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    Explore " rheumatoid disease" with insightful episodes like "How to Cope With Comorbidities: Jan's Story", "Arthritis Storytelling Hour - 13 Patient Stories in 90 Minutes", "How to Survive the Holidays with a Chronic Illness: Interview with Lene Andersen", "From Disability to Dance: How Krista Rowan learned to Love Herself Moving" and "Five Things I Wish I had Known when I was Diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis" from podcasts like ""Arthritis Life", "Arthritis Life", "Arthritis Life", "Arthritis Life" and "Arthritis Life"" and more!

    Episodes (12)

    How to Cope With Comorbidities: Jan's Story

    How to Cope With Comorbidities: Jan's Story

    In this episode, seasoned patient and registered nurse (RN) Jan Hempstead shares her best tips for managing stress and living a fulfilling life with multiple comorbidities. Jan lives with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Hypermobile type (EDS), hereditary alpha-tryptasemia (HAT), Dysautonomia, and more. This includes discussions about the importance of support (including Cheryl’s Rheum to THRIVE program) and mindfulness, meditation and Stoic Philosophy in Jan’s journey.

    Episode at a glance:

    • Diagnosis story: Jan shares how her rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis was very difficult due to her comorbid conditions: EDS Ehler-s danlos syndrome, dysautonomia, and hereditary alpha-tryptasemia (HAT)
    • Best tools in Jan’s toolbox for RA and EDS
    • Biggest challenges with Managing multiple comorbidities
    • What helps Jan cope with managing multiple conditions
    • Importance of community and support groups
    • Rapid fire questions (lightning round)

    Medical disclaimer:

    All content found on Arthritis Life public channels was created for generalized informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

    Episode Sponsors

    Rheum to THRIVE, a community support & education program Cheryl created to help people with rheumatic disease go from overwhelmed, confused and alone to confident, supported and connected. Join the next group today!

    Full Episode Details

    See full details including a transcript at www.MyArthritisLife.Net 

    Arthritis Life
    enOctober 10, 2022
    chronic illness
    rheumatoid arthritis
    inflammatory arthritis
    rheumatoid disease
    rheumatic disease

    Arthritis Storytelling Hour - 13 Patient Stories in 90 Minutes

    Arthritis Storytelling Hour - 13 Patient Stories in 90 Minutes

    In December 2020, Arthritis Life hosted an “Arthritis Storytelling Hour” where thirteen patients shared vivid tales from their lives.

    Listen and learn about how difficult the diagnosis process is for some, how people with rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis learned to advocate for themselves, how to navigate work life with your condition, what it’s like to be a “spoonie mom,” the importance of mindset, acceptance and self-care, and more! 

    Video details:

    Topic: basics of life with RA, diagnosis stories, how diagnosis led to career

    • 1:28 - Chloe Umpleby JIA (Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis) journey
    • 6:21 - Kia Peters: diagnosis of RA (rheumatoid arthritis) during graduate school
    • 11:00 - Sammantha Dorazio: diagnosis led to career as Nurse Practitioner
    • 14:20-Paulina Burzynsk: how RA helped her take better care of your body 

    Topic: Advocacy / learning to speak up

    • 24:30 -  Jed Finley example of how he learned how to advocate for himself in the context of medical appointments for his ankylosing spondylitis 
    • 30:00 -  Mimi Cross - how she learned that if something makes you uncomfortable you need to speak up even if that feels awkward

    RA’s effect on work

    • 36:13 - Sarah Dillingham - how she became comfortable talking about RA at work
    • 42:30 - Effie Koliopoulos - how RA led her to her passion for writing 

    RA’s and family

    • 46:20 - Ushma Sampat - how RA affects family relationships and life partnership / marriage
    • 54:50 - Jes Hosjan  How AS affects her experience as a mom and how she learned to advocate as a “spoonie mom!”

    Humor and Mindset

    • 1:03:02 - Cristina Montoya - Humorous take on life with RA
    • 1:10:17 - Krista - Her experience chasing a past life to be the same “pre diagnosis” and how she learned to embrace the present
    • 1:17:44 - Cheryl Crow - My journey to acceptance of discomfort and uncertainty in life, how ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy) and my two therapists helped me!

    Medical disclaimer: All content found on Arthritis Life public channels was created for generalized informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

    Links to speaker pages and websites:

    This video is brought to you by the Rheumatoid Arthritis Roadmap, an intensive online education and support program Cheryl Crow created to empower people with tools to confidently manage their social, emotional and physical lives with rheumatoid arthritis.

