The Single Gal's Guide to Rheumatoid Arthritis

A dose of inspiration for the day:

Photograph by Jodi Mckee. All rights reserved.

Check out my first interview with photographer Jodi Mckee at MyRACentral.com and learn more about her Autoimmune Portrait Project.

The rheumatoid arthritis test

via http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-19446-Rheumatoid-Arthritis-Examiner~y2009m10d29-The-rheumatoid-arthritis-test#

Take Tiffany's new rheumatoid arthritis test- or better yet, pass it on to friends and family to see how much they know!

Baltimorientation

Two months ago today, I moved into my new apartment in Baltimore!  I can't believe it's already been two months.  Granted, the first two and a half weeks I was in Egypt and Jordan, but still- that's a good chunk of time here in what's becoming my new home.

Things are going pretty well, I have to say.  It's not New York, and there are tons of things I miss, namely my friends, but I love that New York is still close by.  I've already been back one weekend and had a blast visiting all my favorite places and catching up with friends.  On the train back to Baltimore, though, I realized how tired I was from the weekend and felt content to be heading back to a less stressful version of my life in Charm City.

Not that I've exactly made things as easy for myself here as I could have.  I LOVE my apartment, and there is not another place I'd want to live, but it is on the top floor of a four story walk up.  That's 68 stairs to climb at least once each day- often more. I could have chosen a modern building that had an elevator, a trash chute, a dishwasher, etc., but I couldn't resist living in an old mansion from the 1840's with hardwood floors, high ceilings, and a terrace that overlooks the Washington Monument (Baltimore's, not DC's) and a beautiful park, not to mention that it is about three times the size of my old Manhattan studio).

 

I realize I'm taking a bit of a risk and banking that my meds will keep working (knock on wood).  But I figure, what is the point of feeling better, for the most part, if I'm still going to live as if I was sick? For better or for worse, it's not my style.

My job is going really well, and I have to admit, I don't miss working in crisis-mode at all.  In my old position, I was constantly putting out fires and my time was not my own.  It's a strange but wonderful feeling to be engaged in what I'm doing but not swallowed up in it.  All of my evenings and weekends are mine to do as I please. For the moment, I am reveling in all my free time by immersing myself in another new perk: cable. 

Yesterday, I went to my first yoga class at a new studio- Charm City Yoga.  The teacher was great, and though the class was pretty difficult, I felt up to the challenge and even better when I left.  The studio reminded me a little of where I practiced in London, which made me feel happily nostalgic.  I'm looking forward to going back soon.

Driving is still a little bit of a learning curve.  I don't mind driving itself, except for when I don't know where I'm going (which is, um, most of the time), and the parking situation is a bit stressful.  I am lucky to have a parking space with my building so I don't have to scavenge for one on the street, but in order to get to the space, I have to open the gates from hell.  Even if I didn't have RA, these would be difficult for me to open and close- I practically have to use all of my body weight to get them moving.  With the RA, it's definitely not a pleasant experience for my fingers, elbows or shoulders, and again, if my RA acts up or takes a turn for the worse, I have a feeling I'll have to forego the space.  Thankfully though, I don't have to drive every day since I'm in walking distance of work and tons of cute little restaurants.

Speaking of which, there is good food to be had here.  Obviously it's not the same culinary scene as New York, but I'm not in danger of going hungry.  In fact, I just ate a scrumptious meal last night at the B & O American Brasserie that included one of the best desserts I've ever had (pumpkin bread pudding = hello, lover.) 

I have begun the ordeal of finding a new medical team.  Luckily, one of my new friends here has hooked me up with her rheumatologist, so the wheels are in motion, and I have an appointment in a few weeks. I'm betting I'll have to go through the pre-authorization process with my new insurance for Enbrel, joy of joys, but luckily, I have a few extra shots tucked away in my fridge since I skipped taking them while I was in the Middle East. I'm feeling well overall, though I have definitely been very tired all around. Having every part of my life be brand new is exhausting in a way. My trip also left me with a big energy deficit that I am still trying to overcome.

