Elizabeth Medeiros

All I wanted at that moment was to finish the blanket I was crocheting. My hands were screaming in pain from hours of work. I wanted perfect, but it was...

Having lived almost my whole life with juvenile arthritis, I spent quite a lot of time at the pediatric rheumatology ward. Although I love the adult rheumatologist I began seeing...

Being young with chronic pain isn't fair. It's had a huge impact on my future, and I've already dealt with issues my peers won't deal with for years. But for...

Growing up, I was used to seeing my pediatric rheumatologist once a month. For a long time, it seemed like no therapies were working. Finally, we found something that worked...

Not too long ago, I gave a presentation in my psychology class. I was supposed to teach the class about why a sense of humor is a good personality trait...

I admit it: I'm actually a cranky old lady in the body of a twenty-two-year-old. While other girls smell like perfume, I smell like Bengay. My favorite past time is...

Watching my mother break out with psoriasis was one of the hardest things I've ever done. It was so emotionally and physically painful for her. Just watching, I knew it...

"Do you want some soup? Or some squash?" "No." "Not even a bit of ice cream?" "I'm really not up to eating right now..." Whenever my jaw hurts from psoriatic...

Dating with psoriatic arthritis is tough. It can be hard to pull yourself together for dates when you're flaring. Or worse, canceling dates because the pain is unbearable. But even...

In many ways, I was lucky I was able to attend a vocational high school. My school offered students the opportunity to try out a variety of programs. While I...

College can be hard on students with psoriatic arthritis. Classes are draining and keeping up with friends can be exhausting. But for students using medicines that lower the immune system...

Between school and work, the majority of my life has been spent sitting. I spend more than eight hours a day seated, and most of those hours are spent at...

Like most other women, my body lets me know when that time of the month is approaching. My body begins to crave chocolate and salt. I also sob when the...

"You're on the road for osteoporosis." My heart sunk. At nineteen years old, it was the last thing I ever expected to hear. My new rheumatologist was looking through reports...

At the start of my freshman year of college, I was terrified of my professors. I was afraid that their classes would be too hard for me and I'd fail...

It was 3am on a Sunday morning, but I was wide awake thanks to the throbbing pain in my jaw. The hot water bottle I was using as a pillow...

Having made it through a few years of college, I know I'm smart. Yet, there are many days where brain fog makes me question my IQ. One day I can...

Since the time I was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, I feel like I've tried every medication under the sun. For years, I felt like a lab rat going from one...

"Have you tried yoga?" If I got a penny for everytime someone said that to me, I could hire a personal yoga instructor. The moment you mention having psoriatic arthritis...

I'm fortunate to have some very caring people in my life who offer to help me when they see my psoriatic arthritis flaring. Most times, I ask for help with...