Health & Wellness

A Different Answer

jbloustein — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 14:56:41 -0500

I was driving home and thinking over and over, There’s nothing wrong with me. This, despite the doctor saying there was, and then the bombshell he dropped: I would probably have to start giving myself shots.

Earlier I had sat across the desk from a pencil-thin rheumatologist wearing a blue button-down shirt. He had already advised me that the first appointment would take an hour and a half.

Empty Pew?

test_1 — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:11:40 -0600

My five-year-old daughter, Teresa, came into my bedroom Sunday morning. “Mommy, are you going to church with me and Daddy?”

I groaned. I’d woken up with every muscle and joint aching—another flare-up of my rheumatoid arthritis. I didn’t want to get out of bed, let alone go to church. “Oh, sweetie, I don’t feel well.”

Get Moving and Lose Weight

admin — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 08:02:00 -0500

Did you know that excess weight puts you at risk of arthritis? However, losing as little as 11 pounds can decrease the risk by half of developing osteoarthritis (OA) in your knees. Along with eating a healthy diet, activity is essential to reaching and maintaining a healthy weight.

A well-rounded moving program for people with arthritis includes stretching to increase flexibility, strengthening to make the muscles around your joints strong, aerobic activities to strengthen your heart and burn calories, and balance activities to improve your stability.

At My Age?

jbloustein — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 13:14:44 -0500

I woke up in pain. Tried to roll over. Couldn’t. You need to get up, I scolded myself. You’ve got things to do.

Dress the kids. Make breakfast. Get everyone ready for one of our family’s favorite fall activities—the Harry Chapin Memorial Run Against Hunger.

The starting line was just a block from our house. My kids, Ryan, five, and Emma, three, loved to jog the short distance alongside my husband, Matthew, and me.

Arthritis: What You Can Do

admin — Fri, 01 Jul 2005 07:12:00 -0500

It's no surprise that age is a risk factor for arthritis, considering the toll years of everyday wear-and-tear take on your joints. What's surprising is that by "age," experts mean your forties. In fact, deterioration of joint cartilage can begin as early as your thirties.

Crippled No More

admin — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 10:41:56 -0600

The face was a frozen mask, the mouth set in a tight line, the brow a perpetual frown, the eyes narrowed in pain. And the face was in the mirror. My mirror.

I would have turned away, but I could not move my head without crying out. It had taken me 20 minutes just to sit up, moving an elbow, then a wrist, then a knee. The pain is worse today. A litany of defeat began in my mind: I'll never be well. I'm a burden to my husband, my parents...

A New Me

admin — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 08:41:00 -0500

"Your tests show you have rheumatoid arthritis, Jay," my doctor said. Arthritis? Wasn't that what everyone my age had a touch of? Besides, I felt so great that day, it never dawned on me that I might have a serious problem.

The Facts: Fibromyalgia

admin — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500

What it is:

To Live Again

admin — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 10:01:00 -0500

The patient was in his 40s, but he shuffled into my office like a man twice his age. He gripped the back of a chair and lowered himself into it, wincing. "I don't know what to do," he said. "I'm still hurting. I keep praying about it. But the pain won't go away."

Busting Arthritis Myths

admin — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 10:26:00 -0500

It's been said that with illness, the best way to help yourself is to stay informed. Here are just a few of the many myths that surround this affliction, and the facts that will help you in the long run.

Myth: Arthritis is just aches and pains.
Fact: Arthritis is the nation's leading cause of disability and can be quite serious. It can cause severe pain and limit functioning.

Myth: Only old people get arthritis.