Living with rheumatoid arthritis can often be a very lonely and frightening experience…but when we come together for encouragement and support, we realize that we’re not alone.

We are RA Guy and Friends: A Curiously Hopeful Podcast, with hosts RA Guy and Kat Elton.

In this podcast, we talk about the ups and downs, and the laughter and tears that come from living with chronic illness. We talk not just to people living with rheumatoid arthritis, but also to their friends and family. Because we know that we’re ALL stronger when we walk this journey together.

We believe that curiosity is one of the most important aspects of living well with this disease. There are a lot of answers out there, and we have to find what works best for each one of us.

And we’re all about being hopeful, because we know that we CAN live a healthy, happy and fulfilling life, no matter what challenges come our way!

Get ready for a podcast that will inspire you, give you hope, new ideas and insights about living well with rheumatoid arthritis.

Listen to the podcast below and/or subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or anywhere else you listen to podcasts!

During my recent break, I rode through fields of black, volcanic sand. I brushed my hands around, and felt the thick blanket of electrical energy that surrounded every square inch of my body. (Volcanos will either drain you, or amp you right up.) I drove past field of seemingly endless llamas and vicuñas. I stopped to take photographs of pre-Incan burial mounds. I soaked in thermal waters. I watched the sun set.

I also got completely slammed by the arrival of winter. I reminded myself that this is to be expected, as it happens every year right around this time. I reminded myself that the worst would soon pass, and that even when it seems like I may just be doing a little, I’m actually doing a lot. I scheduled extra hours of physical therapy, on top of the numerous sessions I already attend on any given week.

I was mesmerized by the audio and visual storytelling beauty of movies such as “The Secret of Kells” and “Song of the Sea”. I read “Waking: A Memoir of Trauma and Transcendence” by Matthew Sanford. I thumb through my dog-eared copy of “A Resilient Life: Learning to Thrive, Not Just Survive with Rheumatoid Arthritis” by my friend, Kat Elton. And I learned a lot from reading “Taking Charge: Making Healthcare Appointments Work for You” by Ricky White.

I built upon my love of Sigur Ros music, and explored the some of the latest sounds coming out of Iceland. (See “Nordic Fire”, The New Yorker, May 1, 2017.) Anna Thorvaldsdottir. Iceland Symphony Orchestra. Jon Leifs. Nordic Affect. Schola Cantorum Reykjavicensis.

I played with my dogs, and enjoyed nice meals with my husband. I helped assemble the collection for this year’s RA Guy Foundation Festival of Gloves. (Exciting things to come this year!) I woke up early. I slept in later. I struggled some mornings more than others, as the temperatures continued (and continue) to drop on a daily basis.

I reminded myself that everything was okay.

And I smiled.

Stay tuned…for the next adventure of Rheumatoid Arthritis Guy!

“The pain never goes away. But things DO get better.”

In the years following my RA diagnosis — when I struggled just to come up for air between endless bouts of excruciating pain — I frequently heard the words above, from people who had been living with this for a long time.

And I didn’t get it, no matter how much I tried to wrap my head around these words. How could such a concept possibly be true? The pain *has* to go away. There’s just no other way…

This year I enter my fifteenth year of living with this disease, and I find myself more and more often saying these exact same words to people who are just starting their own RA journeys. No, the pain won’t go away. But yes, things do get better.

This change in perspective won’t happen on its own; we must first open our minds to the possibility of it being true, even if it seems the furthest thing from the truth at the moment.

We must turn our focus onto LIVING, each and every day. And before you know it, even while the pain is just as bad (and maybe even worse) than it’s always been, you’ll look around yourself one day, and declare: yes, things have indeed gotten better!

Stay tuned…for the next adventure of Rheumatoid Arthritis Guy!

Over the past couple of months, I’ve made a concerted effort to EMBRACE the pain. (Even more so than I’ve done in the past…)

And while is hasn’t been easy, it has been possible.

I know what many people might be thinking — it’s *never* going to happen, RA Guy (embracing the pain, that is). I totally get that, because I myself thought the same thing for years.

But I’ve learned that by consciously and intentionally embracing my pain, I’m able to APPROACH the pain without feeling scared, or feeling the need to escape. I am then able to more clearly EVALUATE exactly what is going on. Only then can I READJUST as necessary, and figure out what I can do to best take care of myself…mind, soul, and body.

And then I do it.

And instead of interpreting the increased anxiety (which never does go away completely) as a signal to run away from the pain, I instead use it as a reminder that if I slow down and breathe, everything will indeed be okay.

Stay tuned…for the next adventure of Rheumatoid Arthritis Guy!