Professional patient Archives | Page 5 of 6 | Rheumatoid Arthritis Warrior

Life of a Professional Patient, Blog #5; Little Victories

October 5, 2010May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 32 Comments Patient advocacy, Professional patient, Unrelenting RA - Persistent disease

Lately I wish each day were 3 days long. After a morning of correspondence, blog replies, Algebra, English, and Greek lessons, I went in for my latest back injections. The kids were frustrated because I wouldn’t eat lunch. My stomach was too nervous to eat. Last week, I wrote about the spine procedure I was having done...Continue reading 32 Comments » Read more

Would RA Awareness Make a Difference? The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

September 23, 2010May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 52 Comments Actemra, Professional patient, Rheumatoid Arthritis awareness

My polite warning: this post is about the author. The good I went for my third Actemra IV today. Easy peasy. The head nurse does a great job. No pain. No blood. The first Actemra IV, she told me stories of patients who were helped by Actemra during their first 5 days! It gave me a hope. The...Continue reading 52 Comments » Read more

My First Actemra Treatment

August 10, 2010May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 50 Comments Actemra, Biologics for RA, Professional patient, Unrelenting RA - Persistent disease

Actemra is my fourth Biologic treatment My first Actemra treatment was two weeks ago. I never dreamed I’d be going for my fourth different kind of Biologic treatment. When my first rheum doc said I’d feel much better soon with Humira, I believed it. When the Rheumatoid Arthritis continued to progress, the doc seemed as disappointed...Continue reading 50 Comments » Read more

Another New Rheumatoid Arthritis Drug for Me?

April 30, 2010May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 89 Comments Biologics for RA, Courage & living with RA, Professional patient

Warning: this post is about the author. Decision about a new Rheumatoid Arthritis drug The blog is going up a little late today. I couldn’t write last night no matter how hard I tried to stay awake. A long day on the road and a talk with my doctor about starting a new Rheumatoid Arthritis drug ended...Continue reading 89 Comments » Read more

Rheumatoid Arthritis Medicine and Christmas Cookies

December 16, 2009May 17, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 19 Comments Biologics for RA, Humor with RA, Professional patient

Holiday Plan of a hysterical woman: Wednesday: Get Orencia IV. Experience immediate miracle. Thursday: Go Christmas shopping all day. Friday: Decorate the house & put up the Christmas tree. Stay up all night to make lots of homemade gifts. Saturday: Mail the gifts. Write Christmas cards. Make cookie dough. Sunday: Bake cookies & decorate. Deliver to friends. Monday: Wrap all the...Continue reading 19 Comments » Read more

The Life of a Professional Patient, Blog #4; Continuing to Fight Rheumatoid Arthritis

December 8, 2009May 17, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 35 Comments Biologics for RA, Professional patient, Transparency & living with RA

Obligatory warning: this post is about the author of this blog… The author This is the blog post that I didn’t want to write. For about half of those who read this today, this will be the first time you’ve visited the blog. To you: This is not a typical blog post. This blog is about fighting Rheumatoid...Continue reading 35 Comments » Read more

My RA Methotrexate / Enbrel Test: How Well Do Methotrexate & Enbrel Work on Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis?

November 10, 2009May 17, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 49 Comments Enbrel, Humira, Methotrexate, Professional patient, Space, Unrelenting RA - Persistent disease

My “dangerous” RA research? These last few weeks have provided me with an opportunity to measure the success of methotrexate and Enbrel at treating Rheumatoid Arthritis. Although I was an accidental guinea pig, I have been interested in to learn all I can from this test. How much worse would my Rheumatoid Arthritis symptoms be without...Continue reading 49 Comments » Read more