Rheumatoid Arthritis Expert Hollybgroovin 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/9937 en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/ http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/9937/33011/life Wed Jul 09 10:15:00 -0400 2008 Hollybgroovin When my pain isn't real intense I do well with the fact that I have an incurable disease.  I can run errands, keep lunch dates with friends, and even do some chores.  But when the pain is constantly intense I worry that I may not be able to have control over my life.  It's like the pain just swoops in and takes over.  I feel so helpless.   I am having a hard time These last couple four months have been the hardest... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/9937/33011/life http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/9937/21327/left Thu Jul 03 14:00:00 -0400 2008 Hollybgroovin What's left for me?   My rheumatologist once told me that he would not give me anything other than Lortabs for pain relief because his fear was that I would go through pain meds too quickly and that there would be nothing left for me later on in life.  I was upset by this and I was never quite sure what he meant.   Today I am in pain.  I am in so much pain that I am panicking.  My fingers are swollen and I can barely... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/9937/21327/left http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/9937/31319/steps Wed Jun 25 12:30:00 -0400 2008 Hollybgroovin There are those days when I am able to move.  There are those days when I am able to enjoy life, and stay positive.  Then there are days like today where I question everything, and I don’t how I can handle another day with this disease.   A whirlwind of emotions This last month has been a whirlwind of emotions for me, and that whirlwind of emotions is almost always accompanied by a flare and depression.  This... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/9937/31319/steps http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/9937/30717/panic Fri Jun 20 13:00:00 -0400 2008 Hollybgroovin I can’t in all honesty say that I woke up this morning in severe pain.  That would be incorrect.  You see, I never went to bed last night.  My pain was intolerable and all I could do was panic.   Handling pain For the most part I do well at handling my pain.  I say “handling” because my pain has never fully been under control.  I see a wonderful pain management doctor who has put me on... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/9937/30717/panic http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/9937/30143/stress Fri Jun 06 15:22:00 -0400 2008 Hollybgroovin Living with rheumatoid arthritis is anything but easy.  Having rheumatoid arthritis and living with stress is even harder.  Stress is the biggest factor in my flares, but it’s impossible to live without.  How do I handle rheumatoid arthritis and my stress related flares, you ask?  I take some extra time for me.   54 tornados have hit Oklahoma this year alone! Yesterday I watched the weather on the news here... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/9937/30143/stress http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/9937/29239/inspi Thu May 29 02:47:00 -0400 2008 Hollybgroovin My cousin Carrie is my inspiration.  She has a special place in my heart.  She smiles constantly, laughs as much as she can, and really lives life to the fullest.  She has a way of making everyone feel like they are the most important person in the world.  She is 19 years old and is mentally handicapped.  She has been all her life.   Overcoming setbacks It has always amazed me how this girl always... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/9937/29239/inspi http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/9937/28463/living Mon May 26 02:35:00 -0400 2008 Hollybgroovin Rheumatoid Arthritis is part of my life.  It is why I am who I am.  It is why I live how I live.  It is the reason for my strength as well as the reason for my struggle.  I used to think that you got to pick what you wanted in life.  I now know that sometimes life picks what it wants for you.   What do I want out of life? If you would have asked me six years ago what I wanted out of life, I would have told... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/9937/28463/living http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/9937/27917/helped Wed May 21 08:56:00 -0400 2008 Hollybgroovin Before I became sick and knew the pain rheumatoid arthritis would bring, I was busy.  I always had to be on the go.  I would start project after project.  I had no patience.  I had no down time.  And I certainly had no time to enjoy the little things in life.   Rhematoid Arthritis slowed me down Things have definitely changed for me. I cannot move the way I used to and I have definitely slowed down.  It... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/9937/27917/helped http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/9937/27915/alley Thu May 15 04:09:00 -0400 2008 Hollybgroovin It’s still amazes me how Rheumatoid Arthritis can affect so many different aspects of my life.  Here I am, many years after my diagnosis, still learning so much about life with this disease.  Here I am, still trying to live well with RA.   Tornado Alley, Oklahoma I live in northeastern Oklahoma, right in the middle of Tornado Alley and have lived here my whole life.  In fact, I often joke that you can always... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/9937/27915/alley http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/9937/27235/lonely Mon May 12 10:59:00 -0400 2008 Hollybgroovin Rheumatoid Arthritis, another way to say lonely?   Oh, I remember it well, the loneliness that RA brings.  Maybe I know it well because I still live with it everyday.  It’s the feeling that no one could ever possibly understand.  It’s the feeling that there is no one cares and that we all seem to have been forgotten in the big scheme of things.  RA is the feeling of, well, being alone!   I... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/9937/27235/lonely