I Have Rheumatoid Arthritis, But Please Don’t Call Me a Patient
I have been involved in chronic illness and advocacy for a long time, but the terms ‘patient,’ ‘patient advocate,; or ‘patient expert’ has never sat well with me. In my new article for CreakyJoints Canada, I talk about why: “I dance every day, but not to music. As someone with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), I spend…
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…
Never Settle with RA: Why You Should Push for Remission and 4 Tools to Help You Get There
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a serious illness that can have a life-changing impact on your life. But with advances in medication, remission is now possible and it should be the goal of RA treatment, yet 60% of Canadians with RA haven’t had a conversation about RA remission with their rheumatologist. The road to better conversations…
Journaling with Chronic Illness Finding Inspiration for Creativity
Creativity can be a wonderful distraction and comfort when you live with chronic illness. One way to express yourself creatively is by designing and decorating your planner or notebook. You have a host of choices,, including doodling, drawing, collage, using washi tape and stickers and so much more This is the fourth and (so far)…
Journaling with Chronic Illness: Tracking Your Life
Using a journal when you have a chronic illness can be helpful in many different ways. In the first post of this series, I talked about using expressive writing to process your feelings and thoughts and as a tool to cope. But as any bullet journaler knows, your notebook can also be a fantastic…
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…
Journaling With Chronic Illness: My Favourite Supplies
Journaling can be a wonderful way to process your feelings around chronic illness, as well as a creative outlet that doesn’t need you to use a lot of energy or movement. Win-win, right? At its core, journaling is about thoughts, a pen and a notebook — or your phone or computer, if handwriting is difficult….
Think You Might Have Rheumatoid Arthritis? How to Prepare for Your First Appointment with a Rheumatologist
The waiting period to see a rheumatologist for the first time can be really long in Canada. In my new article for the Canadian CreakyJoints site, I look at how you can prepare to improve the appointment and start building a relationship with your doctor: “The waiting period between hearing from your family doctor you…
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…
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…