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Kate the (Almost) Great

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POTS Exercise Protocol Diary: Month 1
in Health &middot June 7, 2019

POTS Exercise Protocol Diary: Month 1

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in Health &middot June 7, 2019

POTS Exercise Protocol Diary: Month 1

POTS Exercise Protocol Diary: Month 1

As I've talked about on Instagram and Twitter, I am trying a POTS exercise program. It is designed to help POTS patients reduce symptoms and maybe even retrain the heart to ... Read the Post...

How To Get More Traffic to Your Website: May Blog Traffic Report
in Writing & Blogging &middot June 4, 2019

How To Get More Traffic to Your Website: May Blog Traffic Report

Read the Post »

in Writing & Blogging &middot June 4, 2019

How To Get More Traffic to Your Website: May Blog Traffic Report

How To Get More Traffic to Your Website: May Blog Traffic Report

Amazingly, it is already June, which means that it's time for the May blog traffic report. I'm pretty pleased with my analytics from May, so read below to see how to get more ... Read the Post...

Text reads: Buy my ebook for chronic health bloggers, worth $140, but buy for $10! There is also an image of the ebook cover. The ebook is named "Take Your Blog (And Income!) To The Next Level: Resources for Chronic Health Bloggers".
A Bostonian's Favorite South End Boston Restaurants
in Lifestyle &middot May 28, 2019

A Bostonian’s Favorite South End Boston Restaurants

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in Lifestyle &middot May 28, 2019

A Bostonian’s Favorite South End Boston Restaurants

A Bostonian's Favorite South End Boston Restaurants

I have lived in Boston's South End neighborhood for nearly five years now, and it seems like both an eternity and a blink of the eye. In that time, I've applied for, gotten ... Read the Post...

Chronically Ill Tips: What To Do When a Doctor Doesn't Believe You
in Health &middot May 24, 2019

Chronically Ill Tips: What To Do When a Doctor Isn’t Listening to You

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in Health &middot May 24, 2019

Chronically Ill Tips: What To Do When a Doctor Isn’t Listening to You

Chronically Ill Tips: What To Do When a Doctor Doesn't Believe You

I have been in pain since 2010 and diagnosed with chronic illnesses since 2010 and man oh man have I spent a lot of time in medical offices and managing chronic illness. ... Read the Post...

How To Support the Blogger in Your Life
in Writing & Blogging &middot May 21, 2019

How To Support the Blogger in Your Life

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in Writing & Blogging &middot May 21, 2019

How To Support the Blogger in Your Life

How To Support the Blogger in Your Life

A few years ago, I did a Twitter thread of all sorts of different ways you can support bloggers. In that thread, I just listed ways to help and didn't really give any extra ... Read the Post...

My Current Daily Makeup Routine | Kate the (Almost) Great
in Lifestyle &middot May 14, 2019

Current Daily Makeup Routine

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in Lifestyle &middot May 14, 2019

Current Daily Makeup Routine

My Current Daily Makeup Routine | Kate the (Almost) Great

I recently realized that it has been a while since my last beauty/makeup post on here (and Instagram), so it felt like the right time to share my current daily makeup routine! ... Read the Post...

Arthritis Awareness Month | Kate the (Almost) Great
in Health &middot May 10, 2019

Arthritis Awareness Month

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in Health &middot May 10, 2019

Arthritis Awareness Month

Arthritis Awareness Month | Kate the (Almost) Great

Every month is Arthritis Awareness Month if you live with a form of arthritis, but for everyone else, May is the month for talking about different forms of arthritis, ... Read the Post...

My Journey to Growing Blog Traffic: April Blog Traffic Report
in Writing & Blogging &middot May 7, 2019

My Journey to Growing Blog Traffic: April Blog Traffic Report

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in Writing & Blogging &middot May 7, 2019

My Journey to Growing Blog Traffic: April Blog Traffic Report

My Journey to Growing Blog Traffic: April Blog Traffic Report

As you guys know, I have been on a journey to growing blog traffic for several years now. 2019 has been an interesting one in this journey. I started the year recovering from ... Read the Post...

