Feeling Adult-ish After My Total Knee Replacement
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Feeling Adult-ish After My Total Knee Replacement

There was a song that was popular when I was in high school called “What’s My Age Again?” by Blink 182. I’ve always related to that question: what IS my age? It’s mostly because of my rheumatoid arthritis. First off, there’s always been an issue with my actual diagnosis: yes, it WAS “juvenile” rheumatoid arthritis, … Continue reading

“What RA Looks Like” – by Healthline
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“What RA Looks Like” – by Healthline

What Rheumatoid Arthritis Looks Like In August, Healthline.com sent a film crew to my home in Pittsburgh. They followed me around for 8 hours to see what a typical day is like for me as a patient with RA. (Of course, we all know that there is no “typical” day. That day, I was able … Continue reading

#RealTalkRA Summit: Pharma, Fun, and Friends
Advocacy / Arthritis / Arthritis Ashley / arthritis awareness / Autoimmune / Awareness / Body Image / chronic illness / Juvenile Arthritis / Personal Stories / RA awareness / rheum awareness / social media / Uncategorized / Wellness

#RealTalkRA Summit: Pharma, Fun, and Friends

  This week, I was invited by Pfizer to attend the 2017 Real Talk Summit in New York City. While they did compensate me for my time and took care of accommodations, I’m going to go ahead and disclaim now that they are NOT paying me for this blog post, and did NOT ask *or* … Continue reading

Get My Book Sick Idiot: On Sale Now!
Arthritis Ashley / Awareness / chronic illness / Entertainment / Juvenile Arthritis / Lupus / Personal Stories / RA awareness / rheum awareness / rheumatoid arthritis awareness / SLE / social media / Types of Arthritis / Wellness

Get My Book Sick Idiot: On Sale Now!

The time has come: Sick Idiot has arrived! You can now order my funny-yet-inspiring nonfiction health memoir, Sick Idiot, in paperback! Chapter titles include: “That Time I Cried On The Pitcher’s Mound and Saw My Grandma’s Doctor” “That Time I Was a Cheerleader … With Arthritis … On A Hit-List” “That Time I Had a … Continue reading

Movie Review: “Cake” Starring Jennifer Aniston As a Patient Living with Chronic Pain
Arthritis Ashley / chronic illness / movie review / RA awareness / rheumatoid arthritis awareness

Movie Review: “Cake” Starring Jennifer Aniston As a Patient Living with Chronic Pain

This past weekend, I was finally able to see the movie, Cake, that’s been garnering all the buzz. I will share my thoughts on the movie … and for those of you who are new to my blog, please remember that I’m sharing this from the perspective of someone with (juvenile) rheumatoid arthritis and sjogrens … Continue reading

Healthline.com: How Does Cold Weather Affect RA? – AND – Could Balancing Gut Bacteria Be The Key to Unlocking RA?
Arthritis / Arthritis Ashley / arthritis blog / Autoimmune / healthline / Juvenile Arthritis / rheum awareness

Healthline.com: How Does Cold Weather Affect RA? – AND – Could Balancing Gut Bacteria Be The Key to Unlocking RA?

Here are two more Healthline articles for ya! Both were enjoyable and interesting to write. The first, discusses, quite simply, cold weather and arthritis. It talks about how cold climates and winter weather can have a negative impact on RA suffers or increase rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. The second talks about gut health and RA. Specifically, it … Continue reading

#BeMoreHuman & Celebrate Everyone’s Fitness Choices and Abilities
Advocacy / Arthritis / Arthritis Ashley / Autoimmune / Awareness / chronic illness / Entertainment / Fibromyalgia / invisible illness

#BeMoreHuman & Celebrate Everyone’s Fitness Choices and Abilities

While I enjoyed the commercial, I joked last night that “Welp, I’m not human,” after seeing Reebok’s #BeMoreHuman Super Bowl commercial. They replied on Twitter by telling me, and I quote: “Not with that attitude.” (As a follow up, it’s worth noting that Reebok also clarified, saying that #BeMoreHuman is about being your Best You, whatever … Continue reading

Get Paid to Help Further Rheumatoid Arthritis & Autoimmune Research
Advocacy / Arthritis / arthritis awareness / arthritis blog / chronic illness / invisible illness / RA awareness / rheum awareness / rheumatoid arthritis awareness

Get Paid to Help Further Rheumatoid Arthritis & Autoimmune Research

Do you have rheumatoid arthritis? Do you want to play a part in helping further RA research? How about this — do you want to be paid for your time AND give back to charity, while you’re at it? With Sanguine, you will be able to donate blood so that researchers can study it to … Continue reading

Advocacy / Arthritis / Arthritis Foundation / Awareness / Uncategorized

Difficult Decisions for Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients – by Ashley Boynes-Shuck

Being a rheumatoid arthritis patient or someone who lives with any chronic illness, really, leads us to sometimes have to make tough decisions that others may not have to face. Some of these decisions may be difficult or disheartening, and, like most life decisions, need to be considered carefully. One major decision that RA (and … Continue reading