    Arthritis Life
    enJanuary 12, 2021
    arthritis
    chronic illness
    chronic pain
    rheumatoid arthritis
    ankylosing spondylitis

    How to Survive the Holidays with a Chronic Illness: Interview with Lene Andersen

    How to Survive the Holidays with a Chronic Illness: Interview with Lene Andersen

    Photo credit for Lene’s photo: David Govoni. 

    Speaker bios:

    Lene (pronounced Lena) is an award-winning writer and rheumatoid arthritis advocate living in Toronto, Canada. Born and raised in Denmark, Lene has had autoimmune arthritis since childhood and has used a power wheelchair since her teens. She has a Masters Degree in Social Work and writes books about living well with RA and other types of chronic illness. Lene shares her home with a cat and too many books.  

    Cheryl Crow is an occupational therapist who has lived with rheumatoid arthritis for seventeen years. Her life passion is helping others with rheumatoid arthritis figure out how to live a full life despite arthritis, by developing tools to navigate physical, emotional and social challenges. She formed the educational company Arthritis Life in 2019 after seeing a huge need for more engaging, accessible, and (dare I say) FUN patient education and self-management resources. 

    Links to things discussed in this episode:

     

    Here's the show breakdown:

    ·       01:50 – Lene shares her diagnosis story with Juvenile and Rheumatoid Arthritis

    ·       02:32 – Lene shares some tips for managing the holidays with a chronic illness. 

    ·       05:00 – How Lene learned to embrace “imperfect moments” that create the family legends to make the holidays special.

    ·       11:45 – Lene’s reflections about navigating the holiday season this year during COVID-19. 

    ·       20:55 – Lene shares her journey of creating her first book while battling major hurdles living with her Juvenile and Rheumatoid Arthritis.

    ·       26:45 – Anyone battling chronic illness with big aspirations just take it one step at a time – remember: thinking and planning counts as moving in the right direction. 

    ·       31:40 – Lene gives insight about using her power wheelchair at age sixteen empowered her to live life to the fullest.

    ·       36:25 – Lene discusses human right principles by understanding employment and accommodations for people with chronic illness.

    ·       42:40 – Lene’s advice for newly diagnosed patients. 

    Arthritis Life
    enDecember 16, 2020
    arthritis
    disability
    chronic condition
    chronic illness
    disability rights

    From Disability to Dance: How Krista Rowan learned to Love Herself Moving

    From Disability to Dance: How Krista Rowan learned to Love Herself Moving

    In January 2000, Krista was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis; a debilitating autoimmune disease affecting her joints, tissues, skin and organs.  Having experienced chronic pain, disability, stress, depression, isolation and hopelessness for years, she relates deeply to the fear and impact to all facets of life when health is deteriorated.

    In 2015, Krista began addressing root cause drivers of her inflammation and disease, which not only dramatically improved her quality of life, but led her to become a speaker and certified coach. Today, Krista is on a reMISSION to inspire and empower others to improve their own health and quality of life.

    Cheryl Crow is an occupational therapist who has lived with rheumatoid arthritis for seventeen years. Her life passion is helping others with rheumatoid arthritis figure out how to live a full life despite arthritis, by developing tools to navigate physical, emotional and social challenges. She formed the educational company Arthritis Life in 2019 after seeing a huge need for more engaging, accessible, and (dare I say) FUN patient education and self-management resources. 

    Links to things discussed in the podcast episode:

    Episode Breakdown:

    • 01:00 - Krista’s introduction and diagnosis story at age 29
    • 05:15 - Krista’s initial fears about what  life with RA would be like
    • 7:00 - How Krista’s diagnosis affected her relationship with her fiance, wedding planning, family planning and all aspects of life
    • 9:20 - Living in “fear, shame, anger and doom” for the first fifteen years of her journey, without revealing her diagnosis at work or publicly
    • 10:52 - Isolating herself from fear of being perceived as weak 
    • 13:45 - Krista’s experience on prednisone, feeling “not broken”
    • 14:50 – Pregnancy challenges due to RA flare
    • 17:19 - Krista’s wedding - home made Keds
    • 19:14 - Krista hits “rock bottom” after 15 years and leaves her 20 year corporate career and decides not to apply for disability.
    •  21:05 - Krista encounters Teri Wahl’s diet and lifestyle journey with MS and the “Wahl’s Protocol”
    • 22:10 – Krista learns about “root cause medicine,” finds hope and goes back to school to become a “holistic nutritionist.” 
    • 26:25 - Krista learns to pay attention to her inflammation triggers (stress, foods, fragrances, sleep)
    • 29:33 - Krist and Cheryl reflect on the importance of hope and mindset
    • 31:23 - The importance of avoiding the “positive thinking” trap and how it’s good to validate your feelings. 
    • 32:35 - Learning to  mentally reframe what was actually happening in her life and address perceptions to stop her stress response.
    • 35:20 - How Cheryl & Krista both learned to curb the urge to be people-pleasers.
    • 36:00 – Krista and Cheryl discuss learning to set boundaries, say no & protect energy.  
    • 40:27– Krista joins TikTok in June 2020, makes “I can’t shuffle but I can Shakira” viral video showing belly dance style moves
    • 44:02 - Krista is surprised by the positive responses to her dance videos
    • 47:50 - Inspiring people to move however you can, “love yourself moving” 
    • 51:20 - Krista starts showing some of her physical limitations in her videos, and realizes that she doesn’t have to hide her RA anymore. 
    • 56:00 - Krista reflects on going from very private to public about her diagnosis
    • 58:20 - How Krista responds to unsolicited advice from people who don’t have a chronic illness
    • 1:00:10 – Krista’s words of wisdom for newly diagnosed patients.
    • 1:03:07 - Krista’s final thoughts: being 50 and being in the best place she’s been in 21 years, learning how to live in the moment even if it’s uncomfortable.

