2009 | Page 13 of 25 | Rheumatoid Arthritis Warrior

Some Answers for Rheumatoid Arthritis Just Bring More Questions

September 1, 2009May 17, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 29 Comments Empathy and RA, Humor with RA

If stress weakens my immune system, why doesn’t that cure me? And other weird questions about RA no one will answer… Many people advise me to avoid stress since it can weaken the immune system. I’m sorry, but there’s just something funny about that. I’ve been sort of afraid to ask, but don’t I WANT my immune system...Continue reading 29 Comments » Read more

Working and Rheumatoid Arthritis

August 31, 2009May 17, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 106 Comments Living with chronic illness like RA, Rheumatoid arthritis disability, Video or podcast

Working and RA: Rheumatoid Arthritis is a thief. It steals so much from our lives. Very often that includes the ability to make a living. There are ripples out from this one issue into every other area of life. Here’s a short list I bet you could add to. Self-respect Standard of living Health coverage Relationships Loss of your productivity to family,...Continue reading 106 Comments » Read more

Woman’s Day Reply to Rheumatoid Arthritis Comments

August 28, 2009May 17, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 17 Comments Communicating about RA, Invisible Illness, Rheum Disease in the Media, Rheumatoid Arthritis awareness, Woman's Day problem

Many have been asking about me Woman’s Day magazine’s RA article... Here’s what happened. On July 15, I gave my sincere response to a one page article in Woman’s Day on Rheumatoid Arthritis. Many of you responded to the online version of that same article with comments that were intelligent and straightforward. Some of those comments were...Continue reading 17 Comments » Read more

Blood Tests for Rheumatoid Arthritis, part 2

August 27, 2009May 17, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 79 Comments Blood test for RA/ Rheumatoid Disease, CRP, Measuring rheumatoid disease activity, Rheumatoid Arthritis diagnosis

Many people with active RA have “normal” test results In my last post, I posed the question: Is There a Blood Test for Rheumatoid Arthritis? I told you that the answer is yes – and no. I went on to describe the “yes” by summarizing four principal blood tests used in diagnosing Rheumatoid Arthritis. Now it...Continue reading 79 Comments » Read more

Is there a blood test for Rheumatoid Arthritis? Part 1

August 25, 2009May 17, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 38 Comments Blood test for RA/ Rheumatoid Disease, CRP, Research on Rheumatoid Arthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis diagnosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis test

Yes and no. There are at least four. But, actually, there is none. Allow me to explain… Do the Rheumatoid Arthritis tests pass the tests? What are the tests? 1) Rheumatoid Factor (RF) For the last few decades, Rheumatologists have relied heavily enough upon the Rheumatoid factor test that it is part of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR)...Continue reading 38 Comments » Read more

The Truth About Rheumatoid Arthritis Info Will Be Told!

August 25, 2009May 17, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 17 Comments Exercise with RA, Rheum Disease in the Media

Here's the story: I got some good news this week that I know will make you smile, too. Let me back up a bit. A few weeks back, the company which markets Remicade put up a new website about Rheumatoid Arthritis. It is a video series presented in a “talk show” format. It is highly polished and...Continue reading 17 Comments » Read more

rheumatoid arthritis patients exercise tennis

Should Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Exercise, Part 2

August 24, 2009May 17, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 35 Comments Exercise with RA, Joint protection for Rheumatoid arthritis, Rheumatoid arthritis disability

Should Rheumatoid Arthritis patients exercise or not? There was a bit of a backlash to the Part 1 blog post to this series on exercise and Rheumatoid Arthritis. A few people even unsubscribed. But, staying out of trouble is not a goal of this blog. Truth-telling is. Specifically, what I have challenged is the kneejerk “Use it...Continue reading 35 Comments » Read more