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in Lifestyle &middot January 19, 2018

The Best Fair Skin Makeup

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in Lifestyle &middot January 19, 2018

The Best Fair Skin Makeup

Something I really struggle with (less so now, thankfully) is finding makeup that works well with my super fair skin. Not only do I have Irish, Scottish, English, and Polish ... Read the Post...

in Health, Lifestyle &middot January 16, 2018

Beginner’s Guide: Autoimmune Paleo Diet

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in Health, Lifestyle &middot January 16, 2018

Beginner’s Guide: Autoimmune Paleo Diet

There have been a ton of different types of diets to try all over Pinterest. I know that in my perusal, I've seen gluten-free, clean eating, paleo, vegan, and more. But one ... 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 Writing & Blogging &middot January 12, 2018

Steps to Writing a Book: Pre-Writing

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in Writing & Blogging &middot January 12, 2018

Steps to Writing a Book: Pre-Writing

Writing a novel is not an easy process. If it was, everyone would do it! Some people have a basic idea and are able to sit down and just start writing. I'm not one of those ... Read the Post...

Cheap Things To Do in Boston
in Lifestyle &middot January 10, 2018

Cheap Things To Do in Boston

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in Lifestyle &middot January 10, 2018

Cheap Things To Do in Boston

Cheap Things To Do in Boston

Boston is a great city for a variety reason, but I also think it's great because there is so much to do and there's so much history. But whether you're visiting the city or ... Read the Post...

in Health, Lifestyle &middot January 8, 2018

How To Create a Dating Profile That Gets Responses

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in Health, Lifestyle &middot January 8, 2018

How To Create a Dating Profile That Gets Responses

This is a sponsored post. Thank you for supporting Kate the (Almost) Great! Back in August, I wrote a post about dating with chronic conditions, such as pain or illness. ... Read the Post...

in Writing & Blogging &middot January 5, 2018

December Blog Traffic Report

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in Writing & Blogging &middot January 5, 2018

December Blog Traffic Report

Another month, another traffic report. This month was interesting because I actually started using a special tool in November and then only used it for a few weeks in December ... Read the Post...

in Lifestyle &middot January 2, 2018

How To Achieve Your Goals

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in Lifestyle &middot January 2, 2018

How To Achieve Your Goals

Happy 2018! I don't know if it's weirder that it's 2018 or that we're now 2 years away from 2020 ... Anyway. New year means new goals for most of the world. Today I want to ... Read the Post...

in Writing & Blogging &middot December 29, 2017

12 Blog Traffic Boosting Tools To Try in 2018

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in Writing & Blogging &middot December 29, 2017

12 Blog Traffic Boosting Tools To Try in 2018

If you've been reading my blog this year - especially my blog traffic reports - you probably know that I've been trying different tools to grow my blog. In order to find tools ... Read the Post...

in Health &middot December 22, 2017

A Guide to Chronic Illness for Those Who Don’t Have One

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in Health &middot December 22, 2017

A Guide to Chronic Illness for Those Who Don’t Have One

Chronic illness is one of those things where you can never completely understand it unless you have lived it. But people who live with chronic illness really need support from ... Read the Post...

in Lifestyle &middot December 20, 2017

2017 Recent Reads: October-December

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in Lifestyle &middot December 20, 2017

2017 Recent Reads: October-December

It's the last post of my 2017 Recent Reads series! I've loved doing this, so I'm going to continue it in 2018. I actually read fewer books in the last quarter of 2017 than in ... Read the Post...

in Writing & Blogging &middot December 18, 2017

Grammar Tips for Blog Writing + Free Checklist

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in Writing & Blogging &middot December 18, 2017

Grammar Tips for Blog Writing + Free Checklist

While good images are an important part of every blog, the writing is important, too. On one level, writing is what connects your readers to you. On another level, if you're ... Read the Post...

Gift Guide: Chronic Illness Gifts
in Health &middot December 15, 2017

Gift Guide: Chronic Illness Gifts

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in Health &middot December 15, 2017

Gift Guide: Chronic Illness Gifts

Gift Guide: Chronic Illness Gifts

It's hard to believe it, but we're at the last gift guide of 2017! Hanukkah has already started (Happy Hanukkah to those who celebrate!) and Christmas is just around the ... Read the Post...

in Lifestyle &middot December 12, 2017

Meet My Best Friend

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in Lifestyle &middot December 12, 2017

Meet My Best Friend

This is a sponsored post, meaning I receive compensation for sharing it. As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting Kate the (Almost) Great! I have been so ... Read the Post...

Gift Guide: Beauty Gifts
in Lifestyle &middot December 8, 2017

Gift Guide: Beauty Gifts

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in Lifestyle &middot December 8, 2017

Gift Guide: Beauty Gifts

Gift Guide: Beauty Gifts

This is my other favorite gift guide to do (tied with books for my favorite). As you guys probably know, I love makeup. I love skincare. I love every beauty. So I've pulled ... Read the Post...

in Writing & Blogging &middot December 4, 2017

November Blog Traffic Report

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in Writing & Blogging &middot December 4, 2017

November Blog Traffic Report

I'm not going to lie - I was convinced that November was going to be a bad blog traffic month for me. I had three guest posts, I had my infusion and was offline for almost a ... 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. ⁣
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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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