The Single Gal's Guide to Rheumatoid Arthritis

My RA Does Not Like to Drive

I don’t know about yours, but my RA is very picky.  It has strong preferences of things that it likes (baths, ice cream, steamy massages) and definite dislikes.  One of those dislikes used to be riding the subway.  It made sense - the constant standing aggravated my toes, knees and hips, while holding onto poles put strain on my fingers, wrists and shoulders. I was always on the prowl for a seat, but even if I scored one, there was always the constant threat of someone else’s foot coming down on my own if the train came to a lurching halt, which it often did.

Because the grass is always greener, traveling by car seemed like it would be luxurious in comparison- getting to sit in a comfy, upholstered seat = no strain, no stress. Turns out, my RA doesn’t like driving either, or at least, it doesn’t like driving long distances, (which is unfortunately, because I do). I found this out in no uncertain terms when I drove home to see my family the other weekend. Sure, at first, everything felt all cushy and cozy.  But after about 20 minutes, my arms started to get grumpy about having to be out in front of me the whole time.  When I tried to let them hang off the steering wheel, my wrists got unhappy about the pull being put on them from the weight of my arms. And then there were my hips - particularly my right one since I use that foot to push the pedals. After about 30 minutes, both hips started to get that awful, chewy, creaky feeling like they are made out of rusted, old metal pipes.  From there it went from bad to worse as my toes decided they don’t like the constant pressure of the pedal, my knees began to ache, and my neck tensed up from holding my arms out in front of me. Suddenly, the idea of standing up on a subway, all stretched out with my arms above me didn't sound so bad.

I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised seeing as how sitting down for any length of time always stirs things up. Luckily, it’s easy enough to pull over to a gas station and get out and stretch- so what if I look a little strange doing my Jane Fonda in the middle of parking lot?  Good thing, too, since tomorrow I’ll be doing it all over again for Thanksgiving!

The Voices of Rheumatoid Arthritis - Well Blog - NYTimes.com

via well.blogs.nytimes.com

Check out Voices of Rheumatoid Arthritis over at NY Times.com featuring the stories of two men and four women (including me!) living with RA.  Big thanks to the editor of the series, Karen Barrow, for giving RA some much needed exposure. 

Patients for a Moment @ Chronic Babe

Not sure what to have for dinner tonight?  Feast on this edition of Patients for a Moment hosted by Jenni Prokopy at Chronic Babe that is stuffed chock full of goodies (including one post by yours truly).  Too much for you to finish on your own?  Start practicing for Thanksgiving now and pass the treats on to others. Happy Reading!

Comic Strip 24: The Dance of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Several months back, I wrote a hypothetical post imagining what would happen if the popular reality TV show The Bachelorette featured a young single gal who happened to have RA.  I myself have no desire to go on The Bachelorette, but there is one reality TV series that I secretly fantasize about being on: Dancing with the Stars.

Read the rest here!

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Buckle Me Up is on its way to becoming a non-profit, but it can't be done without support.  Every $ gets BMU closer to filing and making it official!

Check out the latest newsletter here, then please help spread the word, spread the awareness and build support!