Communication and Inspiration Archives | Page 10 of 20 | Rheumatoid Arthritis Warrior

Letting Fumbles Strengthen the Heart

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 Mouse in My Pocket: We Are Not All Alone

November 30, 2011May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 31 Comments Inspiration for living with RA, Professional patient

RA can be Isolating. Even with loved ones, we might feel lonely because they don’t know what we’re going through. Our friends can’t visualize the ice-pick that’s stabbing us or appreciate what it’s like to move around in cookie dough all the time. Being alone is not all bad, but feeling cut-off sucks Being alone can be...Continue reading 31 Comments » Read more

Is That Your Final Answer? …or Replying to Misconceptions

October 28, 2011May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 98 Comments Communicating about RA, Humor with RA, Talking to doctors

A day filled with misconceptions about Rheumatoid Arthritis / Disease I wrote this post weeks ago when it had just happened. I imagined responses that to misconceptions about rheumatoid arthritis are usually held back in polite conversation. Am I the only one who does that? What if it were a game show… It was a day filled...Continue reading 98 Comments » Read more

Dear Healthcare Facility: We Love This But We Hate That

October 21, 2011May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 26 Comments Humor with RA, Talking to doctors

None of us love a needle stick, but some technicians do it so well, you can hardly feel it. Last week, a woman took several vials of blood without even asking me to squeeze a damn rubber ball. It was the first time a nurse remembered I have RA and adjusted her procedure! Thank you!...Continue reading 26 Comments » Read more

The Path of Mercy in Medicine: A Tale of Two Doctors

September 28, 2011May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 12 Comments e-patient, Patient advocacy, Talking to doctors

Physicians enjoy a unique position in our society with unique opportunities to make a difference in others’ lives. With that powerful role, they can choose between a path of mercy and a path of nonchalance. They can be a tool in the hands of God or they can just be a tool. There was the woman...Continue reading 12 Comments » Read more

Will Venus Williams’ Sjögren’s Syndrome Help RA?

September 2, 2011May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 29 Comments Celebrities and Rheumatoid Arthritis, Communicating about RA, Sjogren's syndrome

We had an interesting conversation on Facebook yesterday about the Venus Williams' Sjögren’s syndrome diagnosis (actually 5 of them by day’s end). Some were wondering whether the diagnosis of another famous person with an autoimmune (AI) disease will help bring awareness for RA. Probably not. Why not? Celebrities have been diagnosed with RA (and PsA) and...Continue reading 29 Comments » Read more

Do Doctors Need to Love Patients?

August 29, 2011May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 20 Comments America, Inspiration for living with RA, Talking to doctors

The most admired leaders of our country have been the ones who trusted us, valued us, and actually loved us. President Reagan called America a “shining city upon a hill,” a biblical reference to the country’s position of service to the world; and in his final goodbye letter he reminded us that it is still...Continue reading 20 Comments » Read more