Nominated for the #WEGOHealthAwards!
I am beyond thrilled to be nominated in the WEGO Health Awards in two categories — Best in Show: Community and Hilarious Patient Leader. I don’t know who nominated me, but both of these absolutely made my day when I got the news. Thank you to the nominators and thank you to all of you….
You Can Run a Small Business With RA
Got dreams? You can get there with RA. I’ve been working for myself for well over a decade now and in many ways, being self-employed is the ideal job when you have RA and other types of chronic illnesses. In my new Made with RA column for HealthCentral, I share my experience and tips for…
“I’m Not Lazy:” Talking About Arthritis Fatigue
One of the biggest frustrations of living with arthritis — especially autoimmune arthritis — is the fatigue. It’s not just tired, it is a crushing exhaustion that does not get relief from rest. It’s a constant challenge to understand it, find ways cope with it, as well as dealing with the perceptions and the stigma…
10 Things to Try if Wearing a Bra Hurts Because of Rheumatoid Arthritis
I’ve been known to say that RA affects all areas of your life and do I ever mean all areas. Even something as simple as your underwear. Bras can be especially challenging. If you think about it, putting on a bra involves skill of a contortionist and when you have a chronic illness that affects…
#3Things: March 2019
The monthly #3Things Facebook Live took place yesterday. We talked about smoothies, meditation, gratitude, piles of paper, and talking. It was great! I’ve got a Facebook Live schedule now. #3Things happens on the first Thursday of each month and #AskLene on the 3rd Thursday of the month. Both usually at 2:30 PM ET. Would love…
Out of My Comfort Zone: In Which I Try Wearing Bold Lipstick
I’ve had only a handful in my adult life and they were all red. I am naturally talking about lipsticks. What are you thinking?? I have never been a lipstick person. Growing up in a very relaxed country in the 1960s and 70s, lipsticks were the purview of my mother’s generation, not mine. I put…
Guestpost: Real Life Diaries: Living with Rheumatic Diseases
Living with Rheumatic Diseases (Real Life Diaries) is a terrific new book put together by some wonderful people from the community. Brenda L. Kleinsasser kindly agreed to write a guest post for The Seated View about the book and how it came to be. At the beginning of this year, a group of writers began…