    Medical disclaimer: All content found on the Arthritis Life public channels was created for generalized informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

    Arthritis Life
    enOctober 28, 2020
    tiktok
    dance
    autoimmune disease
    chronic pain
    lifestyle medicine

    Five Things I Wish I had Known when I was Diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis

    Five Things I Wish I had Known when I was Diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis

    Cheryl explains how rheumatoid arthritis affects more than just joints - it affects people’s whole bodies, and whole lives!

    She also explores how she learned to tolerate gray areas rather than seeking black and white answers, and how mindfulness and acceptance helped her with the mental side of life with chronic illness.

    This episode also includes a discussion about medical gaslighting, and how Cheryl learned to give herself permission to grieve her diagnosis.

    It concludes with a discussion about how managing one’s rheumatoid arthritis is like a full time job. 

    Episode breakdown:

    • 1:00 - #1 - Rheumatoid Arthritis affects more than just joints.
    • 5:00 - #2 - RA affects your social life in difficult ways (such as misconceptions) and positive ways (such as connections with a chronic illness community)
    • 9:30 - Tips for using websites and social in productive ways
    • 12:40: #3 - Gray areas are the norm for autoimmune disease
    • 16:09: #4 - Living with chronic illness will affect your mental health.
    • 17:49  Cheryl’s experience with allowing herself to grieve her health
    • 19:13 - Medical gaslighting.
    • 22:14 - #5 -  Managing RA is a job but you can learn how to do it!

    Medical disclaimer:

    All content found on Arthritis Life public channels was created for generalized informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

    Episode Sponsor

    Rheum to THRIVE, an empowerment program Cheryl created to help people with rheumatic disease go from overwhelmed, confused and alone to confident, supported and connected. Learn more here! 

    Speaker Bio:

    Cheryl Crow is an occupational therapist who has lived with rheumatoid arthritis for seventeen years. Her life passion is helping others with rheumatoid arthritis figure out how to live a full life despite arthritis, by developing tools to navigate physical, emotional and social challenges. 

    She formed the educational company Arthritis Life in 2019 after seeing a huge need for more engaging, accessible, and (dare I say) FUN patient education and self-management resources. 

    Links discussed in this episode:

    Arthritis Life
    enOctober 07, 2020
    autoimmune disease
    chronic illness
    rheumatoid arthritis
    arthritis life podcast
    rheumatoid disease

    How to Exercise with Rheumatoid Arthritis: Randi's Story

    How to Exercise with Rheumatoid Arthritis: Randi's Story

    Randi and Cheryl dive deep into Randi’s diagnosis journey, her career as a track and field athlete at the University of Alabama, her best advice for newly diagnosed patients, her tips for exercise with RA, and even some dating and relationship advice. 

    Randi was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis at the age of 16 after 6 years of trying to find an answer. Randi says: “My journey with RA has not always been easy, but it has been rewarding. I have had to learn what works best for me in controlling my RA because of course not everyone’s RA is the same. I manage my RA with exercise, a moderation diet, a medication, chiropractic care, and plenty of rest. Oddly, I am thankful to have been diagnosed with RA at 16 because I have become the best version of myself as a result of it.”

    Cheryl Crow is an occupational therapist who has lived with rheumatoid arthritis for seventeen years. Her life passion is helping others with rheumatoid arthritis figure out how to live a full life despite arthritis, by developing tools to navigate physical, emotional and social challenges. She formed the educational company Arthritis Life in 2019 after seeing a huge need for more engaging, accessible, and (dare she say) FUN patient education and self-management resources. 

