If I had to have rheumatoid arthritis, I chose a good time to have it. Today we have more choices for treatments, education on management, advocacy, community, inspiration and medical teams that help us live the best life we can. I am fortunate to be part of a patient advisory group with Arthritis Research Canada.... Continue Reading →
RA Blog Week: Mindfulness and Restorative Moments
Mindfulness is a beautiful way to recharge and be present in the moment. It’s not always easy to achieve, especially when pain gets in the way and medical appointments fill up the spare cracks in our busy lives. There’s always something that needs to be done and never enough time to do it. My moments... Continue Reading →
RA Blog Week: Tips and Tricks and Days Like This
Managing arthritis can sometimes be tricky. Wellness changes from day-to-day and there’s no predicting how we’re going to feel. I can have three glorious days of no pain, and then wake up on the fourth day feeling like a truck ran over me during the night. This is frustrating because it ambushes my plans –... Continue Reading →
RA Blog Week: Medicine and My Spoonful of Sugar
Medications become a part of life with rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory autoimmune conditions. They are meant to control our pain and inflammation and are prescribed by our specialists with the intention of improving our quality of life. Sometimes things don’t go smoothly in our interactions with our doctors, pharmacists and insurance companies. I am... Continue Reading →
One More Dance
“My passions are who I am. They are written into my DNA. They are my sustenance and my lifeline, and no amount of growling from RA is going to stop me from pursuing them. I will always find a way to shape my creative life around chronic illness, whether it’s on the stage or on... Continue Reading →
Along for The Ride
Our partners play a significant role in our lives. They are our family, peers, best friends, lovers and sometimes even rivals. I have been fortunate to share my life with a host of remarkable friends, family and partners. Everyone who is a part of my life, past and present, has contributed something valuable and given... Continue Reading →
Tips and Tricks: Days Like This
Rheumatoid disease is unique to each of us. Managing symptoms from day-to-day can be challenging, but we are fortunate to access a community of shared advice, and we can adopt suggestions from others and mould them into our own strategy. There are many ways I manage - hot bubble baths and rest, massage therapy and... Continue Reading →
Finding The Hummingbird in My Bear
Mental and physical health go hand in hand. Together they equalise the scale that balances our life. Unexpected events can tip the scales pulling our welfare far beneath the fulcrum. Chronic illness is one of many weights that can break the chains supporting our own little world, and it is in these moments when we... Continue Reading →
RA Blog Week 2017
September is a bit of a mystery – it marks both the beginning and ending of cycles. The beginning of school, the beginning of another season, shorter days, longer nights, new colors, cooler mornings and the recurring cycle of back to work. It’s the end of summer vacation, dips in the lake, drinks on the... Continue Reading →
The Best Advice is a Wildcard
I had the pleasure of taking part in an annual RA Blog week set up by one of our dynamic community bloggers, Rick Phillips. Although I only managed one post during the official week, I spent some time mulling over one of the wildcard topics – the best advice I have ever received or the... Continue Reading →