What I've Been Up To | Kate the (Almost) Great
in Lifestyle &middot May 3, 2019

What I’ve Been Up To

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in Lifestyle &middot May 3, 2019

What I’ve Been Up To

What I've Been Up To | Kate the (Almost) Great

Oh boy. So much has happened in my life in the last 2 months. In fact, this past weekend was the first one in five weeks that I was home in Boston! That's how wild things have ... Read the Post...

How To Get Followers on Pinterest
in Writing & Blogging &middot April 30, 2019

How To Get Followers on Pinterest

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in Writing & Blogging &middot April 30, 2019

How To Get Followers on Pinterest

How To Get Followers on Pinterest

Over the last year, a great chunk of my blog traffic has come from Pinterest. I've written before about how to use Pinterest for blog traffic, but today I want to write about ... Read the Post...

Reviewing the HealtheVoices19 Conference
in Health &middot April 23, 2019

HealtheVoices 2019

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in Health &middot April 23, 2019

HealtheVoices 2019

Reviewing the HealtheVoices19 Conference

Janssen Pharmaceuticals paid for my travel and hotel. All opinions are my own. They did not ask me to write a blog post about my time at the conference. For the second year ... Read the Post...

2019 Recent Reads: January-March
in Lifestyle &middot April 19, 2019

2019 Recent Reads: January-March

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in Lifestyle &middot April 19, 2019

2019 Recent Reads: January-March

2019 Recent Reads: January-March

This is the third year that I've done [Year] Recent Reads - 2017, 2018, and now 2019 - and, despite how difficult it can be as I keep reading more every year, I really enjoy ... Read the Post...

March Blog Traffic Report: My March Blog Traffic Statistics
in Writing & Blogging &middot April 12, 2019

March Blog Traffic Report: My March Blog Traffic Statistics

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in Writing & Blogging &middot April 12, 2019

March Blog Traffic Report: My March Blog Traffic Statistics

March Blog Traffic Report: My March Blog Traffic Statistics

Hello, friends! Long time no blog. I took a little break due to a variety of reasons - which I'll actually get into later in this post - so this is my first post in a few ... Read the Post...

in Writing & Blogging &middot March 19, 2019

How I Manage Social Media for My Blog

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in Writing & Blogging &middot March 19, 2019

How I Manage Social Media for My Blog

One part of blogging that is super important but that isn't talked about a ton is social media. I spend just as much time trying to manage social media for my blog as I do ... Read the Post...

7 Yummy Crockpot Recipes | Kate the (Almost) Great, Boston Lifestyle Blog
in Lifestyle &middot March 15, 2019

7 Yummy Crockpot Recipes

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in Lifestyle &middot March 15, 2019

7 Yummy Crockpot Recipes

7 Yummy Crockpot Recipes | Kate the (Almost) Great, Boston Lifestyle Blog

With my chronic illnesses, I feel best in the morning and usually feel pretty crappy by the end of the day. This means that if I'm going to cook dinner, it's probably going to ... Read the Post...

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Kate the (Almost) Great® is a chronic illness lifestyle blog. It is a resource for chronic illness patients and their loved ones.

