Raise awareness about chronic illnesses by understanding their impact, symptoms, and the importance of support and education.
How well you can make a fist or squeeze someone else’s hands could reveal a lot about your own health. If the joints in your hand have recently started aching, it’s natural to worry about why. Are they just over-taxed, or could you be developing progressive autoimmune condition like rheumatoid arthritis (RA)? In 2017, the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) stated that seven factors can help doctors determine which patients with arthralgia — joint pain…
You’ve been experiencing pain in your wrists. At first you might chalk it up sleeping funny, or an overuse injury from your yoga class. But if the pain endures, and depending on the specific mix of your symptoms, you may be wondering whether it could it be carpal tunnel, a form of arthritis, or something else. For some people, however, it’s often not an either-or situation. Having arthritis raises your risk of developing carpal tunnel,…
When you have arthritis, buttoning a shirt or fastening a clasp can be a pain in the butt. So is folding laundry with achy joints, blow drying your hair, or even signing paperwork. But then there’s actual pain that can occur in your buttocks — and it may actually be caused by arthritis. The buttock is a large area, with many different structures within it, explains Claudette Lajam, MD, orthopedic surgeon with NYU Langone in…
Most types of arthritis cause swelling, but the swelling of dactylitis is something else all together. “My fingers feel like they are going to burst,” psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patient Emily Terbrock told us on Facebook. This incredibly painful, red, and hot swelling can cause fingers to look like sausages, giving dactylitis the nickname “sausage fingers.” Dactylitis, though, can be distinguished from regular joint swelling. “Dactylitis is the swelling of an entire digit — finger or…
Learn about how functional disability is often one of the early signs that you can have rheumatoid arthritis. As rheumatoid arthritis (RA) progresses, it can take quite a toll on your quality of life. Joint pain, stiffness, and inflammation worsen, and, in turn, make the normal activities of everyday life — walking around your house, taking a shower, getting dressed in the morning — a lot more challenging. While that might come as no surprise…
When the average person hears the word arthritis, chances are they think of osteoarthritis. Although there are over 100 different kinds of arthritis, osteoarthritis is the most common and well-known. It is largely a mechanical disorder that’s often caused by overuse or normal wear and tear on the joints as people get older. (However, osteoarthritis can occur at any age — the idea that osteoarthritis only affects older adults is a common myth.) Click Here…
Yup, I’m coming out today! Not about my sexuality, but my health. I want to tell everyone that….. I have a chronic illness. I have Fibromyalgia. Maybe you’re thinking, “yeah- ok, so do I –welcome to the club”; or maybe you’re thinking “what in the heck is Fibromyalgia?”. Well, for me to come out and say this -is a very big deal. Especially since I was diagnosed in 2014 (Four years ago!). I have pretty much been…
Fibro–Rash! Is this really a thing you ask? Yes, apparently it is a thing. If you have trouble with any kind of rash all over your body and you have Fibromyalgia, you could also have Fibro-Rash. I just visited my dermatologist because my rheumatologist wanted me to rule out psoriatic arthritis. I have had itchy skin for many years and just thought it was my dry skin. It turns out that it is really folliculitis,…
Grab a cup of coffee or tea and get ready because it is about to get REAL! I have my favorite coffee in my favorite cup and I’m ready to talk about Fibromyalgia and the effects it has on our relationships. My Story On Relationships: I don’t know how many times I have said to family members, “It’s not you, it’s me and I’m sorry for snapping.” This is especially true of my nine-year-old. I…
Most of the time, I would consider myself a private person. I don’t tend to put my personal business out for the entire world to see. However, since my chronic illness has taken my life hostage, I have found the courage to seek support in those around me. Except I’m not quite brave enough to share this with all my co-workers and really, I shouldn’t. Instead, for therapeutic reasons I wrote a list for me…