I first met JY 2 weeks ago. A 35-year-old, tall, lanky male with a 2-year history of seronegative rheumatoid arthritis (RA), JY initially presented to a rheumatologist in my area with only a handful of troubling issues. His labs were all negative with the exception of...
I was diagnosed with my first chronic illness at age 5, so I’ve taken medication daily for basically as long as I can remember. As a result, I didn’t have any trouble accepting that treatment would be necessary when I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at...
In October 2017, I met JP, a 66-year-old female patient, for the first time. During our initial meeting, JP reported that she had been recently seen by a new primary care doctor who then referred her to my rheumatology clinic thinking she had rheumatoid arthritis (RA)...
When I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at the age of 25, one of my first concerns was how it would impact my ability to start a family. Though I was lucky to have an extremely supportive rheumatology team, I still felt there was an acute lack of...
As rheumatology nurses, we see many patients in what should be the prime years of their lives. In their 20s or 30s, I currently have numerous recently married women in my practice as patients who have a new diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), dealing them a...
Being a new parent is never easy, but it can be especially challenging for patients with a chronic disease such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Here are some tips I have given to my patients with RA over the years—I hope you find them helpful for use in your practice!...
“How are my numbers?” It’s a question that I get daily from my patients, often on several occasions. Patients will call and ask for a copy of their lab report or, if they are enrolled in our online portal program, after they check their values on their computer. “Oh...
We all have patients who are hard to connect with, stubborn beyond belief despite what we think is clear evidence that refutes their deep-seated obstinence. How often do we hear, “The side effects are too great. I’d rather suffer in pain than take this new medication...
As a rheumatology nurse practitioner with 16 years of experience, I have seen a lot of patients with rapidly progressing disease. Unquestionably, after nearly 2 decades of experience with biologic therapies, the use of early, aggressive therapy is best for most of our...
J.T. was a former professional baseball player who came to our practice after being diagnosed at age 45 with severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In the prime of his youth, J.T. played for a number of minor league teams, and even after his baseball career, he remained an...