Vanessa Collins
Patient ExpertVanessa wrote for HealthCentral as a patient expert for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA).
Latest by Vanessa Collins
How to Help a Friend with Chronic Illness
Would you like to do something meaningful for a friend in pain, but don’t know what they need? Here are ten suggestions.
Understanding People With RA
This open letter to the community offers insight for friends and family to better comprehend how RA affects someone’s life on a daily basis.
Balancing The Benefits and Risks Of Steroid Injections
It may not seem as though winter is over, but Spring is officially here. It has been a long, cold winter season. I know we are all ready for some bright sunshine and yellow daffodils blowing in the breeze. Spring often spurs us to action… Out with th...
Sero-Negative RA: Early Symptoms, Denial & Diagnosis
** **"You have Sero-negative RA," my new rheumatologist. Dr M said. She was mater-of-fact. No doubt in her voice or her demeanor. My reply was, "I know." I was strangely calm that day, May 10th, 2011. I had known in my heart for ...
Do Not Be Afraid To File For FMLA Protection
The first thing I did was call Human Resources and ask how to go about filling FMLA paperwork.