Professional patient Archives | Page 2 of 6 | Rheumatoid Arthritis Warrior

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

August 8, 2012May 14, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 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 O'Neill 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 O'Neill 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 O'Neill 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 O'Neill 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

The Mouse in My Pocket: We Are Not All Alone

November 30, 2011May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 31 Comments Inspiration for living with RA, Professional patient

RA can be Isolating. Even with loved ones, we might feel lonely because they don’t know what we’re going through. Our friends can’t visualize the ice-pick that’s stabbing us or appreciate what it’s like to move around in cookie dough all the time. Being alone is not all bad, but feeling cut-off sucks Being alone can be...Continue reading 31 Comments » Read more

Can We Find Similarities with Rheumatoid Arthritis?

September 9, 2011May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 53 Comments Communicating about RA, Professional patient

Very often with Rheumatoid Arthritis, we emphasize our differences. It helps the newly diagnosed to get over the shock of living with a new symptom every day. It helps explain a fickle disease that is quite unreasonable and undemocratic in its attacks. But what about our similarities? Common threads and similarities in Rheumatoid Arthritis As Bob...Continue reading 53 Comments » Read more