I’ll admit it. I, like many of you, have, at times, grown weary of hearing, “You need to exercise. You need to eat well. You need to think positive thoughts. Sleep is important. You can’t give up,” and so on. But, I recently had a lot of health crises that led me to have a … Continue reading
Support groups are a great way to cope with illness or disability. In today’s world, online support groups and social networks are a great way to belong to a health community where you can interact with others who “get” what you are going through. Twitter, Facebook, blogs, and even Pinterest offer patients the chance to … Continue reading
Many of us who live with chronic illness – especially rheumatic and autoimmune illnesses, or conditions that cause chronic pain – can get frustrated at our body at times for seemingly working against us. However, there are other body issues that can come along with being chronically ill. Many medications cause appearance-related side effects: skin … Continue reading
Most of us are aware that there is a heightened risk for cancer if diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis or other autoimmune diseases, because many of them “act” similarly at the cellular level. Additionally, certain medications may put RA patients at higher risk — but these same medications can ironically be used to treat cancer. “RA … Continue reading
Everyone is vulnerable to unexpected attacks or assault. Random acts of violence are committed all the time in our world, unfortunately, and so are home invasions and physical altercations. If we’re lucky, we’ll avoid these kinds of situations. However, it helps to be prepared in case of emergency. Are you a woman? Are you … Continue reading
January 3rd, 2012 – I have not done one of my more personal Ashley’s Health Diary posts in a while, because I realized that it was more important for me to educate about rheumatic conditions than to talk about my own story. However, I do realize that as a patient advocate, that sharing my story … Continue reading
Of course, being inactive cannot cause autoimmune forms of arthritis or rheumatic diseases. However, it can exacerbate symptoms and can also contribute to the onset of osteoarthritis, also known as OA, as many studies have shown. OA is the “wear-and-tear” form of arthritis, often caused by old sports injuries or just aging in general. Exercise … Continue reading
I am not ugly. But, sometimes being sick makes me feel like I am. Believe it or not, rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune conditions can certainly age you; all the while “stealing your pretty.” I used to get mad about it, and now I just learn to adapt. There are so many ways to still … Continue reading
When I was in graduate school, I took one psychology course that was oriented towards special education. One important thing that I took away from it was that we should always use, “people-first” language. At the time, I only thought of it in the realm of dealing with children with special needs, but, now, I … Continue reading
Parenting is a difficult task for anyone, but particularly of those with chronic illness or a disability. How can you care for your children when there are days that you can barely care for yourself? I don’t have kids of my own but I posed the question to the arthritis community on Facebook and Twitter, … Continue reading
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