The Real Rheumatoid Disease Archives | Page 4 of 11 | Rheumatoid Arthritis Warrior

Mind-boggling! – Aftermath of Tofacitinib FDA Hearing Part 2

After the FDA Arthritis Advisory Committee (AAC) hearing earlier this month for Pfizer’s new oral treatment for RA,  tofacitinib, we looked at the four distinct votes of the AAC and some of the ways the media responded to them. They ranged from serious to pitiful to laughable. But there’s more.     3 news bytes that might...Continue reading      14 Comments » Read more

Beginning Our 4th Year! 5 Stunning Things I Learned & My Forecast for the Future

Three years ago today, I typed my first blog post in my back yard on a whim. My daughter had started to blog – what’s to worry about – just do it! Before that, I’d been working on ideas for months. I did have a goal: to build a website where RA patients could find...Continue reading      44 Comments » Read more

The Confusion of a Smile

If you have RA, you’ll probably just nod your head as I share this private experience. If not, you may just scratch you head: huh? It’s all good, right? Well, mostly… I mean, a lot of living with RA is actually hard or disagreeable, but we smile anyway. What are you gonna do, right? I smile a...Continue reading      44 Comments » Read more

Secondary Sjogren’s Syndrome and Rheumatoid Arthritis: a Primary Problem

Sjogren’s syndrome: have you seen the eye doc yet? When I wrote my first RA Warrior post on Sjogren’s syndrome in 2009, I wasn’t sure whether I’d ever be diagnosed with it. But I thought it was important to cover on the blog. I had a fun idea for illustrating the pronunciation of the name so...Continue reading      32 Comments » Read more

5 Reasons Rheumatoid Disease Is a Better Term than Rheumatoid Arthritis

The first blog post of this year told how I’ve come to prefer the term Rheumatoid Disease to Rheumatoid Arthritis. The response?  Within 2 days in Facebook-land, there were 294 Shares, 583 Likes, and 128 comments. There are now 1,000 Likes, 500 re-Tweets, and 80 blog comments. That’s people voting with their mouse: Yes. But as...Continue reading      19 Comments » Read more

It’s Just Pain, Right? No, Dr. No, It’s Not

No, it’s not just pain A letter from a fellow warrior reminded me of something I’ve been wanting to blog about since last summer. Today was technically my last day in the clinical trial. They were supposed to call me to check once more for adverse events because it’s day 210. Everything happens on a certain...Continue reading      26 Comments » Read more

It’s Simple: Who Gets Dactylitis or “Sausage finger”?

Dactylitis and diagnosis A woman I know is an educated patient who has worked hard to make certain she is diagnosed and treated appropriately. Recently, she showed pictures of swollen fingers to her rheumatologist and had her diagnosis changed again. Her doctor explained that the swelling in her photo looked like dactylitis or “sausage finger.” Her new...Continue reading      32 Comments » Read more

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

Crossing the Language Barrier of Pain Scales: #Rheum Blog Carnival

If you either live with or study a rheumatological disease, then you know that pain is a ubiquitous symptom and an essential factor in evaluating disease activity. “Pain is a most important indicator of clinical status in rheumatoid arthritis (RA),” Arthritis and Rheumatism. While pain is the most obvious sign that something is not right,...Continue reading      27 Comments » Read more

We Refuse to Be Mislabeled: Updating Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) to Rheumatoid Disease (RD)

Three years ago, I saw Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patients insisting that the name of the disease needed to be changed. They argued that until the “a” word is removed from the name, confusion about the disease will continue. When asked, I said that we could not wait around for that to happen; let’s work for...Continue reading      100 Comments » Read more

Lipstick & Luck: Feeling Fabulous with Rheumatoid Autoimmune Disease

If we try, will we feel fabulous with Rheumatoid Arthritis? Feeling and looking fabulous with RA sells well, but how much can lipstick help? Most people living with Rheumatoid Arthritis have felt the sting of someone suggesting we don’t need to be as sick if we would only try _____. Hearing this can seem harsh, especially...Continue reading      47 Comments » Read more
“imaware™

    Welcome to RA Warrior!

    Welcome

    Thanks for visiting this unique site full of information and encouragement to fight Rheumatoid Disease. You'll find hope, humor, and a helpful online community. I'm Kelly & I'll be glad to show you around if you'll click right here.

    Advertisement

    View more gifts at Zazzle.

    Let's Pin Together!

Would You Like Free Email Updates?
Stay in touch with RA Warrior.
We respect your privacy. Your email address will never be shared.