Thursday, January 30, 2014

8 Things Not To Say To Someone Who Has RA

Here is a list of eight things not to say to someone living with rheumatoid arthritis – and some facts you can offer in response if someone says these things to you.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

How To Talk To Your Doctor About Sex

It is easier said than done to bring up the intimate topic of sex with your doctor! But, for the sake of your own health and happiness, as well as the health of your relationship with your partner, it is very important to find the courage to talk with your doctor. 

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

HealClick

I was recently introduced to HealClick, a brand new website that matches chronically ill patients with similar conditions so that they can share relevant treatments and experiences with each other. The site is also working to make sure all this valuable health data is available to researchers (anonymously, of course) instead of wasted. I think there are some really novel ideas at play here!

HealClick is a free site created by patients for patients. It will give you a percentage match to every other member to show you at a glance how similar you are with regards to diagnosis, symptoms, and even treatments. You can ask questions, review treatments, and find support from others in similar situations.

Obviously there are some caveats with a site like this. For one thing, the site is only for patients, which means that no one on the site is actually qualified to offer you medical advice. Anything you learn through the site should of course be checked with your own doctor (which is basically also true about every site on the internet!) I think it is also important to remember that everyone is different, and even patients with the exact same diagnosis won't necessarily have the same experiences. HealClick is also designed to cover a wide array of chronic illnesses. In general, I think that patients with a single, solid diagnosis are probably better off at a site specifically tailored to their condition. For example, if you have RA I think you will probably find more useful resources and patient interactions through RheumatoidArthritis.net and their Facebook page. (Not just because I write for them but because the info on that site is specifically meant to educate and support people living with RA!)

However, for patients who are trying to balance more than one diagnosis or for people who are still struggling to get diagnosed, HealClick may offer an invaluable resource. So I recommend checking it out!

Book Review: “Spiritual Two-By-Fours And Other Wake-Up Calls” By Kimberly Rooney

Kimberly’s book makes some great points about what you can learn by accepting your RA diagnosis. She also provides prompts, or “dance steps,” that may help you through your own personal journey.

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Belize!

I have been totally lax about writing real posts for this blog lately. Between the holidays, writing for Answers.com and RheumatoidArthritis.net, and how I have been feeling lately (which I do promise to post more about soon!) I just haven't had the brain space to come up with anything remotely interesting to say here. It's gotten a little impersonal around here. I know it and I'm sorry!

So! Let me cheat a little and make up for it by posting some pictures from our family's New Year's vacation to Belize! ~;o)






Saturday, January 4, 2014

That Thing No One Talks About

I’m not a sex therapist and I am certainly not an expert on this topic. But I do think it is important to talk about this issue and share whatever resources and support we can to help each other.