Vanessa Collins

Would you like to do something meaningful for a friend in pain, but don’t know what they need? Here are ten suggestions.

Living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) often means living with foot pain. Topical anti-inflammatories (liquids and creams) can ease that pain to some extent. Warm water soaks can also help temporarily. When topical types of pain relief stop working, y...

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.

Technology is neither good nor bad. It is like everything else. It depends on how you use it. Personally, I am thankful for the technology tools available to us today. If our hands are hurting, we can use the software, Dragon Naturally Speaking, to c...

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...

** **"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 ...

The first thing I did was call Human Resources and ask how to go about filling FMLA paperwork.