The Girl With Arthritis

 I was pleasantly surprised by how different physical therapy is now, and I am grateful for what I have learned so far. I first started physical therapy (PT) for my juvenile-onset psoriatic arthritis (PsA) when I was around twelve, and even back then, I had mixed feelings about it. Every week, my mum loaded me into the car and brought me to a local physical therapy clinic for an hour. I remember going for months, doing the same exercises over and over, and never getting past a certain point. Even when I switched clinics, much stayed the same. While I was positive about it at first, it quickly became a chore. I don’t want to imply I had a bad experience, but I didn’t feel like it benefited me. Read the full article at Bezzy PsA

Reflecting on my education and early career made me realize how my goals have changed. For the sake of my health, I had to adapt to a more flexible career path. Having been diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in childhood, it affected many of my milestones. As a kid, things still felt very achievable because I had a lot of support. The accommodations I had at school made it easier for me to focus on my work, so I thrived even at the worst of times. Read the full article at Bezzy PsA 

 Since getting a diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis, one of my biggest struggles has been dealing with health insurance. Learning about changes in coverage or hikes in copays is never fun. And once I aged out of being covered by my parents’ insurance, I had to navigate a totally new world of getting set up on new employer-sponsored insurance. The thing I’ve found most difficult is changing insurances and getting coverage for my biologic. In the past, I’ve switched insurances with relative ease. But last year I had a horrible experience when I got a new job. Not only was I without coverage for a short period (a total nightmare for anyone with a chronic illness), but getting coverage for my biologic, Humira, took several weeks. While waiting, I was in a flare between the stress and missing doses. I learned many important lessons about preparing and advocating for myself during the process. If your insurance is changing soon, get prepared for change and get ready to potentially be on th...