Professional patient Archives | Rheumatoid Arthritis Warrior

Systemic Disease with Joint Symptoms

January 26, 2017May 13, 2018 Kelly Young 11 Comments Professional patient, Rheumatoid arthritis complications

Recognizing a systemic disease with joint symptoms Do you ever wrestle with the disease aspect of rheumatoid disease (RD) – a systemic disease with joint symptoms? From what I’ve seen doctors, patients, care givers, and the public all struggle to grasp the systemic nature of the disease. We don’t want to see ourselves as sick, and...Continue reading 11 Comments » Read more

Rheumatoid Disease Thriller: Mystery of the Injured Thumb

October 31, 2015February 15, 2019 Kelly Young 24 Comments Professional patient, Rheumatoid Arthritis symptoms

“Mysterious” experiences like these can be common with rheumatoid disease and I hope you’ll share some of yours in the comments. Now, on to my rheumatoid arthritis thumb... Several months ago I reached out with my right hand to grasp the handle of a rolling suitcase, and my thumb did not grip. I was met with...Continue reading 24 Comments » Read more

Doctor: Posterior Tibial Tendonitis Is “Extremely Common with Rheumatoid”

October 22, 2014May 14, 2018 Kelly Young 36 Comments Professional patient, Rheumatoid Arthritis symptoms

We interrupt our regularly scheduled program for a brief discussion of posterior tibial tendonitis in “Rheumatoid Arthritis” (RA) / Rheumatoid Disease (RD). There is a long list of topics I want to cover, but sometimes the RD itself pushes other things farther down the page. This week, I continued to have problems putting weight on...Continue reading 36 Comments » Read more

Livedo reticularis diagnosis – she knelt next to me with a medical textbook

May 9, 2013May 14, 2018 Kelly Young 23 Comments Professional patient, Rheumatoid Arthritis symptoms, Talking to doctors

See PART 1 to learn more on Livedo reticularis in rheumatoid disease Last week was one of those professional patient weeks, with three doctor’s appointments and a lab visit. “Professional patient” is not something I happily say. It started out in 2009 as a tongue in cheek way to make the most of an annoying phenomenon –...Continue reading 23 Comments » Read more

If the Gloves Come Off, We Might See the Irony of Rheumatoid Disease

December 14, 2012May 14, 2018 Kelly Young 98 Comments Invisible Illness, Professional patient

What if the gloves never come off and no one ever knows. Then you end up with a serious disease that everyone thinks is no big deal; it’s just arthritis. But who wants to take them off? I sure don’t. Professional patient days Today was one of those professional patient days – when you have to spend time...Continue reading 98 Comments » Read more

2 steps forward, 1 step back is not a dance move – It’s just life

October 16, 2012May 14, 2018 Kelly Young 2 Comments Professional patient, Profiles in courage with RA

I’m happy to share NINE new onset stories with you! People write to me all the time about how helpful it is to find these when searching for a diagnosis or trying to understand a new diagnosis. They paint a much more accurate picture than the textbooks have so far. Andrea’s Rheumatoid Arthritis story Amanda N.’s Rheumatoid...Continue reading 2 Comments » Read more

Five Things I’ve Learned about Rheumatoid Arthritis in the Neck

August 21, 2012May 14, 2018 Kelly Young 49 Comments Preventive Care with Rheumatoid Arthritis, Professional patient, Rheumatoid Arthritis spine

I promised to write about what’s going on with my neck. It’s hard to sort out what would help others to know, so I made a list of five things I’ve learned. Sometimes, it’s about sharing our journey too. Here are 5 things I’ve learned about Rheumatoid Arthritis in the neck 1) Do not ignore Rheumatoid Arthritis...Continue reading 49 Comments » Read more

Kim Kardashian, Magazines, & a Trendy Practice that Bugs Me

August 8, 2012May 14, 2018 Kelly Young 27 Comments Humor with RA, Professional patient, Rheum Disease in the Media

One perk of having a blog is that you have a place to blow off steam sometimes. Remember when I got robbed and the thieves found their bliss at Target, who tried to pin the bill on me? I always say RAW is my front porch. Where we can just hang out. Or tell it...Continue reading 27 Comments » Read more

Leaving It All on the Field: Not the Safest Choice But Maybe Best

May 14, 2012May 14, 2018 Kelly Young 12 Comments Living with chronic illness like RA, Patient advocacy, Professional patient

Sightseeing, small steps, and sleep I’ve spent most of the last 3 weeks lying down with ice on my neck, or taking extra meds for the back spasms. The night before the FDA tofacitinib hearing, my back got so bad that I was about 90% certain that I would not be able to attend. My little...Continue reading 12 Comments » Read more

The Confusion of a Smile

April 25, 2012May 15, 2018 Kelly Young 44 Comments Professional patient, Rheum Disease in the Media, Rheumatoid Arthritis awareness

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

Rituxan Decision: Serving Humanity or Taking Care of the Patient (Me)

February 27, 2012May 15, 2018 Kelly Young 116 Comments Professional patient, Rheumatoid Arthritis Clinical Trials, Rituxan for Rheumatoid Arthritis, Unrelenting RA - Persistent disease

This is one of those rare posts about my personal medical journey, a Professional patient post. That’s kind of a warning in case I use the word “I” too many times to be polite. It’s crunch time. No one can decide but me. About a year ago I hit the end of the line with my rheumatology...Continue reading 116 Comments » Read more

Keeper or Loser: I’m Not Giving Up, But What Do You Think?

December 17, 2011May 15, 2018 Kelly Young 141 Comments Professional patient, Talking to doctors

Warning: this is one of those rare personal posts specifically about my life, but I thought it was relevant to share. We have two endearing names for rheumatologists which I’ve coined over the years: rheum doc and The Wizard. Rheumatologists are the doctors who decide not to sneak out Osler’s infamous back door. I always give...Continue reading 141 Comments » Read more

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