RA Blog week 2019: Day 2: Adjust

October 1, 2019.Reading time 6 minutes.

I am proud to be participating in the 5th annual RA blog week. Day two’s topic: Adjust – How do you adjust to the affects of RD on your career, dreams, goals? I started with symptoms of RA at the age of 14. I was told I had tendonitis. At 19, the pain and swelling […]

RA Blog Week 2019: Day 1: Dealing

October 1, 2019.Reading time 2 minutes.

I am so proud to participate in the 5th annual RA blog week. Today’s topic is: Dealing – How do other diagnoses impact your RD and its treatment? When I was diagnosed with Graves disease my endocrinologist told me, “Once you get one autoimmune diagnosis, you are likely to get a few more.” I didn’t […]

RA goes to Hollywood…

September 27, 2019.Reading time 6 minutes.

I was watching the NBC show “New Amsterdam” last night. It’s not the greatest show, but it is entertaining enough. The show is based on the novel “Twelve Patients: Life and Death at Bellevue Hospital” by Eric Manheimer. It follows the doctor in charge of the hospital who is “aiming to reform the neglected facility by […]

A little bit of this, a little bit of that…

September 22, 2019.Reading time 17 minutes.

It’s been a while since I had time to blog. So much to write about. Working full-time Patient Advocacy A milestone birthday So let’s start in September. I had spent the majority of my summer with serious gastroenteritis. I swear I have never experienced stomach issues like that in my life. I went through test […]

One more thing…

August 21, 2019.Reading time 3 minutes.

I’ve documented my rough summer. The last episode has been stomach bug or food poisoning. Honestly, I wasn’t sure which thing was making my stomach violently revolt. I began vomiting on a Friday night. By Monday, I felt fine again. Was at an appointment on Thursday and began to feel the familiar pang of cramps. […]

Dipping my toes in again…

August 15, 2019.Reading time 13 minutes.

I haven’t blogged in a while. It’s been part writer’s block and part being overwhelmed by life lately. I’ve had a lousy summer, in which so much stuff has gone wrong, that it is almost ridiculous at this point. These are the events that I have been dealing with for the past 2 months. -I […]

A senseless goodbye…

June 29, 2019.Reading time 8 minutes.

I lost someone I love to drug addiction. It started with an addiction to prescription pain meds. He injured his ankle years ago and struggled with the pain. I figured out he was an addict after I had surgery to repair my broken ankle. He asked me what medication I was given and I told […]

I have what???

June 22, 2019.Reading time 6 minutes.

****I’m updating the story: I started with symptoms on a Tuesday. Wednesday spiked a fever. By Saturday, my fever was 102 and I broke down to see a doctor. I woke up early Sunday morning to take care of Georgia’s insulin and meds. Ate some toast and went back to bed to rest. Woke up […]

Inflammation motivation…

June 17, 2019.Reading time 4 minutes.

I recently read an article called: “Chronic inflammation removes motivation by reducing dopamine in the brain.” Reading the article was one of those “OMG this is me!!!” moments. For the past few years, I just could not figure out where my motivation went. Granted, I’m exhausted and in pain….but I have ZERO motivation for things […]

With a hope and a flare….

June 10, 2019.Reading time 4 minutes.

This past week, I’ve been dealing with one of the worst flare ups of my disease in years. I say the word “disease” because honestly, no one seems to know for sure what I have. Sometimes I’m told I have rheumatoid arthritis. Other times, I’m told I have psoriatic arthritis or spondyloarthopathy. All I know….is […]