Living with RA / Managing RA Archives | Page 7 of 21 | Rheumatoid Arthritis Warrior

When Our Strength Works Against Us

March 20, 2013May 14, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 44 Comments Empathy and RA, Pain Tolerance / RA Stoicism

Last month, I called your attention to an article that truthfully presented the reality of Rheumatoid Disease, asking you to thank the site – and many of you commented there. One exchange reminded me of many I’ve seen over the years. Carly made a tricky point that seems like a catch-22 (no-win situation). Norma’s response...Continue reading 44 Comments » Read more

How Do You Keep the Disease from Taking Over?

March 18, 2013May 14, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 68 Comments Blog carnival, Encouragement for living with RA

Last month, I wrote about the Pursuit of Happyness, with Rheumatoid disease – I love how Chris Gardner (Will Smith) sincerely perseveres through increasing adversities until he reaches the part of his life called “happiness.” How do you pursue your life and your goals when Rheumatoid disease just doesn’t play fair? It can be relentless....Continue reading 68 Comments » Read more

Thoughts about Schedules & How Evil Tongs & Barstools Are

February 22, 2013April 20, 2019 Kelly O'Neill 40 Comments Living with chronic illness like RA

Sometimes there’s a weird reason it seems impossible to write – I have too much to write about and I don’t know where to start. There are lists of topics I want to write about and dozens of articles begun that I haven’t finished. Today I want to write about how evil tongs and barstools...Continue reading 40 Comments » Read more

The Pursuit of Happyness When Part of Your Life Is Called Rheumatoid Arthritis

February 1, 2013May 14, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 26 Comments Courage & living with RA, Emotions and Rheumatoid Arthritis, Movie review

Waiting to start a new treatment, the past few weeks, I’ve had a crazy idea. If the treatment works, I might “forget” how it was. So maybe I should do something I’ve never done: take an inventory. A couple years ago, a patient commented that she does a brief inventory of her joints with her...Continue reading 26 Comments » Read more

Sensational Headlines on Rheumatoid Arthritis & Exercise, Round 6

January 18, 2013May 14, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 87 Comments Cost of activity - usage principle, Exercise with RA, Research on Rheumatoid Arthritis

I got an email recently from a rheumatology magazine with a sensational headline about “exercise and Rheumatoid Arthritis.” The article linked to is a year old, but some of our doctors read these emails. And the public also gets confused by ridiculous headlines like “Nearly Half of RA Patients Are Sedentary. Here's Why.” So, we’ll...Continue reading 87 Comments » Read more

Why I Hate “Are You Ready for Christmas?”

December 26, 2012May 14, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 13 Comments Doing Projects with RA, Faith, Living with chronic illness like RA

Well, I don’t really hate it, but “Why I’m uncomfortable with the question ‘Are you ready for Christmas?’” is too long for a blog title. The Twelve Days of Christmas begin on Christmas. Sometimes people say Jewish families are lucky to celebrate Hanukkah over eight days. Isn’t that better than a month of rushing around terminating...Continue reading 13 Comments » Read more

Ideas for Relieving Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain

December 21, 2012May 14, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 45 Comments Blog carnival, Tips for living with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Please enjoy the blog carnival on Relieving Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain and list your favorite non-medical pain reliever in the comments box! As promised, this picture is my entry for the blog carnival! My mom recently sent me this laptop stand with mini shelves to hold a tablet or a cup of hot tea. This should make...Continue reading 45 Comments » Read more