    Links to things discussed in the podcast episode:

    Here's the show breakdown:

    • 01:00 – Randi’s diagnosis story
    • 4:35 – What it was like to be a college athlete with RA, doing the triple jump in track and field.
    • 8:20 – Randi’s sports injury misdiagnosis.
    • 10:20 – Why Randi pursued her personal trainer certification.
    • 12:54 – Why Randi pursued Chiropractic medicine as her career.
    • 18:00 – Randi’s tips for how to exercise with RA: resistance training, muscle building, cardio and more. 
    • 23:10 – How Randi and Cheryl make cardiovascular exercise fun!
    • 28:45 -   Randi’s advice for newly diagnosed patients with RA (hint: there are many sports metaphors in this advice!). 
    • 32:45 – Discussion about combining “natural” approaches for RA versus Western medicine, and how to find common ground and balance.
    • 35:00 - Randi’s tips on how to build a good relationship with your provider.
    • 39:38 – How healthcare quality can differ for people of color. 
    • 45:46 – How Randi and Cheryl learned not to underreport pain to their providers.
    • 48:00 – Randi’s experience dating with RA and love story with her fiance.
    • 55:15 - Bonus content: Cheryl’s favorite dance routine she learned in the 1990s from MTV videos

    Medical disclaimer: All content found on the Arthritis Life public channels was created for generalized informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

    Arthritis Life
    enSeptember 02, 2020
    exercise
    autoimmune disease
    chronic illness
    spoonie
    rheumatoid arthritis

    How to Advocate as a Patient

    How to Advocate as a Patient

    Effie shares many anecdotes and nuggets of wisdom about how she’s learned to advocate for herself over fifteen years of living with rheumatoid arthritis. She also shares examples of finding a good fit with a provider, and how to get involved in legislative advocacy on a national scale.

    Effie Koliopoulos is a freelance writer and rheumatoid arthritis patient advocate. She created her blog Rising Above Rheumatoid Arthritis in 2016, after being inspired to share her story more publicly and connect with others after undergoing a total knee replacement. Currently residing in Chicago, she is working on her debut children’s picture book, enjoys creating video content for her YouTube channel and other projects.

    Cheryl Crow is an occupational therapist who has lived with rheumatoid arthritis for seventeen years. Her life passion is helping others develop tools to navigate physical, emotional and social challenges so that they can live a full life *despite* arthritis. She formed the educational company Arthritis Life in 2019 after seeing a huge need for more engaging, accessible, and (dare I say) FUN patient education and self-management resources. 

    Links discussed in this episode:

    Detailed breakdown of show:

    • 01:30 – Effie’s Diagnosis Story.
    • 03:30 – Effie’s advice for students with rheumatoid arthritis.
    • 06:06 – Examples of when Effie has had to advocate for herself and be actively involved in her care during medical appointments.
    • 08:40 – Examples of Effie advocating for her needs when prescription errors occurred. 
    • 13:15 - Effie’s experiences with getting second opinions and finding a good fit with a doctor.
    • 15:30 - General advice for patients to learn to advocate for themselves with medical professionals.
    • 17:14 - How Effie & Cheryl learned not to downplay symptoms, and how they confront fears around changing medications.
    • 21:00 – Effie’s advice for formal legislative advocacy at your state or national capitol, and why personal stories are so important.
    • 27:21 – How Effie has advocated for invisible illnesses, and Effie’s experience being accused of “faking” her disability (including someone calling the cops on her for using the disability placard).
    • 31:00 – What Effie wishes healthcare providers knew or did better.
    • 35:00 - The impotence of getting medical guidance from the doctor rather than the internet sometimes.
    • 36:05 – What Effie wishes the general public knew about rheumatoid arthritis.
    • 38:00 - Effie’s final words to anyone newly diagnosed: take advantage of the community.
    Arthritis Life
    enAugust 25, 2020
    healthcare
    advocacy
    arthritis
    autoimmune disease
    rheumatoid arthritis

    Pregnancy, Parenting and More with Rheumatoid Arthritis

    Pregnancy, Parenting and More with Rheumatoid Arthritis

    Episode at a Glance:

    The following is a breakdown of the main topics we discussed - scroll to the end to see hyperlinks for resources mentioned in this episode! As a reminder: this episode was originally recorded in 2019.

