The Girl With Arthritis

 Do you ever feel like you live in a world not built for you? I do. Recently, I've felt this way about a hefty door on my commute. It takes a lot of force to open and immediately swings shut; I find it painful and tiring to handle. Others have complained and had a handyman look at it, but it's remained in this state for months... Click here to read the full article at Psoriatic-Arthritis.com.

"Call if anything changes," my doctor will say at the end of my appointment. Hearing that is such a friendly reminder. Having a good relationship with your rheumatologist is vital for anyone with arthritis. It's so important to be able to reach out and get a response when you need help. But, when you live with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), that advice can be a little challenging... Click here to read the full article at Psoriatic-Arthritis.com.

 Ironically, for someone who shares my medical experiences online, I am a very private person in real life. There are some details about myself I'm quick to share, like being a crochet enthusiast! But there are several things I keep private, one of them being that I have psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Click here to read the full article at Psoriatic-Arthritis.com.

 I have been told I'm a patient person when it comes to dealing with other people. I especially received a lot of compliments on my patience when I was in college and worked as a tutor and as a teacher's assistant. I loved working with students, appreciating their effort and dedication to learning, even when it was hard or took awhile. Why, oh why, isn't it easy to be patient with myself? I can acknowledge that I have psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and should be patient with myself, especially during flares. But I also have a life and responsibilities to care for, and I can't just wait around for better days. Click here to read the full article at Psoriatic-Arthritis.com.

Please don't judge me based on my good days. Looks can be deceiving for someone with a chronic illness. What looks like a good day might actually be a good day. Or it might be a good few hours. Or it could be someone doing their best to function through the pain. You don't honestly know what someone is going through, especially when they have lived with the pain for a long time. You'd be surprised how much pain people can learn to smile through. Click here to read the full article at Psoriatic-Arthritis.com.

Fatigue is a noteworthy symptom of PsA. With fatigue, most people immediately think of its physical effects, but it's just as important to mention the mental impact as well. Fatigue is a symptom that precedes and coincides with my flares. So not only does it hurt to get around, but I physically feel like I can't. Personally speaking, fatigue has had a profound effect on my life. In addition to my body being tired, so is my brain. My brain feels fried, and I drop the ball... a lot. When I wake up with some energy, I know the worst of it is over. Read the full article at psoriatic-arthritis.com.

I was lucky enough to have about a year-and-a-half-long remission from psoriatic arthritis (PsA) - and it was just as you would think - absolutely fabulous. It fell right around my senior year of high school and first semester of college, letting me spend those times like any other teenager. But it would be a lie to say PsA wasn’t still a concern during this blissful period. Click here to read the full article at Psoriatic-Arthritis.com.

Being diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis at any age is rough, but it can be especially challenging in childhood and young adulthood. No one sees the struggle and pain: they see a young face and assume you have the energy and strength of any young person. While I do sometimes appreciate being able to hide my illness, there are lots of times I wish others could see I was struggling. Click here to read the full article at Psoriatic-Arthritis.com.

Photo credit: Psoriatic-arthritis.com Here's a controversial opinion: good shoes for people with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) do not always have to be expensive. There, I said it. There's a lot to unpack in that statement. I am not implying that any old shoe from the clearance rack will work for you. Nor am I saying that you shouldn't consider investing in well-made orthopedic shoes; footwear is an excellent investment, and some brands are known lifesavers.  Read the full post at psoriatic-arthritis.com

   Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) affects every part of your life, even in subtle ways – including your friendships. After living with PsA since childhood, I assumed I knew everything there was to know about navigating friendships with arthritis. But after graduating from college and entering “the real world,” I was in for a huge shock. As it turns out, maintaining adult friendships is much more work than I anticipated. View the full article at HealthGrades.com .

  When I started my first full-time job after graduating college, I was surprised at the toll my 9-to-5 took on my body. I thought I would choose a desk job and that would be it. I was wrong! The long hours, repetitive movements, and even the commute ran me ragged. In my first few months of working, life was an endless cycle of work, sleep, repeat. Fatigue and burning pain from PsA made it impossible to do much else. Over the years, I had to learn ways to make my office job easier on my body. It took a lot of trial and error, but eventually, I figured out what worked. View the full article at HealthGrades.com .

People with arthritis often talk about how they 'pay' for being too active one day with a lot of pain the next day. I can completely relate: there have been plenty of times when I accidentally overdid it while having a fun day out and about. The overexertion aggravates my psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and this pattern makes it hard to balance my need for social interaction with my need to take care of my body.  View the full article at HealthGrades.com.

While brushing my hair this morning, I discovered a single gray hair. This is delightful, especially since I'm still in my early twenties. I'm prone to growing a white strand of hair during particularly stressful periods, and I believe this was the third one I found this week. To say it's been a stressful few months would be an understatement. Click here to read the full article at Psoriatic-Arthritis.com.

