Transparency & living with RA Archives | Rheumatoid Arthritis Warrior

Juggling Life and a Chronic Disease Like Rheumatoid

January 13, 2014October 5, 2019 Kelly O'Neill 25 Comments Living with chronic illness like RA, Transparency & living with RA, Unrelenting RA - Persistent disease

Usually when someone hears I have five children, they ask, “How?!” My answer is always the same: “One at a time.” They span about 15 years – it’s not like there were five toddlers at once. Actually, there was never more than one in diapers at a time – so my mom had it much...Continue reading 25 Comments » Read more

Trust and Transparency with Disease Activity, Decisions, and Doctors

January 25, 2012May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 23 Comments Guest post on RA Warrior, Transparency & living with RA

I know you’ll love this guest post from Dana as we see the collision of her experience with the disease, the measurement of disease activity by her rheumatologist, and the decision to change treatments. She conveys so well the process of making decisions about disease management. This is the whole reason we want to be...Continue reading 23 Comments » Read more

The Tug of War of RA Awareness: Privacy of Pain & Agony of Disclosure

March 23, 2011May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 60 Comments Celebrities and Rheumatoid Arthritis, Pain Tolerance / RA Stoicism, Patient advocacy, Rheumatoid Arthritis awareness, Transparency & living with RA

This week’s post on Rosalind Russell raised some important questions. A comment by Ronda was highly critical of Russell for the way that she hid from the public the severity of her suffering due to Rheumatoid Arthritis. How can we raise awareness if we hide how bad it is? It’s a good question. Rosalind Russell was...Continue reading 60 Comments » Read more

Easier Said Than Done: Simple Things That Seem Impossible

March 19, 2011May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 68 Comments Humor with RA, Rheumatoid arthritis disability, Transparency & living with RA

Does anyone ever make a suggestion that they think sounds so easy? The idea is simple, but the reality is more complicated. Sometimes even I imagine it will be easy, until it’s time to do it. Things people suggest for me to do that I find difficult. My brutally honest list. Call your insurance company. I sit...Continue reading 68 Comments » Read more

The Isolation of RA Pain: Short Poem Video

March 16, 2011May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 12 Comments Guest post on RA Warrior, Rheumatoid arthritis pain, Transparency & living with RA, Video or podcast

Most people with RA talk about how difficult it is to explain RA pain to others. It’s frustrating to be repeatedly told that it isn’t or shouldn’t be so bad. Just today, a woman I met couldn’t wait to tell me about her friend with RA who’s able to do so much more than I...Continue reading 12 Comments » Read more

My Birthday Cards to Make You Smile

February 21, 2011May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 28 Comments Humor with RA, Patience & living with RA, Transparency & living with RA

By the time I go to sleep it will be my birthday. It is a strange occasion. Just about five years ago, my whole life changed when occasional RA flares became a full-blown disease. Like many of you: not very many people in my life knew what Rheumatoid Arthritis is. Most of them still don’t. I’ve tried...Continue reading 28 Comments » Read more

Stages of Rheumatoid Arthritis Heartache

March 9, 2010May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 207 Comments Courage & living with RA, Emotions and Rheumatoid Arthritis, Invisible Illness, Pain Tolerance / RA Stoicism, Transparency & living with RA

Warning: This post is for the faint of heart. Tired of the stages of Rheumatoid Arthritis grieving Yeah, I’m probably not supposed to say these things. Whatever… Some of these RA changes are wearing thin. I never wanted to be branded by anything negative. I’m getting tired of feeling like I’ve lost credibility because of the chronic illness...Continue reading 207 Comments » Read more