Rheumatoid Arthritis Expert Lene Andersen shares Rheumatoid Arthritis management news and commentary at MyRACentral.com. The HealthCentral Network, Inc. (www.HealthCentral.com) is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/80106 http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/80106/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/80106 http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/80106/40745/mea Wed, 24 Sep 2008 18:02:00 -0000 Lene Andersen "I had to stop cold in order to wake up."   M.E.A. McNeil, author of The First Year - Rheumatoid Arthritis: an Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed speaks of the RA flare that trapped her in bed, "unable to turn over ... watch television or read" with gratitude.   Mea, as she's known, was diagnosed in 1993 after several years of symptoms, primarily in her feet. That was 15 years ago -- medically the dark ages for RA. The... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/80106/40745/mea http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/80106/39385/guide Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0000 Lene Andersen This post is the first in a series of Beginner's Guide to Rheumatoid Arthritis by Lene Andersen. Have a topic you'd like to see covered? Leave it in a comment!     The average person farts about 14 times a day. If you are on a medication for RA, you can probably double that.   Drugs that help control the disease usually have side effects, many involving bodily functions and fluids not normally spoken of in polite society.... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/80106/39385/guide http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/80106/37882/joy Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:19:00 -0000 Lene Andersen Joy Fawcett has played for the U.S. Women's soccer team in three Olympics -- 1996 in Atlanta, 2000 in Sydney and 2004 in Athens -- and was on the field every minute. Each time, the team won a medal - one silver and two gold. She is the mother of three girls. She has rheumatoid arthritis.     Joy is also an enthusiastic spokesperson for the new GeneRAtions program run by Centocor Corp., the makers of Remicade. Last week, I had... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/80106/37882/joy http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/80106/36015/don Wed, 13 Aug 2008 12:05:00 -0000 Lene Andersen Lately, on my travels through the Internet, I've noticed a new term being used on health information sites -- including this one (look at me biting the hand that feeds me!) -- and it's been percolating in the back of my mind, making scritching sounds like nails on a blackboard. The term is "Patient Identity." I'm still jolted by those two words, something in my brain has trouble digesting it, because I don't have one. I'm not sure I ever... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/80106/36015/don http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/80106/36254/creed Wed, 06 Aug 2008 12:00:00 -0000 Lene Andersen The Olympics are starting in a few days and I've been of two minds about whether to watch the Games. On the one hand, there is joy to be found in watching people bursting with health and ability going full-throttle for the Olympic motto of Citius, Altius, Fortius (faster, higher, stronger). On the other hand, when you have RA and live with pain and loss of ability, watching people effortlessly push themselves to places you will never go again... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/80106/36254/creed http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/80106/33579/guide Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:07:00 -0000 Lene Andersen "You have rheumatoid arthritis," your doctor says.   Now what?   Being diagnosed with a chronic illness can be a relief because finally, you know what's wrong. It's also scary and overwhelming - a new lifelong companion has been found, one you didn't invite and don't want. You are inundated with information, prescribed an alarming amount of medication and have no idea what kind of impact RA will have on your life. Is it any... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/80106/33579/guide http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/80106/31476/cohen Fri, 20 Jun 2008 18:52:00 -0000 Lene Andersen Three weeks ago, I reviewed Strong at the Broken Places: Voices of Illness, a Chorus of Hope by Richard Cohen and I recently had the opportunity to speak to him about the book.   In his memoir Blindsided, Cohen writes about to struggle to have a normal life, family and work while battling multiple sclerosis and colon cancer.  As he traveled around the country after the publication of the book, he says "people came out of the... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/80106/31476/cohen http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/80106/29195/book Fri, 30 May 2008 15:01:00 -0000 Lene Andersen "These are faces of illness in America.  Do not look away." -         Richard Cohen, Strong at the Broken Places   My first post on HealthCentral was a rant about a poorly-worded review of Strong at the Broken Places: Five Voices of Illness, a Chorus of Hope by Richard Cohen.  Although I felt the review was patronizing, I wanted to read the book.  And I'm glad I... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/80106/29195/book http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/80106/26480/intr Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:03:00 -0000 Lene Andersen   My producer, the lovely Joy Buchanan, asked that my first post be about who I am and what I'll be doing here on Health Central.  After five days of existential angst, it's occurred to me that perhaps I'm overthinking things.  Which, some would argue, describes me to a T.   Living with a chronic condition or disability has a way of making you think and not just because you often have long stretches of time and nothing... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/80106/26480/intr http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/80106/24354/pluck Sun, 06 Apr 2008 19:38:00 -0000 Lene Andersen Editor's Pick: We originally learned about Lene Andersen and her noteworthy blog, The Seated View, from a blogger named Laurie Kingston (Not Just About Cancer). Lene's post on "Pluck" discusses the public's appetite for triumphant, uplifting health stories that require the protagonist to "overcome" a disease. What happens, Lene pointedly asks, if your condition or disease is chronic and there is no such thing as defeating it or conquering it... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/80106/24354/pluck