Living with chronic illness like RA Archives | Page 6 of 14 | Rheumatoid Arthritis Warrior

Living with chronic illness like RA

Why I Hate “Are You Ready for Christmas?”

Kelly O'Neill 13 Comments , ,
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

Groceries, Guilt, and Feeling Old from Rheumatoid Disease

Kelly O'Neill 70 Comments ,
At our family get-togethers, people tell jokes about how we’ll always be “Young.” I stopped telling those jokes a few years ago. And I think I just figured out why. Rheumatoid disease makes me feel old. It’s not the wrinkled brow from unspoken pain. Or the pale spotty skin in place of my former perpetual tan. Or...Continue reading      70 Comments » Read more

Mascara, Antibodies, and Soup: All I Know about a Disease

Kelly O'Neill 39 Comments , ,
I always thought living off fresh smoothies and homemade soup along with regular exercise would keep me strong. And surely working hard and caring for others makes one too busy for chronic illness. All I know is that I woke up one morning and my toes were pointing out in odd directions because the joints were...Continue reading      39 Comments » Read more

Accessing a “Controlled” Medication (Carisoprodol) – a Pain in the Neck

Kelly O'Neill 59 Comments ,
One of the most insidious barriers to proper treatment of Rheumatoid Disease, and other painful diseases, is something that has become a touchy topic and a political hot potato: the controlled status of various medicines to treat disease symptoms. For the past few years, I’ve encouraged patients to recognize and consider options for both disease...Continue reading      59 Comments » Read more

5 Tricky Questions about Rheumatoid Arthritis / Disease

Kelly O'Neill 45 Comments ,
Five tricky questions I’m asked about Rheumatoid Arthritis with the shortest answers I can muster. What tricky question do people ask you about RA? And how do you answer? 1) Can I quit taking my Rheumatoid Arthritis medication now that I feel better? No. Unfortunately, Rheumatoid Arthritis is not like the kinds of cancer that can be...Continue reading      45 Comments » Read more

Johnson & Johnson RA Warrior YouTube Video

Kelly O'Neill 35 Comments ,
Inside story of a new YouTube video about RA Warrior A few weeks ago, a Johnson & Johnson video team visited our house. See my sons spoofing with the big video camera? The things that captivate teenagers, right? Anyway, it was hard to explain to the Johnson & Johnson folks why it was difficult to have visitors...Continue reading      35 Comments » Read more

Why say a patient #FAILS treatment when RA treatments fail patients?

Kelly O'Neill 39 Comments ,
RA patients are brave and optimistic, as I’ve said. I’ve never been around such a hopeful, resilient crowd. We continually adjust because the disease is progressive and persistent. And we repeatedly hope for the best because there is always one more treatment or therapy to try. Rolling with the punches gracefully becomes sport for us. We...Continue reading      39 Comments » Read more
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