Let me explain.....Yesterday was a bad, horrible, no good, rotten, painful flare-up day.  On a scale from 1-10, my pain was a 20.  By the time lunch time came around, I was sitting with my head between my legs trying to get the nausea from the pain to pass.  My hands were red and swollen... Continue Reading →

As a patient, you expect your doctor to be the expert in your medical condition.  Finding a good doctor, especially a specialist, can be difficult.  It's supposed to go like this:  You go to see the doctor when you are not feeling well, they write a prescription, recommend a treatment, and you go on your... Continue Reading →

I was contacted recently by a company called NatraCure.  They asked if I would be willing to try one of their products for an honest review.  I googled their company and checked out their products that were all geared towards pain relief.  I wasn't sure which item they wanted me to try, but I agreed... Continue Reading →

I was talking to a good friend who also has RA.  I mentioned a big decision I made regarding my career and the feedback I had received.  She said, something like "That is such a compliment to your abilities as a normal person".  Hmmm....It sounded strange, but  I knew exactly what she meant.  My normal... Continue Reading →

When you get diagnosed with a chronic illness, you go through various emotions.  I literally went through the stages identified by Elizabeth Kugler-Ross "5 Stages of Grief".  Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.  Each stage prior to acceptance was painful.  Hell, even acceptance hurt pretty bad.  The life I thought I would have disappeared.  I... Continue Reading →

****I came in 4th place out of over 200 blogs.  Thank you to everyone who voted!As my joint turns: My Autoimmune Soap Opera has been nominated for HealthLine's Best in Health Blog.  Yay! If you can, please help me out and vote.  Click on the link.  Currently I am at 22 or so.  You can... Continue Reading →

Well, my well planned out Christmas still ended up in a flare up.  Determined to still enjoy the holidays.  Merry Christmas my friends!  May your holiday be Merry and Bright!

Every year the holidays come around and I end up being exhausted.  The past two years, I decided to seriously watch my energy levels and actually enjoy the holidays.  I've learned to prioritize what is important over the past 14 years living with autoimmune arthritis.  Here are my seasonal strategies to help me survive the... Continue Reading →

Two years ago today, I was getting ready for the season finale of Homeland.  I needed to throw one more load of laundry in the washer.  I put on my new bedroom slippers and hurriedly trotted down my basement stairs....only to fall and break both bones in my leg and dismantle my entire right ankle.... Continue Reading →

I feel good.  There, I said it. It's been a week and my joints aren't swelling and achy.  I've been afraid to admit that I feel good.  Like RA karma will come down and smack me hard for daring to say that I feel okay.  It's a shocking feeling to not be in pain.  I've... Continue Reading →