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 →

****Update 10/28/15 A few days after I wrote this, my Georgia stopped eating.  Two days of barely getting food into her.  Vet told me to wait to bring her in because she was drinking.  Turns out she has uveitis.  Ulcers on her eye.  So much pain that she could not eat. Not sure how she... Continue Reading →

Reading others journeys about living a #rheum life, has helped me greatly in dealing with my autoimmune arthritis.  These women are bright, humorous and their writing touches me. Here are some of my personal favorite.Some of my favorite blogs:All Flared Up!  by Amandahttps://allflaredup.wordpress.comFloat like a Buttahfly: by Kerryhttp://floatlikeabuttahfly.blogspot.comAnd then you're at Jax: by Mollyhttps://atjax.wordpress.comAutoimmune Systemic... Continue Reading →

Dear Pre-diagnosed Me,Remember when you were 14 and your knees started to ache.   You were told you had tendonitis and spent weeks on crutches throughout the years until you were 20.  That sucked.  At 20, you had arthroscopic surgery which showed nothing but inflammation.  It took you months to recover.  Your family and friends... Continue Reading →

Five things I've learned since having RA:1.  It can always be worse.  When my disease onset, I was really, really sick.  Slowly, I improved with the right medication.  It took a long time.  I have a crappy disease, but I am at a point where I know I am better than before.  I do some... Continue Reading →

Day 3 Assignment:  Explain your RA.***  After all these years, I still had a hard time with this topic.  I decided to re-work a previous blog.  So here it goes...Living with autoimmune diseases is a never ending journey.  I've had people tell me that "But you don't look sick", and "Do you know that you... Continue Reading →

Day 2 Assignment:  Managing RA fatigue – We all know that fatigue is a big part of many of our lives. How do you manage that fatigue? Perhaps you like a warm cup of tea or a hot bath. We all have our coping strategies. Describe anything you do to help with fatigue. I've been tired... Continue Reading →