Arthritis LIFE

😳 Getting diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis or another autoimmune disease after years of being told you’re “a hypochondriac” or being accused of faking (both of which sadly happened to me) can be traumatizing.

🤨 It’s taken me years to unpack the whiplash between having to work so hard to prove my symptoms were real, to suddenly being told not only were they real, I had a serious lifelong chronic condition that required heavy duty meds!

✅ I went to therapy for the first time 11 years after my diagnosis, and therapy originally was for “postpartum anxiety” but within a few months we ended up delving into the medical trauma I had experienced. It was so incredible helpful.

❓Anyone else have a similar experience or mixed emotions after your diagnosis?

✨ Arthritis support groups aren't all depressing/full of misinformation ✨

✅ I specifically designed Rheum to THRIVE to be the opposite!

💜 Rheum to THRIVE helps you go from overwhelmed, confused, and alone to confident, supported, and connected!

Comment THRIVE below for more information 👇

💜A new diagnosis can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to navigate it alone.

✅If you’re living with hip osteoarthritis, congenital hip dysplasia or other chronic illnesses, remember this:

✨ Advocate for yourself.
✨ Build a care team you trust.
✨ Find supportive people who lift you up.
✨ Celebrate every small win along the way.

💪Healing is a series of small milestones and progress happens one hour, one day, and one milestone at a time.

✨As Carrie Bradshaw reminds us: you don’t go from surgery to the Boston Marathon overnight. You celebrate the process. You celebrate the journey. 🏃‍♀️💪

🎉What’s one small win you’re celebrating today? Share it below! I’d love to cheer you on. 👇

Comment CELEBRATE below for the full episode!

💜A new diagnosis can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to navigate it alone.

👍If you’re living with hip osteoarthritis, congenital hip dysplasia or other chronic illnesses, remember this:

✨ Advocate for yourself.
✨ Build a care team you trust.
✨ Find supportive people who lift you up.
✨ Celebrate every small win along the way.

💪Healing is a series of small milestones and progress happens one hour, one day, and one milestone at a time.

🚶‍♂️As Carrie Bradshaw reminds us: you don’t go from surgery to the Boston Marathon overnight. You celebrate the process. You celebrate the journey. 🏃‍♀️💪

🥳What’s one small win you’re celebrating today? Share it below! I’d love to cheer you on. 👇

Comment CELEBRATE for the full episode!

That feeling when:

You challenge your internalized ableism…

And realize life can be beautiful even if you never fix, heal or cure your chronic illness…

And consider that “acceptance” might not be a bad word after all…

And find a supportive community where you can celebrate your gratitude that it’s not worse, alongside grief that it’s not better…

It’s a beautiful feeling 🫶

I’ve found that community in my Rheum to THRIVE program and I hope one day you can all find yours 🩷

🔥Taking medication for rheumatoid arthritis is not a moral or personal failure.

🫶 Needing methotrexate, a biologic, or another DMARD does not mean you “failed” to control your disease naturally any more than wearing glasses means you failed to improve your eyesight naturally.

🩷 For most people with RA, medication isn’t a backup plan; it’s the standard of care.

Can lifestyle factors like exercise, sleep, stress management, and nutrition help? Absolutely, but they don’t replace medication.

Decades of research show that *most* people with rheumatoid arthritis require medication to achieve sustained remission and prevent joint damage (see just a few citations below).

You deserve effective treatment. 💚

For citations and a deeper dive into medication effectiveness, see my blog post “How Effective Are Rheumatoid Arthritis Medications?” at MyArthritisLife.net.

Questions? Drop them in the comments!



Citations:
Jeffrey A. Sparks. Rheumatoid Arthritis. Ann Intern Med.2019;170:ITC1-ITC16. [Epub 1 January 2019]. doi:10.7326/AITC201901010

Efficacy of biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs: a systematic literature review informing the 2016 update of the EULAR recommendations for the management of rheumatoid arthritis.  Nam JL, Takase-Minegishi K, Ramiro S, et al, Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2017;76:1113-1136.

🎙In Episode 198, Cheryl and Eileen sit down with Dr. Brian Andonian of Duke University, whose research on exercise, aging, and rheumatic disease captured their attention at the 2025 ACR Conference.

🏋If you’re wanting to learn more about exercise with rheumatic diseases, this episode is for you!

❓Anyone else get spam comments about bogus cures immediately after posting?

This is my answer: block and report! 🫡