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Kate the (Almost) Great

Chronic health lifestyle blog

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Reminder: you can be proud of your disability comm Reminder: you can be proud of your disability community while wishing your body cooperated more⁣
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⬛⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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I’m Kate, a chronic illness patient and advocate sharing what my life is like with 10+ chronic illnesses. Follow me for more and check out my blog at katethealmostgreat.com⁣⁣.⁣
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 ID: Screenshot of a thread post. The background is dark teal, and it's written by katethealmostgreat. ⁣The text reads what's above the first black box.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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#DisabilityPride #ChronicallyIll #InvisibleIllness #Disabled #Disability
I don’t know the exact date of my RA diagnosis, bu I don’t know the exact date of my RA diagnosis, but this is from right around then in July 2010. ⁣
⁣
When I was diagnosed, I had been having symptoms for 9 years. ⁣
- 9 years of foot pain (partially from tarsal coalition)⁣
- Arthritic damage in said food⁣
- Carpal tunnel off and on for several years⁣
- And more⁣
⁣
I was finally diagnosed because I woke up one morning and was unable to open my jaw more than 8 mm. It turned out that I had horrible arthritic damage to my TMJs, which got me off the waiting list at MGH rheumatology. I left that appointment with an autoimmune arthritis diagnosis. ⁣
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The fact that July is not only my diagnosis anniversary but also Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month has always seemed right. I may not have been diagnosed with JA, but given the amount of arthritis I had along with my many years of symptoms, it's generally accepted that I had it. ⁣
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This year marks 16 years since diagnosis and this fall marks 25 years since my symptoms started. It's pretty weird that so much time has already passed!⁣
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⬛⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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I’m Kate, a chronic illness patient and advocate sharing what my life is like with 10+ chronic illnesses. Follow me for more and check out my blog at katethealmostgreat.com⁣⁣.⁣
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ID: Kate at 19 at Fenway Park for a Red Sox game. ⁣
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#RheumatoidArthritis #AutoimmuneDisease #Arthritis #JuvenileArthritis #JRA
Dos and don'ts for when someone in your life is di Dos and don'ts for when someone in your life is diagnosed with autoimmune arthritis! What are some that you would add?⁣
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⬛⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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I’m Kate, a chronic illness patient and advocate sharing what my life is like with 10+ chronic illnesses. Follow me for more and check out my blog at katethealmostgreat.com⁣⁣.⁣
⁣
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ID: "So someone you know was diagnosed with Autoimmune Arthritis". Under the Do column (indicated with a green checkmark) is:⁣
"As how they feel about it⁣
Offer specific ways to help⁣
Treat them normally⁣
Ask follow-up questions⁣
Wear a mask around them when sick."⁣
Under the don't don't column (indicated with an x in a red circle) is:⁣
"Say “At least it’s not xyz!”⁣
Say that and not follow through⁣
Assume nothing about their lives has changed⁣
Conflate autoimmune arthritis with osteoarthritis⁣
Pass your cold to an immunosuppressed person".⁣
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#AutoimmuneDisease #RheumatoidArthritis #PsoriaticArthritis #AnkylosingSpondylitis #JuvenileArthritis
Weekj 26 of 2026 Weekly Scenes of a summer week Weekj 26 of 2026 Weekly 

Scenes of a summer week in Maine! So glad I work from home, which means I can work from my real home (Maine, if that wasn’t clear)

1️⃣ Lots of Harley time
2️⃣ Working from home means saving my PTO for fun things!
3️⃣ Lots of duck families (📸 my dad)
4️⃣ What a lot of my days look like - Harley and my current project (needlepoint). And, yes, I’m still in a cast.
5️⃣ Learned how to play Mahjong, which my parents love
6️⃣ Lake views on the 4th

⬛⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

I’m Kate, a chronic illness patient and advocate sharing what my life is like with 10+ chronic illnesses. Follow me for more and check out my blog at katethealmostgreat.com⁣⁣.⁣⁣⁣⁣

⬛⁣⁣⁣

IDs:
1️⃣ Harley the golden retriever on a deck as seen through some plants
2️⃣ Kate takes a selfie
3️⃣ A duck with little ducklings following on a lake
4️⃣ Harley coming up to Kate. Her legs are out on an ottoman, 1 foot in a walking cast, and an in-progress needlepoint project
5️⃣ Looking down at a Mahjong table with the game set up
6️⃣ A kayak on the shore of a lake 

