Pants for pelvic pain, spring 2019
My post on pants for arthritis and bladder pain is still pretty popular, but at this point it’s probably a little outdated. I went shopping for spring clothes recently, so I can share what I found at Kohl’s! Unlike my other post, this post is only about women’s pants. It can be really hard to go shopping and find pants as someone with pelvic pain, whether it’s from arthritis, interstitial cystitis, endometriosis, or something else. Stiff, low waistbands are sure to make my hips ache and send pangs through my bladder. I don’t just want to wear leggings all the time, though! I actually had a bit of a crisis…
Does CBD work?
Using CBD (cannabidiol) for pain, insomnia, anxiety, depression, and countless other conditions has become popular. A lot of people use CBD oil, which comes in a little dropper bottle and often includes some (rather arbitrary) dosing instructions. CBD also comes in pills and gummies and can be vaped. It’s so easy to get, but does it work? Is it safe? What is CBD? CBD is an extract of the hemp plant, the same plant that marijuana comes from. Hemp can be used for a lot more than marijuana, though, and contains many different called cannabinoids, including CBD. CBD and other chemicals can be extracted from hemp in ways that keep…
We need to leave behind prejudiced science
Diagnostic criteria put out by medical organizations are supposed to help make diagnosis more straightforward for doctors and patients by defining what the disease is. They should make it easier to study the disease and easier to decide treatment. But what about when those criteria are based on biased assumptions? Research for spondyloarthritis has a history of discrimination affecting women and people of color, and decisions continue to be made from that research. Doctors and researchers need to consider this when making recommendations and designing studies today. Spondyloarthritis Spondyloarthritis (SpA) is a group of autoinflammatory diseases that mostly feature arthritis of the spine which can lead to spinal fusion. The…
I don’t have a diagnosis date
“When were you diagnosed?” It’s a common question among people with chronic illnesses. I’ve heard it asked of my diabetic partner, and I’ve been asked myself. But when you’ve been diagnosed with spondylitis, or any disease that’s difficult to diagnose, the answer doesn’t tell the whole story. I was diagnosed? I was never formally given a diagnosis. Doctors threw around “arthritis” a lot, but that’s not a specific disease. I was never sat down and told, “You have spondylitis,” so it wasn’t the big “Ah-ha!” moment, for good or bad, that some people have. My partner remembers when he was diagnosed with diabetes. My friend knows exactly when she was…
Enbrel Mini review: Easy, customizable injections
Pros: Easy to use, adjustable injection speeds, optional sounds, one-handed injectionsCons: It’s still an injection After months of fighting with my insurance company, I finally got my medicine and was able to try Enbrel Mini! It’s a bit like something out of a sci-fi movie—maybe one day all injections will be as easy as this. (The biomedical engineer in me is already thinking about what to design to make that happen. Hmm…) Humira helped me a lot for a while, but last fall I started having a lot more pain and fatigue, and my doctor suggested moving to Enbrel. Even though I’d had a bad experience with the Humira Pen…
Alfred the Great was disabled
Too often, it’s assumed that disability has no place in the lives of heroes and pioneers. At times, it’s even been actively removed from their stories. Alfred the Great had a chronic illness for much of his life, and by any modern standard, he was disabled. “Great” and “disabled” aren’t antithetical, and “weak” and “disabled” aren’t synonyms. But for many years and to many people that was believed to be the case, and disability has been erased from some versions of Alfred’s story. Alfred the Great was king of Wessex, in England, in the late 9th century. He is credited with the creation of modern England. He unified the English…
Biologics explained
Biological medicines, or biologics, get talked about a lot. The word is casually thrown around in the rheumatology world by doctors and patients alike. What can get skipped, though, is an explanation of what, exactly, makes a biologic a biologic, and why biologics are different from other drugs. What is a biologic? A biologic medication is a medication that comes from a living source. The drug is produced by living cells and then used as medicine. This is different from traditional medications, like aspirin, Tylenol, or ibuprofen, which can be made by carefully combining chemicals (I’ve even made aspirin myself in lab class). Because of how biologics are made, the…
Info checklist for flying with Humira or Enbrel
How to fly with Humira and Enbrel is my most popular post, but I know it can be a little long. Here are the most important points, summarized in a list. Packing info Humira, Enbrel, and x-ray scanners Going through security Documentation Safe travels! -Bri I love creating resources like this, but each one takes a lot of time and research. If this post helped you, consider supporting the site with a coffee! Thanks! <3
Biosimilars: What’s the buzz?
I’ve been hearing a lot about biosimilars lately. On Twitter, at the ACR conference, from pharmaceutical companies and physicians, they’re popping up more and more. In the United States, they’re just starting to get approval and reach patients, while in Europe, they’re gaining ground and making biologic medications more affordable. But what does it mean if something is a biosimilar? Are they safe and effective, and how available are they? What are biosimilars? Many drugs today have both brand-name and generic versions available for use (Advil and Motrin vs. generic ibuprofen, for example). This is because when a drug is first developed, the developer applies for a patent protecting their…
Is chest binding possible with arthritis?
Costochondritis, a condition where the cartilage of the rib cage gets inflamed, is already discussed as a side effect of wearing a chest binder. But what about when you have pre-existing costochondritis and want to chest bind? I’ve tried and failed to find advice for, or even a single mention of, people with arthritis or other chronic illnesses who want to bind their chests. Maybe I just haven’t found the right Reddit post. I haven’t really found a good solution for myself so far, but I can share the frustrations I’ve been through. Chest binding: A brief introduction Chest binding is the practice of someone making their chest appear flatter.…
