Announcing Arthritis Life!
I am proud to launch Arthritis Life: a video project featuring life hacks, patient stories, provider interviews, product reviews and more. Check out my Youtube channel trailer above! My mission is to educate, empower and inspire patients with arthritis and their providers through sharing life hacks and personal stories. Interested in participating in this project or learning more? If you are a patient or provider who’s interested in being interviewed, please contact me via the contact page above. Please let me know if you have any requests for life hack video topics! Please subscribe to my Youtube Channel so you’ll be the first to know about new video uploads. If…
My Invisible Illness Photo Shoot
Introduction People often remark that those of us with invisible illnesses “don’t look sick.” However, we deal with substantial physical and emotional challenges. To shed light on the often hidden side of living with chronic illness, I completed an “Invisible Illness Photo Shoot” with dear friend and phenomenal photographer Jessica Keener Photography. Goals of the photo shoot 1. To illustrate that you cannot tell what someone is going through just by looking at them. I hope that these photos help people remember to “be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle” (Ian MacLaren). 2. To help those who have similar invisible challenges not feel alone. I have benefited from…
To my Chronic Illness Medical Team…
It was very therapeutic for me to write a guest blog post for CreakyJoints, a patient advocacy and education site that focuses on arthritis and related conditions. To my chronic illness medical team is my love letter to the often unsung heroes in the medical profession: providers who care for patients like me who have chronic, complex, invisible illnesses. I am so fortunate to have had dozens of compassionate, caring providers during my 16 years with rheumatoid arthritis. I hope to inspire other providers to go into some of the less popular specialties such as pediatric rheumatology, where there are currently some shortages nation-wide. You won’t have the most straightforward patients,…
The Storm After the Calm: 8 Lessons Learned After A Tumultuous Postpartum Experience With Rheumatoid Arthritis
I was recently honored to share my pregnancy and postpartum journey with the popular and helpful website Autoimmune Mom, and it is now housed on the American Autoimmune and Related Diseases Association site. The full story can be found here. The post details my journey from a relatively tranquil pregnancy to a postpartum “storm” due to my chronic illness issues (including rheumatoid arthritis). It includes three sections after Charlie’s birth: Survival, Mastitis and Flare-Ups (0-3 months) Feeling Like I “Almost Got This,”or Wayward Optimism (4-16 months) The New Normal: Accepting that life/parenting/my health is now in a permanent state of flux (16 months to present). The gist of the post is that therapy…
My Chronic Illness Playlist
Why music? While managing my autoimmune disease rheumatoid arthritis over the last 12 years, I’ve found music to be helpful in a variety of situations. Some songs help me calm down when I’m anxious, other songs allow me to just “be” in a sad moment, and some music inspires me or puts everything in perspective. Not surprisingly, research has shown that listening to music can have many positive effects on one’s mood as well as other aspects of the mind. Research specifically on the use of music in persons with chronic illness have found it to have beneficial effects as well. With that in mind, I’d like to share my personal “chronic illness playlist.” I’ve divided the songs…
10 Years with Rheumatoid Arthritis: What’s the Impact?
I recently realized that I have lived with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for ten years, or roughly a third of my life! In that time I’ve graduated college, traveled to 12 different countries, lived in 3 states, traveled to/through over 15 states, started swing dancing, adopted 2 kittens, earned a Masters degree in occupational therapy, got married, bought a house, and more. I’ve also spent a considerable amount of time and money managing this chronic illness and mitigating it’s effects so I can live with the best quality of life possible. In honor of my diagnosis anniversary, I’d like to share how RA has (and hasn’t) affected my life over the…
Shopping with Arthritis: My favorite pain-reducing shoes
When people find out that I have rheumatoid arthritis (also known as autoimmune arthritis),I’m often asked how I’m able to swing dance and what shoes I find are most comfortable. As part of the blog carnival “Non-medical ways to ease rheumatoid arthritis pain,” I’d like to share some of my favorite shoes that reduce or prevent foot pain. While I’m at it, I’ll also share my favorite professional and casual shoes and some simple gadgets that help those with arthritis put on and take off shoes easier. I hope you find it useful, and hey, now that the holidays are here, you just might find a gift idea for a…