#MaineTheWay #MaineSummer #Needlepoint #MaineLife
Living with chronic pain is really hard. You’re wi Living with chronic pain is really hard. You’re winning every day you’re still here.⁣
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I’m Kate, a chronic illness patient and advocate sharing what my life is like with 10+ chronic illnesses. Follow me for more and check out my blog at katethealmostgreat.com⁣⁣.⁣
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ID: The background image is a lake at sunset. Text reads what's above the first square and also "katethealmostgreat".⁣
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#ChronicIllness #ChronicPain #RheumatoidArthritis #Fibromyalgia #Endometriosis
I've been spending a fair amount of time at my foo I've been spending a fair amount of time at my foot surgeon's office this year, and boy has it been messing with my head. ⁣
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I spent a lot of time from 2001-2010 dealing with my left foot. Long story short, it took until this foot surgeon saw me in 2010 after fixing this foot for me to be diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. But I spent those 9 years going from doctor to doctor, having surgery after surgery, trying to figure out what was causing my pain and to fix it. ⁣
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Was it the tarsal coalition? Did I have another chronic health issue? Etc. ⁣
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I spent from age 10 to 19 unsure what exactly was wrong with me and in huge amounts of pain. We thought we figured it out, and then something else happened. ⁣
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We know exactly what is wrong with this foot this time around: in 2024, I got 3 stress fractures, and no one put me in a boot. They almost fully healed before breaking in 2025, and then the same thing happened in 2026. ⁣
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This is a different part of the foot than I used to deal with, but any problems with my feet and especially my left foot messes with me. While this doctor eventually fixed the problems and even got me diagnosed with RA, every time I go back to his office, I have to fight not to become 17 again. ⁣
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PTSD is a bitch.⁣
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(PS - if you want to know why I'm going back to this guy when it messes with me, it's because I don't trust anyone else to fix my foot.)⁣
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⬛⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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I’m Kate, a chronic illness patient and advocate sharing what my life is like with 10+ chronic illnesses. Follow me for more and check out my blog at katethealmostgreat.com⁣⁣.⁣
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ID: Kate takes a selfie in a doctor's office. ⁣
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#PTSDAwareness #ChronicallyIll #TarsalCoalition #RheumatoidArthritis #Osteoporosis
Week 25 of #2026Weekly Happy to be in Maine for Week 25 of #2026Weekly 

Happy to be in Maine for a few weeks! I didn’t get up to a lot, so another week of very few pictures

1️⃣ IVIG 
2️⃣ Lots of beautiful birds have been coming to my mom’s bird feeder!

⬛⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

I’m Kate, a chronic illness patient and advocate sharing what my life is like with 10+ chronic illnesses. Follow me for more and check out my blog at katethealmostgreat.com⁣⁣.⁣⁣⁣⁣

⬛⁣⁣⁣

IDs: 
1️⃣ Looking at Kate’s lap. Tubes are coming out from under her shirt and there’s a Kindle
2️⃣ Birds arriving at a bird feeder as seen through a window

#ChronicallyIll #InvisibleIllness #ChronicPain #IVIG
What do you have to do every day for your chronic What do you have to do every day for your chronic illnesses? ⁣
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For context, I have rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, endometriosis, POTS, heart disease, osteoporosis, and more. ⁣
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⬛⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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I’m Kate, a chronic illness patient and advocate sharing what my life is like with 10+ chronic illnesses. Follow me for more and check out my blog at katethealmostgreat.com⁣⁣.⁣
⁣
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ID: ⁣
Things I Do Every Day for My Chronic Illnesses⁣
Take pills at least 4 times a day⁣
Don’t eat gluten, dairy, corn, soy, or eggs⁣
Sleep 7+ hours a night⁣
Consume 80-100 grams of protein, 120 mg of calcium, 5-10 grams of sodium⁣
Wear a mask whenever I leave the house⁣
Do pilates 4+ days a week⁣
Work from home⁣
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#ChronicallyIll #InvisibleIllness #RheumatoidArthritis #Fibromyalgia
Filmed this back in April (hence the sweater) but Filmed this back in April (hence the sweater) but it applies to whenever I have appointments! 

Video: Kate talks to the camera while holding a purse. She holds up individual items mentioned in the video before putting them in the bag. There are captions. 

#ChronicallyIll #RheumatoidArthritis #Osteoporosis #ChronicPain
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