Over the next few months, I'm looking forward to exploring Baltimore and starting to carve out a little niche for myself here bit by bit. I might even start (gulp) trying to date again. We'll see. 

***

PS: Don't forget to watch Next Iron Chef America tonight at 9pm on Food Network and root for Chef Seamus Mullen!

The Next Iron Chef Ame-RA-ca

via http://www.foodnetwork.com/chefs/seamus-mullen/index.html# 

As many of you know, I love to travel.  I also love to eat.  When I can combine the two, I'm a happy camper, but sadly, I can't always be running off to some exotic location just for the sake of dinner.  The next best option is going to grab dinner around the corner but feeling like you are traveling because the food is so good that it transports you.  THAT is what happened to me the first time I ate at Boqueria, a Spanish restaurant/tapas bar on 19th St. in Manhattan that was just down the street from where I used to work.  It also happened to me when I ate there the second time, the third time, the fourth time...ok, you get the point.  Boqueria quickly became my favorite restaurant in Manhattan, one that I found nearly every excuse in the book to frequent. I loved this restaurant so much that it is where I decided to have my going away dinner, donned in my finest heels, on my very last night in Manhattan before moving down to Baltimore.

What makes this restaurant even more extraordinary is that the chef, Seamus Mullen, and I share something in common besides an appreciation of delectable Spanish cuisine: rheumatoid arthritis.  That's right, folks- one of New York's best chefs is laced with the same inconvenient disease as the rest of us.

I first discovered this when I was being filmed for WebMD's RA TV series, My Life with RA.  The production crew I spent two days with had just finished filming the Cooking with RA series for RA TV featuring none other than Chef Seamus Mullen, and imagine my surprise when I found out the chef they kept talking about was the chef of Boqueria!

Clearly, this is a chef who doesn't let his RA come between him and his chorizo. Now, we all get the chance to root for one of our own because for the past few weeks, Chef Mullen has been duking it out on the Food Network's The Next Iron Chef America.  He's kicking some pretty good butt so far, and I for one believe he can take it all the way to the finish.  Having feasted on his food at Boqueria, there is no doubt he's got the culinary talent and the chops; knowing what he's had to overcome to get this far makes his success even sweeter.

The fact that he has RA hasn't been mentioned on the show, at least not yet. One could argue that this is a wasted opportunity given RA's sad, sad public profile, but I also think it's important that he isn't being singled out because of RA. This show is about the cooking and the competition, not the chronic disease. 

You can tune in to cheer for Chef Mullen Sunday nights at 9pm EST on the Food Network.  You can also find his Cooking with RA series and find out more about his struggle with RA on Web MD's RA TV.

The word is spreading. . .

There is quite a community of wit, humor, insight, and support among bloggers with RA. I have to give credit to the Single Gal’s Guide to Rheumatoid Arthritis. Single Gal has compiled an amazing list of other blog sites and has graciously allowed me to steal copy the list and share them with you. Many of my favorites are included and I hope these links bring you additional resources.

via carlascorner.wordpress.com

Carla over at Carla's Corner is helping get the word out about all the great RA blogs out there by reposting my Guide to RA on the Web. If you haven't discovered her blog, head over there to check it out!

Also, I'll be doing another update of my guide at the end of the month, so if you have a blog about RA that isn't on here and you'd like it to be, or if you know of some that are missing, please email them to me at singlegalra at gmail dot com and put Guide to RA Update in the subject line.

Happy Friday! (Or, at least it would be if the stupid cold rain would go away)

Comic Strip #22: The Dead Sea and Me

Who doesn't love being covered in green mud? Who says you can't travel to far away places with RA? Not me! Read the first post about my recent trip to Egypt and Jordan here.

