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Kate the (Almost) Great

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How To Become an Advocate for Patients
in Health &middot October 10, 2018

How To Become an Advocate for Patients

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in Health &middot October 10, 2018

How To Become an Advocate for Patients

How To Become an Advocate for Patients

Hello, friends! Apologies for the unexpected absence; as I said on social media, I dealt with a hellish stomach virus that I'm slowly but surely getting over. It took me out ... Read the Post...

in Writing & Blogging &middot October 2, 2018

What I Did To Drive Traffic to My Blog in September

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in Writing & Blogging &middot October 2, 2018

What I Did To Drive Traffic to My Blog in September

Happy October, everyone! We're heading into the holiday season - which in my eyes means Halloween to New Year's - and the temperatures are finally cooling down. But this also ... 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".
Currently [Vol. 23]
in Lifestyle &middot September 28, 2018

Currently [Vol. 23]

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in Lifestyle &middot September 28, 2018

Currently [Vol. 23]

Currently [Vol. 23]

I can't believe it, but we're 75% through 2018! What! We're heading into my favorite time of the year, so I'm thrilled, but it's bizarre that we're closer to January 2019 than ... Read the Post...

What's the Difference Between Osteoarthritis & Rheumatoid Arthritis?
in Health &middot September 26, 2018

What Is the Difference between Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis?

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in Health &middot September 26, 2018

What Is the Difference between Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis?

What's the Difference Between Osteoarthritis & Rheumatoid Arthritis?

The biggest snag I run into when I tell people that I have rheumatoid arthritis is that people often don't know what that is. Usually, the response is something like, "So? My ... Read the Post...

in Lifestyle &middot September 21, 2018

Best Coffee Shops in Boston

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in Lifestyle &middot September 21, 2018

Best Coffee Shops in Boston

It's time to talk about one of my favorite things: coffee! I've lived in Boston for 4 years now and buy coffee ... way too often. I have also spent a lot of time over the ... Read the Post...

in Health &middot September 19, 2018

POTS and Heat Intolerance

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in Health &middot September 19, 2018

POTS and Heat Intolerance

One of the biggest medical issues that I've been dealing with this year has been POTS. It made my surgery recovery difficult, especially in the first week. And it has been my ... Read the Post...

LIES and Coffee Kit Giveaway
in Lifestyle &middot September 17, 2018

LIES & Coffee Kit Giveaway

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in Lifestyle &middot September 17, 2018

LIES & Coffee Kit Giveaway

LIES and Coffee Kit Giveaway

Happy Monday, friends! I'm here with a special edition of Kate the (Almost) Great featuring another book giveaway. Good luck! This is a paid collaboration with St. Martin’s ... Read the Post...

in Writing & Blogging &middot September 14, 2018

My Proven Method for Blogging with Limited Time

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in Writing & Blogging &middot September 14, 2018

My Proven Method for Blogging with Limited Time

I've been blogging since 2013, and like many people, my life has only gotten more hectic. Since I started blogging, I started teaching high school, quit teaching, had 3 ... Read the Post...

in Lifestyle &middot September 11, 2018

How To Go Back to Work After a Long Break

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in Lifestyle &middot September 11, 2018

How To Go Back to Work After a Long Break

A little while ago, I asked on my Instagram whether you wanted to see more suggestions of how to spend a weekend in Boston or what it's like to adjust to working after not for ... Read the Post...

in Lifestyle &middot September 10, 2018

Health & Wellness Tips for College Students

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in Lifestyle &middot September 10, 2018

Health & Wellness Tips for College Students

This is a sponsored post not written by Kate. Thank you for supporting Kate the (Almost) Great! For most students, the first month at college is all about newfound ... Read the Post...

What Does Endometriosis Feel Like?
in Health &middot September 7, 2018

What Does Endometriosis Feel Like?

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in Health &middot September 7, 2018

What Does Endometriosis Feel Like?

What Does Endometriosis Feel Like?

Over the weekend, I asked you guys on my Instagram if you wanted to hear about what endometriosis feels like or about POTS and heat intolerance. The results were very close, ... Read the Post...

in Writing & Blogging &middot September 4, 2018

Did I Meet My Blog Traffic Goals in August?

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in Writing & Blogging &middot September 4, 2018

Did I Meet My Blog Traffic Goals in August?

Another month, another blog traffic report. I really like doing this because it's great to have a solid record of my traffic and the things that have impacted it. All this to ... Read the Post...

in Lifestyle &middot August 31, 2018

Currently [Vol. 22]

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in Lifestyle &middot August 31, 2018

Currently [Vol. 22]

Give. Me. Fall! I can't wait for cooler temperatures, but for now, let's talk about August and what I've currently been up to. This post contains affiliate links. Thank you ... Read the Post...

in Lifestyle &middot August 29, 2018

Kate’s Historical Fun Facts [Vol. 4]

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in Lifestyle &middot August 29, 2018

Kate’s Historical Fun Facts [Vol. 4]

We're talking about one of my favorite topics: historical fun facts! They're few but weird this month. I hope you enjoy! This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for ... Read the Post...

What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20 | Kate the (Almost) Great
in Lifestyle &middot August 21, 2018

What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20

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in Lifestyle &middot August 21, 2018

What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20

What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20 | Kate the (Almost) Great

It's hard to believe it, but I'm officially in my late twenties now that I'm 27. A lot happens to everyone in 7 years, but that is especially true between the ages of 20 and ... 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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Most Popular Posts

  • What Is the Difference between Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis?
  • What Sjögren’s Syndrome Is: A Beginner’s Guide
  • 9 Arthritis Products That Help My Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • What Every POTS Syndrome Patient Needs for the Summer
  • Seronegative Rheumatoid Arthritis Diagnosis: What I’ve Learned
  • The Products I Loved (And Wanted) in Grad School
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  • What Does Arthritis Pain Actually Feel Like?
  • Beginner’s Guide: Rheumatoid Arthritis Flare Up


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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. ⁣
⁣
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. ⁣
⁣
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. ⁣
⁣
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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