Latest Articles 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.

Custom Orthotics Soothe RA Feet
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...
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.

Finding Support Online
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...

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.