Kelly O'Neill, Author at Rheumatoid Arthritis Warrior | Page 43 of 118

What’s the Big Deal about Rheumatoid Disease?

Just how big of a deal is this disease? I suppose the fact that I’ve written several hundred pages about it is a clue to my opinion. Yet, most of those articles were written with intentional restraint, avoiding hyperbole, at times even understating my own symptoms in an attempt to be more judicious. Many view Rheumatoid...Continue reading 37 Comments » Read more

Letting Fumbles Strengthen the Heart

February 9, 2012May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 28 Comments Inspiration for living with RA, Living with chronic illness like RA, Profiles in courage with RA

Like most people, I was always proud of what I could juggle and how many balls I could keep in the air at once, while making it look easy. Most of us also know that living with Rheumatoid disease changes that. One by one, I’ve had to put down things I’d rather have continued. I remember...Continue reading 28 Comments » Read more

The Immune Fingerprint and Rheumatoid Disease

February 4, 2012May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 26 Comments Autoimmune diseases, Research on Rheumatoid Arthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis symptoms

I’ve made up another term because I haven’t heard of anything suitable: “immune fingerprint.” It occurred to me that while we talk about how the disease Rheumatoid Arthritis (or Rheumatoid Autoimmune Disease) affects us, one key to understanding disease activity may be considering how we affect the disease. If a disease disrupts the immune system, causing...Continue reading 26 Comments » Read more

10 Reasons We Might Want a Musculoskeletal Ultrasound (MSUS) of a Joint

February 2, 2012May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 24 Comments Measuring rheumatoid disease activity, musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS), Rheumatoid Arthritis test

Back in 2009, dozens of phone calls revealed no one in our area who could perform a musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS). Today, worried about my son, I made calls again to orthopedists and hospitals. When I called the top medical centers in our region, I found one ultrasound technologist who had heard of MSUS and she...Continue reading 24 Comments » Read more

You’re Cordially Invited to Make SWEET MEMORIES with Other Warriors & Friends! [video]

January 31, 2012May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 13 Comments Encouragement for living with RA, Rheumatoid arthritis support, Video or podcast

Our friends at Arthritis Introspective (AI) do so much practical work to help people living with diseases like RA (and adult JRA) to connect for in-person support. Many of the groups listed on our own Local Rheumatoid Arthritis Support page are affiliated with AI, who assists local support groups in various ways. It has been...Continue reading 13 Comments » Read more

Are Biosimilars Justice in Competition for Biologics Like Enbrel?

January 30, 2012May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 13 Comments Biologics for RA, Biosimilars, Rheumatoid arthritis treatment

The FDA definition of biosimilars and a pathway to approval Biosimilars are pharmaceuticals that are similar to biologics such as Enbrel and Humira, but not chemically identical as with generic drugs. If the unique molecules used to create a biologic (from living proteins) such as Enbrel are not cloned, but carefully imitated, they are considered “biosimilar.”...Continue reading 13 Comments » Read more

Trust and Transparency with Disease Activity, Decisions, and Doctors

January 25, 2012May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 23 Comments Guest post on RA Warrior, Transparency & living with RA

I know you’ll love this guest post from Dana as we see the collision of her experience with the disease, the measurement of disease activity by her rheumatologist, and the decision to change treatments. She conveys so well the process of making decisions about disease management. This is the whole reason we want to be...Continue reading 23 Comments » Read more