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Poles – Strolls and a Give Away – Oh MY !!!
Note: I may receive compensation for writing this or a similar blog; however, In this case I have not received payment beyond the poles I am giving away. When I say I purchased, no compensation or free product was received. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be helpful for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” I purchased a...
read moreThe legacy of the breakthrough – Type 1 diabetes and the insulin pump
This blog has been entered in the Patients Have Power Writing Contest run by Clara Health, designed to raise awareness about clinical trials. I am passionate about this cause and hope it will help raise much-needed awareness about the power of breakthrough research and innovative treatment methods. Every day I look at my insulin pump no less than 100 times. But no matter how many times I look at it, I still think of my mother. I think about the life-changing clinical trial she participated in some fifty years ago. The story of how my...
read moreDo You Have the Bad Kind of Diabetes and Arthritis?
I hate the question. It comes to me in different forms these days, and I bristle each time I hear it. The question refers to what kind of arthritis or diabetes I have. Do I have the bad kind? Well, do you know a good kind of diabetes or arthritis to have? To read the rest of this post. Check out the original on...
read moreSticky Buttons
I have a sticky button. I have lots of sticky buttons in my life. Of course, because of RA, I also have fat fingers. The problem is that I need my sticky buttons to work well. The button that bothers me this morning is on my insulin pump. Now let me say right off: there is nothing wrong with the pump or the button. I blame the pump, but it is my fingers that are having difficulty working the pump today. Living with diabetes and RA When people ask me what is frustrating about living with diabetes and RA, they do not understand that sometimes,...
read moreBeing Whole With Ankylosing Spondylitis
I have to admit that I rarely feel whole. I know my body is physically whole; in fact, I am in better health today than I was twenty years ago. In the past ten years, I lost 160 pounds, and I have more stamina and more good days than I have had since I was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). My joints are still swollen, and my hands still hurt. I sleep oddly if at all, and each day seems like a struggle. It is not that I cannot do those things. I can play with the grandchildren, I can pedal my bicycle, I...
read moreClinical Trials: The Good and Bad News
Did you know that there are over 50 open investigations into the causes, history, treatment, and progression of ankylosing spondylitis? Here is more good news: many of these studies are seeking volunteers to participate. Now for the bad news: you likely cannot participate. You’re probably thinking, “Wait! Why not?” The truth is that unless you happen to be in a large metropolitan area, usually on the East or West Coast of the United States, live in Toronto or Quebec, or one of a few European capitals, you have a very low likelihood of being...
read moreKyphosis and My Spinal Surgery Part 2: Scheduling
Sheryl (my wife) and I met with the surgeon, and we have decided to move ahead with the surgery to correct the kyphosis that I have previously written about. The facts of the situation are fairly straight forward. If all goes well, I will have surgery on March 5. I started the prep work with a doppler check of my carotid artery, and the doctor has requested cardiac, neurology, endocrinology and rheumatology clearance. The scheduled surgery was set to accommodate the infusion schedule and the operating room is booked. See the...
read moreKyphosis and My Spinal Surgery: Part 1
I have kyphosis. I have known of this since last spring. I know you are probably asking what kyphosis is. I asked that question last spring. I had never heard of it and when I was referred to a specialty surgeon, I was worried. A bend in my spine Kyphosis is an unnatural bend in my spine. In my case, it is in my upper spine and it causes me to bend forever forward. But of course, if it were just forward, that would be bad, but maybe not terrible. As we know about the back, it is rarely that easy. It’s painful In my case, the forward lean has...
read moreRDBlog Week Day 5 – Everything Else
Today is Day three of RDBlog week. The annual time when those of us who blog in the Rheumatic Diseases space blog about our condition. Today’s prompt is: Everything else – Is there something we missed in this year’s prompts? This wildcard is your place to add it in. Not everything made our list so be adventurous and take us in a new direction. Sometimes the everything wildcard is the seed of a new prompt for next year so let your mind roam and see where it goes. Maybe mindfulness is on your mind? Or perhaps you have a funny...
read moreRDBlog week day 4 – Community
Today is Day four of RDBlog week. The annual time when those of us who blog in the Rheumatic Diseases space blog about our condition. Today’s prompt is: Community – Our community is often hard on each other, even going as far as accusing others of not having RA when they can physically do more than others. How can we educate our own community on RA and how it affects each one of us differently. The person (I do not know who it was) has likely heard these accusatory remarks. I know this because I have also heard them. They are never about...
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