Made With RA: Gifts I’m Giving My RA Self for the Holidays
While you’re shopping for others this season, add these ‘just-for-you’ items to your list, too. Your RA will thank you for the tips in this HealthCentral column: “AH, THE HOLIDAYS! It’s a season of overdoing simply everything—eating, socializing, shopping, decorating, cooking, baking, wrapping, and all the rest. Oh, and flaring, too. Due to the relentless holiday…
Made With RA: How to Get the Sleep You Need With RA
Rest is key to functioning well with rheumatoid arthritis, but what do you do when your RA is often what keeps you up at night? In my new column for HealthCentral, I share tips to get the sleep you need: “WHEN IS THE last time you had a good night’s sleep? The kind that has you…
Made WIth RA: How to Manage Your Next Dental Visit With RA
Jaw pain and other limitations can make a trip to the dentist a real pain when you live with RA. In my new column for HealthCentral, I share tips on how to make it easier: “DID YOU KNOW that you move your jaw about 2,000 times a day as you eat, brush your teeth, drink, and…
How Do You Cope With RA Burnout?
It might be a term most commonly associated with your 9-to-5 work, but chronic conditions are 24/7, and they can cause burnout, too. In my new column for HealthCentral, I delve into the causes of chronic illness burnout and share tips on how to reduce the impact: “I AM SICK and tired of feeling sick and…
Ready to Try a New Diet for RA? Read This First
Research shows eating certain foods can improve rheumatoid arthritis symptoms for some, but don’t clear out your fridge just yet. In this column for HealthCentral, I share tips on how to change your diet with RA: “I WAS 13 years old the first time a rheumatologist suggested I try adjusting my diet for my rheumatoid arthritis…
Made With RA: Solutions for Opening Nightmare Packaging With RA
Trying to open any package with rheumatoid arthritis hands can be next to impossible. In my new column for HealthCentral, I write about the problem with packaging design and share some workarounds: “AS SOMEONE WHO lives with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), packaging is the bane of my existence. From medication dispensed in childproof caps and blister packs…
How I Use Swearing to Cope with Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain
Coping with rheumatoid arthritis pain takes a toolbox of many different remedies and trips. In addition to the standards, such as medication, heating pads, ice packs, and careful stretching, mine also includes swearing like a sailor. My new essay for CreakyJoints Canada shares my swearing story and tips on how to use curse words to…
Talk Over RA: How to Feel Empowered in Conversations with Your Rheumatologist
Seeing a doctor is a stressful experience. There’s only a short time in which to convey your concerns and questions and your doctor has their own list of issues to cover. Becoming empowered to act as a partner in the process is an important part of living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) but can take years…
Talk Over RA: How to Track Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms and Monitor Treatment Progress
“How have you been since your last appointment?” If you’re anything like me, this question from your rheumatologist instantly causes your mind to go blank. When I don’t have a clear picture of my health, it gets in the way when I try to Talk Over RA with my medical team and affects my rheumatoid…
Balancing RA and Fibromyalgia
I’m one of the almost quarter of people with RA who also have fibromyalgia. In my new column for HealthCentral, I share how I manage these two chronic pain conditions: “IT WAS A kind of pain I had never felt before, even in my then 30+ years of living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This was a…
Made With RA: Asking ‘Why’ Can Get You the RA Life You Want
It’s natural to have questions about your rheumatoid arthritis. In my new column for HealthCentral, I explain why those nagging questions you have for your doctor (or yourself) are worth asking out loud: “WHY? IF YOU have children, chances are that word starts a little twitch around your left eye. It’s the favorite word of toddlers…
Made With RA: A Case for Identifying As ‘Disabled’
Could coming out as disabled help you live a freer life with RA? My new column looks at the benefits of identifying as a person with a disability: “DO YOU CONSIDER yourself disabled? Our perception of being disabled tends to be limited to needing a mobility aid, such as a wheelchair, and some wonder whether…