Communicating about RA Archives | Page 4 of 7 | Rheumatoid Arthritis Warrior

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

“Fine Thanks, and You?” and 5 More Stupid Things I Say

August 17, 2011May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 68 Comments Communicating about RA, Humor with RA, Pain Tolerance / RA Stoicism

1) “Do you want your rubber duck?” The favorite rubber duck has a squeaker which lets water in. Squeezing the water out of that duck brings severe hand pain. Not quite as much as the softer Thomas squeaker toys. (And water also hides in the duck so it has to be squeezed for two days.) 2) “I...Continue reading 68 Comments » Read more

Patient’s Rebuttal to RA Pain Catastrophizing Claims

February 11, 2011May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 44 Comments Communicating about RA, History of Rheumatoid Arthritis, Pain Tolerance / RA Stoicism, Rheumatoid arthritis pain

Part of me would like to back down. But this pain won’t let me. Is it ironic that I encounter the most cruel RA pain in years at the same time I encounter this argument again about RA pain, catastrophizing, and depression? Relating pain, catastrophizing, and depression to RA Ironically, an article called “Pain, catastrophizing, and...Continue reading 44 Comments » Read more

RA Warrior Year in Review 2010

December 29, 2010May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 15 Comments Communicating about RA, Professional patient, Video or podcast

Where did 2010 go? I’m not sure. But apparently I spent a lot of it with y’all! I spent the last week looking at the road we traveled over the last year on the blog. I researched to find the most popular posts for reading or discussion and tried to remember what I was thinking at...Continue reading 15 Comments » Read more

The Rheumatoid Arthritis Commercial Saga

November 29, 2010May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 23 Comments Communicating about RA, Rheumatoid Arthritis commercials

Rheumatoid Arthritis commercials make me sigh I have some pretty weird reactions to the Rheumatoid Arthritis commercials I see. My family is subjected to my peculiar breathing and strange facial expressions. One of my first blogs was about the “baloney” most of the Rheumatoid Arthritis commercials were serving up last year. It’s kind of obvious “they” (pharmaceutical...Continue reading 23 Comments » Read more

“Dealing with RA Is So Much Easier than Lupus” –Kathy Lubbers

October 14, 2010May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 107 Comments Celebrities and Rheumatoid Arthritis, Communicating about RA, Rheum Disease in the Media, Rheumatoid Arthritis awareness

What causes the RA awareness problem? Every day, people ask me, “What can I do to help create awareness for RA?” Many suggest, “We need to find a famous person with RA.” Maybe first, we need to think about why we need awareness for RA. Why do people have such a wrong view of Rheumatoid Arthritis?...Continue reading 107 Comments » Read more

What Can We Do About the Rheumatoid Arthritis Awareness Problem?

September 30, 2010May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 63 Comments Communicating about RA, Rheumatoid Arthritis awareness

Why do I believe we need Rheumatoid Arthritis Awareness? When I got full blown Rheumatoid Arthritis, I had no idea I’d gotten stuck with an unpopular disease. It was a surprise when one person after another brushed aside my explanation with things like, “You are too young to have that” or “Oh yeah, I have that...Continue reading 63 Comments » Read more