Over the last two weeks, I haven’t been able to write very much because of 2 roadblocks:
Do you have RA in your shoulder?
Lately, I’ve just cried and lay with heat or ice on mine. Some days, I couldn’t lift it forward from my side even an inch, no matter how hard I tried. At least this...Continue reading 41 Comments »
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Joint Effort of Rheum Patients Will Outshine Progressing RA
Tonight I heard one of the countless diabetes ads. “Are you still using a violent syringe? Buy our flexpen syringe...” Huh? They said it again, only this time I realized it was “vial and syringe.” Funny how we can hear things in a certain way – like the word progress, which can be pronounced two...Continue reading 21 Comments »
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Without e-Patient Input, an ER Experience Can Be Empty
Things that patients know about their health and the wealth of information they find online make input from patients valuable and meaningful. These patients are called e-patients.
An e-patient acronym:
Expand Participation by Allowing The Input of Evidence Not in Textbooks
Hopefully, you didn’t miss the exciting news for rheumatology e-patients acknowledging that by “pooling our knowledge and...Continue reading 52 Comments »
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Positive Signs for Rheum Patient Activism
Seeing is believing: rheum patient activism
Last Friday, a meeting of the Emirates Society for Rheumatology (ESR) in Abu Dhabi heard a presentation from Katrina Thornley who has had Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA) for 27 years (since age 2). Dr. Mustafa Al Maini, President of the ESR, comparable to our ACR (American College of Rheumatology), called...Continue reading 4 Comments »
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Rheumatoid Arthritis Swelling, Take Two
Rheumatoid Arthritis Swelling (UPDATED 2016)
In honor of the blog’s 2nd birthday, let’s consider some issues that have been significant over the last two years. Today we’ll consider Rheumatoid Arthritis swelling. This may be blunt. More like a frying pan than a sword.
Talking turkey on Rheumatoid Arthritis swelling
A couple of years ago my kind-but-clueless-what-to-do-next (her word)...Continue reading 152 Comments »
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The Appointment with Doctor Perv
I wish this RA really were a lie.
What kind of mother would fake not being able to put on her child’s socks?
What kind of mother would make her children cook dinner, wash the dishes and clean the house so she could live out her dream of feigning illness?
Certainly not the same mother who carried the...Continue reading 144 Comments »
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Elephant Jokes for a Happy Two Year Birthday RA Warrior
One reason I love elephants is they remind me of my goal: To become extremely old and gray and much wrinkled, like a good elephant. As you read this, I’m hopefully finding a rheumatologist to help me do that.
Elephant jokes to celebrate.
Why don’t African elephants like to play cards?
Because of all the cheetahs.
It wasn’t much...Continue reading 17 Comments »
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Our RA Onset Stories Matter
8 New RA onset stories
We’ve just added eight more stories to our RA onset story pages. Even with all of the stories and emails that I’ve read from people with RA, several hundred I’m sure, these new ones affected me. I laughed, cried, nodded knowingly, and was even surprised a few times by something new.
Some...Continue reading 5 Comments »
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Using CRP in Criteria for Rheumatoid Arthritis Clinical Trials
To people with an incurable disease, clinical trials signify the possibility of a cure. Perhaps my suffering will end one day. Someone is looking for answers. Someday my prince will come.
Research matters to patients
Most patients I know read with interest headlines about their disease.
They trust medications that have been recommended to them because of effectiveness...Continue reading 47 Comments »
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3 Reasons Why the Public Image of RA Is So Rosy
As a commenter pointed out on yesterday’s blog, some studies claim that 50% of RA patients go into remission if they are treated correctly. But we don’t see 50% remission when dealing with thousands of patients over the last couple of years. Lots of things we see don’t harmonize with facts we’re told about RA....Continue reading 93 Comments »
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I Fight My Pain and Blog
My daughter Mary Khris texted me from a tennis tournament a couple weeks ago. She said, “Momma, this is worse than Woman’s Day.” She texted me this image and read aloud to me the article which had upset her. She ended, “It sounds like it was her mom’s fault. RA is not anyone’s fault.”
It was...Continue reading 82 Comments »
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Surprise… Happy Mother’s Day!
Today the blog is hijacked!
Just kidding! This is Katie Beth, Kelly’s daughter. We, meaning my sister and brothers and I, thought this post would be a fun surprise for our mom.
Mary Khris: We love you Momma! You always give your all and you never give up. Your hard work and positive attitude has been...Continue reading 29 Comments »
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