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Kate the (Almost) Great

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in Lifestyle &middot February 28, 2018

Currently [Vol. 17]

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in Lifestyle &middot February 28, 2018

Currently [Vol. 17]

Considering how short this month has been, I'm surprised just how much I managed to fit into February. I read a ton of books, watched a lot of TV (due to a virus and weather ... Read the Post...

in Health &middot February 26, 2018

Problems from My Inflammatory Arthritis + How To Deal with Them

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in Health &middot February 26, 2018

Problems from My Inflammatory Arthritis + How To Deal with Them

Living with a form of inflammatory arthritis like rheumatoid can be an adventure, let me tell you. I was diagnosed in 2010 and have been through a lot since then. And that ... 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".
in Lifestyle &middot February 21, 2018

My 2018 TBR List

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in Lifestyle &middot February 21, 2018

My 2018 TBR List

I feel like my TBR (to be read) list gets longer every day. Between the book bloggers I follow and all the good book suggestions from Instagram and Amazon, there are so many ... Read the Post...

10 Things I Wish I Knew When I Received My Rheumatoid Arthritis Diagnosis
in Health &middot February 19, 2018

Seronegative Rheumatoid Arthritis Diagnosis: What I’ve Learned

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in Health &middot February 19, 2018

Seronegative Rheumatoid Arthritis Diagnosis: What I’ve Learned

10 Things I Wish I Knew When I Received My Rheumatoid Arthritis Diagnosis

It's hard to believe that it has only been 7.5 years since I got my seronegative rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis. It feels like I've been diagnosed forever! But it was only in ... Read the Post...

in Lifestyle &middot February 16, 2018

Presidents Day Sales 2018

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in Lifestyle &middot February 16, 2018

Presidents Day Sales 2018

Valentine's Day is over, so do you know what that means? Presidents Day sales! This is a big weekend for car and mattress sales, but those are not the only ones out there. ... Read the Post...

in Writing & Blogging &middot February 14, 2018

How To Use SEO To Stand Out + Free SEO Checklist

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in Writing & Blogging &middot February 14, 2018

How To Use SEO To Stand Out + Free SEO Checklist

As bloggers, many of us are always looking for ways we can increase our blog traffic. Who wouldn't want more eyes on the content that we take so much time to produce? One of ... Read the Post...

in Health &middot February 12, 2018

The Art of Managing Anxiety

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in Health &middot February 12, 2018

The Art of Managing Anxiety

Managing an anxiety disorder certainly is an art. An anxiety disorder is when your brain doesn't shut off anxiety; it's not the same thing as feeling anxious. I personally was ... Read the Post...

in Writing & Blogging &middot February 8, 2018

Steps to Writing a Book: The First Draft

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in Writing & Blogging &middot February 8, 2018

Steps to Writing a Book: The First Draft

After the great response to my last post about pre-writing, I thought I would turn this into a little bit of a series. Basically, I want to help you answer the question, What ... Read the Post...

in Lifestyle &middot February 5, 2018

Your Guide to Valentine’s Day & Galentine’s Day

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in Lifestyle &middot February 5, 2018

Your Guide to Valentine’s Day & Galentine’s Day

It felt like January would go on forever, but I'm still surprised that Valentine's Day is next week. And you know that means that Galentine's Day is, too! If you're unfamiliar ... Read the Post...

How To Drive Traffic to Your Blog: January Blog Traffic Report
in Writing & Blogging &middot February 2, 2018

How To Drive Traffic To Your Blog: January Blog Traffic Report

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in Writing & Blogging &middot February 2, 2018

How To Drive Traffic To Your Blog: January Blog Traffic Report

How To Drive Traffic to Your Blog: January Blog Traffic Report

I worked really hard on my blog traffic in January, and I'm really happy with the results. I don't know if this is because January was the first month since August that I ... Read the Post...

in Lifestyle &middot January 31, 2018

Currently [Vol. 16]

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in Lifestyle &middot January 31, 2018

Currently [Vol. 16]

I feel like so much has happened since my last Currently post. To be fair, that's because I didn't do one at the end of December, so it has been twice as long since my last ... Read the Post...

College Tips for Disabled Students
in Health &middot January 29, 2018

College Tips for Disabled Students

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in Health &middot January 29, 2018

College Tips for Disabled Students

College Tips for Disabled Students

College is tough enough, but add a disability into the mix and it can be even harder. A lot of that depends on your college or university, and there are some things that you ... Read the Post...

in Lifestyle &middot January 26, 2018

Why You Should Read and Watch Outlander

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in Lifestyle &middot January 26, 2018

Why You Should Read and Watch Outlander

If you follow me on Twitter, you probably know that I'm a fan of the Outlander series. I have a history of live tweeting the episodes and just talking about it in general ... Read the Post...

in Health &middot January 24, 2018

5 Items Every Person on Immunosuppression Medications Needs

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in Health &middot January 24, 2018

5 Items Every Person on Immunosuppression Medications Needs

If you have an autoimmune disease - such as rheumatoid arthritis - you're probably on immunosuppressants, as are people with other conditions like cancer. What a lot of people ... Read the Post...

How To Optimize Your Social Media Platforms as a Blogger + Free Checklist
in Writing & Blogging &middot January 22, 2018

How To Optimize Your Social Media Platforms as a Blogger + Free Checklist

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in Writing & Blogging &middot January 22, 2018

How To Optimize Your Social Media Platforms as a Blogger + Free Checklist

How To Optimize Your Social Media Platforms as a Blogger + Free Checklist

As a blogger in 2018, social media is just as important as your blog. Most people think this because you can work with brands on social media alone, but that's only part of ... Read the Post...

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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. ⁣
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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⁣
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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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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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