I think this past academic year has been the oddest of all. By no means was it a bad year. But it certainly was taxing, and I did more growing up than anticipated. My mum had a heart attack in the beginning of October. We didn't see it coming, and it came in the typical fashion with women- quietly, and appearing to be a case of the flu. Even though it happened at noon, nobody called me until 7 pm, the time I finished class that day. My mum was very clear that I was not to be told until after class, and even as I talked to my dad on the phone that night, I could hear my mum saying "she's supposed to be hanging out with her friends tomorrow, tell her to go hang out with her friends." Rest assured, I did not go hang out with my friends the next day. Thankfully, my mum is recovering; it takes at least a year to recover from a heart attack. As soon as she could, she sent me from her hospital room back to college. My mum is so adamant that I never stop my life f...

When I was thirteen years old, my mum and I had a very steady weekend routine. Right after school on Friday, we would go to my doctor’s office where a nurse would give me an injection of methotrexate. It wasn’t a huge deal, but I began to dread Fridays because of the medicine’s side effects. A lot of people with autoimmune arthritis do very well on methotrexate and go into remission. But I didn’t. I remember the doctor often telling me that the medicine “had better start working soon, because [I] won’t like the next level.” It was horrifying to hear this as a kid. I knew it wasn’t my fault, yet I blamed myself. It felt hopeless; if the medicine that worked for everyone else failed me, what would that mean for me later on? But years later, I realized there was no reason to feel hopeless. I’ve seen many different doctors since, and I’ve found that there’s no one way to treat chronic pain. But the most successful approach I’ve found is to treat the person, not the disease. The outc...

     A month ago, I remember putting my hand over my heart; I could feel it racing, pounding, and skipping beats. It was worn and tired, and so was I. The weeks leading up to that moment were brutal. For six weeks, I was lucky to get four hours of sleep most nights, and all my waking hours were spent stressed and working intensely for finals. Most days, I didn’t really talk to anyone and I skipped meals to accommodate more working hours. Ultimately, I was running myself into the ground. And I didn’t care.      But then came that moment, when I realized my heart was struggling from the stress. A long night in the emergency room made me stop working for the first time since March, and forced me to be still and reflect on my actions. I stared at the monitor that showed a heart that was trying so hard to slow down, and I thought about how cruel I’ve been to it.      It’s been an extremely hard year. I would love to sugar coat that statem...

There hasn't been any commotion here on the blog, or on any of my social media. Normally it's when I'm not doing well that I don't write because it's harder to concentrate and I save my spoons for what absolutely must be done. But as of the past weeks, it's actually because I'm doing very well. In fact, the past few weeks have been some of the best I've ever had. With the start of a new school year came lots of changes, but I certainly embraced them rather than tried to keep things as they were: Change is very good, and sometimes you have to be the change you want. There have been lots of nice things that have come my way lately, which I've been very fortunate for. I'm walking and moving more than in the past, and I know I am stronger now: I've even gone out dancing a few times. Instead of feeling like a loner in a group, I feel part of a large community of friends, and there has never been a time in my life when I've felt more accepted...

I have to admit, I've said "Having arthritis is so stupid" in a serious conversation. It's a very frustrating thing to have. Insulting it doesn't take arthritis away but it does make you feel a little better. I think the thing that's so frustrating is that much of what happens when you have arthritis is out of your control. You really don't get much choice in things you want to do when your body isn't well, especially with a disease that isn't always well controlled.People commonly have dreams, or rather nightmares, about losing control. But it's very hard to deal with something out of your control in real life, especially the way it so intimately is involved in your world. A few months ago my school was advertising a blood drive, and I was very excited. I had always wanted to donate blood, and my friends and I were going to give together. But being the person I am, I did my homework before the day of the blood drive. I found out that people ...

"If you actually have arthritis, doesn't it hurt to walk?" That was how the conversation went. I didn't know it at the time, but I had opened up a Pandora's box. Someone ( I'm not disclosing this persons name or relation to me) had just asked me about having arthritis: They heard me mentioning it to someone else. I'm usually honest about my diagnosis, so I told them I live with arthritis caused by the immune system. They asked how I deal with it, so I told them I take immunosuppressants and try to stay active. This person is very pushy and nosy, and I suspect a bit overdramatic. They continued to question me, as if making me prove something. They said, "so the pain isn't all the time?" And I said, "No, it's constant." I was asked, "but if you actually have arthritis, doesn't it hurt to walk?" And I said, "Yes." "Then why...?" "Because either I walk or I live in a wheelchair."...

I try to stay very active in the community of fellow autoimmune disease owners. I'm actually part of a group on Facebook (My Immune System Hates Me) for young people who own autoimmune diseases. I really love being a part of it: Even though I'm not very active on it, I've really gotten to know everyone and I really care about them. My heart breaks for them, too. As just the other day, my heart was torn in two for one. Though I won't say who for privacy reasons, this person talked about graduating university just the previous year with hopes of going on to a bright future. However, she is now struggling a lot with her health and it's so hard for her to get by day to day. It's amazing how fast your life can flip. Scratch that, it's scary how fast your life can flip. Especially when you're only so young. Life doesn't get to be put on pause until you can feel better- time keeps ticking and dreams collect dust. I think it's funny how our brains are...