    • 01:35 - Claire diagnosis journey for rheumatoid arthritis: difficulty being believed by providers through her official diagnosis and her journey towards accepting it
    • 10:30 Claire’s pregnancy and childbirth experience
    • 14:20 - Claires postpartum experience with RA coming back slowly
    • 16:20 - How Claire parents a Toddler with Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • 18:15 Claire’s advice for people with RA who might want to have a child
    • 20:20 - How to Manage Stress and Anxiety with chronic illness, including tips for finding a good fit with a provider (
    • 26:40: Claire’s advice for newly diagnosed patients
    • 30:10: What Claire wishes doctors did better
    • 31:26: Claire’s tips for a good patient-provider relationship and tips for advocating for yourself
    • 35:36: The Difference between living with an invisible illness and living with a visible one when Claire had to wear a splint!
    • 38:55: How RA affected Claire’s choice of work, and her employment
    • 41:42: How RA affected Claire’s relationship with her husband
    • 44:00 - Fatigue and RA
    • 45:44 – How RA affects friendships and relationships in adulthood

    Get More Support at:

    Rheum to THRIVE, an online course and support program Cheryl created to help people with rheumatic disease go from overwhelmed, confused and alone to confident, supported and connected**.** See all the details and join the program or waitlist now!

    External resources mentioned in this episode or relevant to it:

    MEDICAL DISCLAIMER:

    All content found on the Arthritis Life public channels was created for generalized informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

    Arthritis Life
    enJuly 21, 2020
    parenting
    disability
    pregnancy
    chronic illness
    postpartum

    Episode 1: Sarah Dillingham

    Episode 1: Sarah Dillingham

    Episode at a Glance

    She and Cheryl discuss their best advice for newly diagnosed patients, explore how fatigue can be more debilitating than pain, highlight the importance of mental health treatment for chronic conditions, and dig into the impact of rheumatoid disease on everyday life. 

    Sarah's experience designing her own custom wedding day splint (due to not wanting to wear the typical ugly splints available in the current market) led her to form a start-up called Grace and Able, where she's developing more comfortable and aesthetically pleasing wrist braces. She also runs the Women with Rheumatoid Disease Facebook community. 

    Here's the show breakdown:

    • 01:25 - Sarah's diagnosis story and brief medical history
    • 08:30 - Highlights and lowlights from Sarah's experience with medical providers
    • 23:34 - Sarah's advice for newly diagnosed patients (includes a discussion on social media)
    • 38:00 - How rheumatoid disease has affected Sarah's experiences at work
    • 42:27 - The effects rheumatoid disease has had on Sarah's friendships and romantic relationships
    • 47:11 - The origin of Sarah's custom wedding day splint, which led her to form Grace & Able.
    • 51:00 - How chronic illness has affected Sarah and Cheryl's mental health.
    • 59:54 - Why fatigue is the hardest part of coping with RA (even more so than pain).
    • 1:07:20 - What to do when there are no more treatment options - how to have this discussion with your doctor and care team.
    • 1:11:41 - Sarah's frustrations with day to day living, and how she's learned much of what she's needed to cope with pain and daily living challenges from other patients and not health professionals.
    • 1:18:00 - The three MOST important parts of Sarah's current management of her condition.

    Additional links relevant to this episode:

    Get more support at:

    Rheum to THRIVE, an online course and support program Cheryl created to help people with rheumatic disease go from overwhelmed, confused and alone to confident, supported and connected**.** See all the details and join the program or waitlist now!

    MEDICAL DISCLAIMER:

    All content found on this podcast was created for generalized informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read or heard on this channel.

    Arthritis Life
    enJuly 07, 2020
    rheumatology
    chronic illness
    chronic pain
    rheumatoid arthritis
    patient experience

    Welcome to the Arthritis Life Podcast!

    Welcome to the Arthritis Life Podcast!

    This episode is brought to you by Rheum to THRIVE, an online course and support program Cheryl created to help people with rheumatic disease go from overwhelmed, confused and alone to confident, supported and connected. See all the details and join the program or waitlist now! 

    Learn more at: 

    Arthritis Life
    enJune 21, 2020
    chronic illness
    rheumatoid arthritis
    invisible illness
    inflammatory arthritis
    rheumatoid disease

    It's Not Just Joint Pain: Occupational Therapy's Unique Role in Arthritis Life with Cheryl Crow

    It's Not Just Joint Pain: Occupational Therapy's Unique Role in Arthritis Life with Cheryl Crow

    Cheryl and Sarah discuss: 

    Get in touch with Cheryl: 

    OT 4 Lyfe
    en-usJune 01, 2020
    rheumatoid arthritis
    occupational therapy
    ra
    chronic illness
    autoimmune disease
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