Living

Whether you have psoriatic arthritis or another chronic illness, your health, how you treat your condition and your challenges are nobody’s business with the exception of you and your doctor...

When it comes to conversations with my family about my psoriatic arthritis, there is so much I wish I could tell them. Despite my fluency with the written word, when...

I’ll be the first to admit, exercising has never be my forte, as they say. While I’ve always at least been “active,” playing a few sports or taking walks with...

I’ll be the first to admit, I am super hard to live with. My pain level changes daily which makes my mood, abilities, and plans very unpredictable. My sweet husband...

A while back I wrote about how reducing or cutting gluten out of my diet improved my symptoms. Since then I discovered something interesting and that has been a game...

PsA and my other chronic illnesses have completely changed how I prepare for the holiday season. I start planning and preparing (this includes decorating) for Thanksgiving and Christmas before autumn...

Psoriatic arthritis is an inflammatory disease. I had to go through x-rays, MRI’s, and ultrasounds to get the proper diagnosis. As a patient, I know firsthand the difficulty in getting...

It is no secret that I have had many issues with doctors wanting to blame my symptoms from psoriatic arthritis, psoriasis, endometriosis and fibromyalgia on depression. While I fully recognize...

Anyone suffering from psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis knows it’s a constant battle to stay positive. Looking on the bright side of things for a silver lining can be hard when...

As I write this, my family and I are in the process of moving to a new home. Moving is stressful. It doesn’t matter if it is a planned or unexpected move...

I remember the exact moment when I spotted them. Perfect in every way, I had to make them mine, no matter the cost. Oh, if only they knew their future...

I know when a flare is coming on. I’ve learned to identify the signs sure as I know my birthday or eye color. My hearing goes all wonky. My arms...

Although I have been chronically ill for 17 years, and accepting that I need help or assistance is an ongoing struggle.  I know part of that reason is because of...

For most of my chronic life, I focused on everything I couldn’t do.  My physical limitations won’t let me do this or I can’t do that or I will increase...

Psoriatic arthritis is considered an invisible illness because the public may have a hard time “seeing” our pain, swelling, stiffness, and inflammation. This may be true, but there’s no denying...

I have recently noticed that I have something in common with my eldest cat.  Yes, you read that correctly, a cat.  Pumpkin is so old that we refer to him...

Webster’s dictionary defines jealous as, “hostile towards a rival or one believed to enjoy an advantage.” Based on this definition, why wouldn’t we feel jealous of those who appear to...

There is a reason that the phrase, “Hindsight is 20/20,” is so common. My hearing loss and its link to psoriatic arthritis is no exception. Unfortunately, this particular aspect of...

When I was younger, if someone was saying something that I didn’t want to hear, I thought that if I pressed my hands tightly over my ears while loudly singing...

I was extremely miserable during the first 12 years of my chronic life.  Psoriatic arthritis, fibromyalgia, and a couple of other chronic conditions came close to destroying me both physically...