Some days in our rheumatology clinic, our staff feels like a detective agency. We need to work together and examine all of the clues before we’re able to finger the prime suspect. Sometimes we get it right the first time, and sometimes we have to slog through a long...
As we all know, psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is often a challenging disease to diagnose. Physical exam findings are not often definitive. Lab results are rarely much help. Even the patient history may not always give us the clear answers we’re looking for. But as...
If you ask any psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patient about the path to their diagnosis, you’d better grab a cup of coffee and get comfortable. Chances are, it’s going to be a long story. The path from symptom onset to diagnosis rarely follows a linear trajectory. On the...
When we think about family planning issues among patients with rheumatic disease, most of us initially think about our female patients, and for good reason. These are our patients who provide challenges during preconception planning, pregnancy itself, and postpartum....
Planning for pregnancy can be a difficult task, especially for our patients living with a rheumatic disease. It requires a careful review of current and potential future medication plans, an introspective look at an individual’s beliefs, and some good old guesswork....
As a pediatric nurse practitioner, one of the most exciting things about my job is watching my patients grow up and mature. It’s also one of the scariest things about my job. One day, you have an innocent adolescent who leans on mom and dad at every turn for comfort...
After more than a decade living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), I can say without hesitation that the most challenging parts of my healthcare journey have been figuring out how to manage pregnancy and breastfeeding to bring my three children into the world. The...
It started with one pill a day, then two, and then four. That was followed by a series of injections. And on and on, still with little to no pain relief for my systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). I had been seeing the same rheumatologist for a few years and trusted...
In the United States, those of us who work as healthcare providers often struggle with the realities of the “haves” vs. the “have nots.” The “haves” are the patients with good insurance, supportive families, and stable lives despite their disease. The “have nots” are...
Telling a patient that they have rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or any other autoimmune disorder is never easy. By the time most patients arrive in our office, they know, of course, that something is wrong. They have likely been through some diagnostic testing and have...