Patients for a Moment #9

In honor of my birthday and the 2nd anniversary of my diagnosis (both today), I am happy to be hosting this edition of Patients for a Moment, the blog carnival by, for, and about patients.

• In addition to being my birthday and anniversary month, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month (CHECK YOUR BREASTS!)  Kairol Rosenthal at Everything Changes poses some challenging, smart questions about one of the latest awareness campaigns in her post, Using Sex to Sell Breast Cancer.  

• Duncan Cross skewers one doctor's argument about socialism and medicine in The Ayn Rand School of Medicine at DuncanCross.Net

• Inspired by a quote from a former graduate professor, Laurie Edwards at A Chronic Dose explores how we get through the things we have to do when we have no other choice in Just Make it Work.

• Along those lines, Lauren at Novel Patient describes her frustration, fatigue and fears about having to do it all when it comes to managing her illnesses in My Own Advocate. 

• And then what happens when you hit bottom and keep going?  Leslie bravely confronts the decisions she must face as a result of starting Below Zero due to Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis at Getting Closer to Myself.

• Do you know what your doctor is writing about you?  Heed Kelly Young''s apt warning in Medical Records Tip: Read the Doctors' Notes! at Rheumatoid Arthritis Warrior.

• Does the term flare up have a little too much, well, flair, and not enough grit?  In A Pain Flare Up, Barbara Kivowit documents 'a fight in which pain plays dirty' at In Sickness and in Health. 

• Do you know the 7 Secrets to Happiness When You Live With Illness? Lisa Copen shares seven attributes that can distinguish the survivors from the thrivers when it comes to coping with chronic illness at Chronic Illness Pain Support.

• We all know having an illness impacts more than just ourselves. Read one mother's perspective at Rheumatoid Arthritis Guy in Voices of RA: The Mom.

• Does being a health blogger automatically buy you membership into that community?  What is community anyway?  Lisa Emrich muses about The Meaning of Community over at Brass and Ivory.

• Me, a Patient? You Must have the Wrong Guy.  Jeff Shattuck pokes at the nuances of semantics as they relate to his traumatic brain injury at Cerebellum Blues.

Thanks to all who contributed- it was so great being introduced to some of you while getting to know others of you better through your posts! The next edition of Patients for a Moment will be back home at DuncanCross.net, and the submission deadline is October 16th.

That's a wrap!

via www.webmd.com

After months of waiting and wondering, WebMD has finally posted all four of the My Life With RA segments featuring yours truly. Though all of it was filmed over the span of about 24 hours, it was divided up into four segments titled Single Gal With RA, Navigating the Dating Scene with RA, City Living with RA, and the rather dramatic sounding finale, My Invisible Pain.

I have to admit that it is a little weird watching myself.  I am not above feeling self conscious and nit picky about my appearance, even when it's for a good cause. If only the series could have been filmed, oh say, after I had started Weight Watchers.  I'm a good ten pounds lighter now than I was then, and silly or not, I cringed a few times, particularly at some of the clips that caught me at rather unflattering angles. (See for example, the clip of me opening a wine bottle, where it looks like my second chin is going to explode and take over my entire face, or possibly the world, at any moment. And just in case seeing me from that angle once wasn't enough, they replay that clip in slow motion just to make sure everyone gets a good glimpse of the bulbous mass beneath my chin. ick.)

But, all vanity aside, I feel pretty good about how they turned out.  It's a little bit funny that I no longer live in New York; I felt a twinge of nostalgia at seeing the city and particularly my old apartment captured on film.  A lot of stuff went down in that place.  Watching myself describe what things were like at their worst brought up a lot of different emotions and memories, but it also made me realize how much better I am now.  I am coming up on the two year anniversary of my diagnosis, and it has been a crazy journey over these past two years.  Who could have known how so many things would change in a relatively short amount of time, all things considered?  

Thanks to everyone has written in with your comments about the series.  It's pretty cool, and I'm glad that I got to participate in it. I'll definitely be tuning in to RA TV to see what else they have in store.