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Kate the (Almost) Great

Chronic illness blog

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Celebrating Easter with chronic illness, www. kate the almost great .com
in Health, Lifestyle &middot February 13, 2024

Celebrating Easter with Chronic Illness

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in Health, Lifestyle &middot February 13, 2024

Celebrating Easter with Chronic Illness

Celebrating Easter with chronic illness, www. kate the almost great .com

Looking to celebrate Easter? Have a chronic illness or six? I’ve got you covered! Chronic illness makes all aspects of life difficult, especially holidays, but individual ... Read the Post...

Text reads: What is advocacy? A patient advocate's guide, www. kate the almost great .com
in Health, Lifestyle &middot February 6, 2024

What Is Advocacy? A Patient Advocate’s Guide

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in Health, Lifestyle &middot February 6, 2024

What Is Advocacy? A Patient Advocate’s Guide

Text reads: What is advocacy? A patient advocate's guide, www. kate the almost great .com

Are you trying to get more involved in advocacy, or even just get started? Then this post is for you! Here we’re answering questions like, “What is advocacy?”, “What is ... 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".
Everything You Need for Promoting Your Blog in 2024, www. kate the almost great .com
in Writing & Blogging &middot January 16, 2024

Everything You Need for Promoting Your Blog

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in Writing & Blogging &middot January 16, 2024

Everything You Need for Promoting Your Blog

Everything You Need for Promoting Your Blog in 2024, www. kate the almost great .com

Want to learn about promoting your blog? Want to learn how to gain blog traffic? Then you are in the right place! Today we are talking about everything you need, whether it be ... Read the Post...

Text reads: 2023 recent reads, July through December, www. kate the almost great .com
in Lifestyle &middot January 9, 2024

2023 Recent Reads: July-December

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in Lifestyle &middot January 9, 2024

2023 Recent Reads: July-December

Text reads: 2023 recent reads, July through December, www. kate the almost great .com

It’s a new year! Before we get into 2024, let’s finish out 2023 with my last edition of 2023 Recent Reads.  Since I never did one for Q3 of 2023, I’m combining Q3 and ... Read the Post...

Text reads: 27 tricks to increase blog traffic you need in 2024, www. kate the almost great .com
in Writing & Blogging &middot December 26, 2023

27 Tricks To Increase Blog Traffic You Need in 2024

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in Writing & Blogging &middot December 26, 2023

27 Tricks To Increase Blog Traffic You Need in 2024

Text reads: 27 tricks to increase blog traffic you need in 2024, www. kate the almost great .com

Learning how to grow your blog traffic is hard. Trust me; as a veteran blogger, I know a thing or two about it. But if you are ready to skyrocket your traffic, I have 27 ... Read the Post...

Text reads: best gift ideas for the holidays, new chronic illness patients, www. kate the almost great .com
in Health, Lifestyle &middot December 1, 2023

Best Gift Ideas for the Holidays: New Chronic Illness Patients

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in Health, Lifestyle &middot December 1, 2023

Best Gift Ideas for the Holidays: New Chronic Illness Patients

Text reads: best gift ideas for the holidays, new chronic illness patients, www. kate the almost great .com

This post contains affiliate links and sponsored product placement. I do not share any product or company that I dislike; all opinions are mine. Thank you for supporting Kate ... Read the Post...

in Lifestyle &middot November 24, 2023

Best Gift Ideas for the Holidays: Cyber Week 2023

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in Lifestyle &middot November 24, 2023

Best Gift Ideas for the Holidays: Cyber Week 2023

This post contains affiliate links and sponsored product placement. I do not share any product or company that I dislike; all opinions are mine. Thank you for supporting Kate ... Read the Post...

Text reads: 17 things needed for making a blog successful, www. kate the almost great .com (end text)
in Writing & Blogging &middot November 14, 2023

17 Things Needed for Making a Blog Successful

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in Writing & Blogging &middot November 14, 2023

17 Things Needed for Making a Blog Successful

Text reads: 17 things needed for making a blog successful, www. kate the almost great .com (end text)

Whether you’re building a blog from scratch or are making a blog successful after you’ve already had it for a few years, there are a LOT of things you need to do. I’m using my ... Read the Post...

Best Gift Ideas for the Holidays: Unique Gift Ideas, www. kate the almost great .com
in Lifestyle &middot November 3, 2023

Best Gift Ideas for the Holidays: Unique Gift Ideas

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in Lifestyle &middot November 3, 2023

Best Gift Ideas for the Holidays: Unique Gift Ideas

Best Gift Ideas for the Holidays: Unique Gift Ideas, www. kate the almost great .com

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. This post also contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Kate the (Almost) Great®! Yes, it’s gift guide time ... Read the Post...

Text reads: things to do before you have surgery, www. kate the almost great .com (end text). surgery recovery, knee surgery recovery time. surgery for endometriosis recovery, surgery recovery gifts, surgery recovery tips, surgery recovery timeline, arthritis surgery recovery, endometriosis surgery recovery, knee, surgery recovery tips, post surgery recovery tips, tips for recovering from surgery, tips surgery recovery, what helps you heal faster after surgery
in Health &middot October 10, 2023

Crucial Ways to Prep for Surgery Recovery Ahead of Time

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in Health &middot October 10, 2023

Crucial Ways to Prep for Surgery Recovery Ahead of Time

Text reads: things to do before you have surgery, www. kate the almost great .com (end text). surgery recovery, knee surgery recovery time. surgery for endometriosis recovery, surgery recovery gifts, surgery recovery tips, surgery recovery timeline, arthritis surgery recovery, endometriosis surgery recovery, knee, surgery recovery tips, post surgery recovery tips, tips for recovering from surgery, tips surgery recovery, what helps you heal faster after surgery

My surgery recovery earlier this year was the first I’ve had in 5 years I had several months to prepare for it, which made my overall recovery easier. Unfortunately, I am a ... Read the Post...

Surviving the Holidays with Chronic Illness: How To Survive, Thrive, & Have a Great Time, www. kate the almost great .com
in Health, Lifestyle &middot September 26, 2023

Surviving the Holidays with Chronic Illness: How To Survive, Thrive, & Have a Great Time

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in Health, Lifestyle &middot September 26, 2023

Surviving the Holidays with Chronic Illness: How To Survive, Thrive, & Have a Great Time

Surviving the Holidays with Chronic Illness: How To Survive, Thrive, & Have a Great Time, www. kate the almost great .com

We’re heading into the last part of the year, which is always my favorite part. But surviving the holidays with chronic illness is really difficult, not to mention thriving ... Read the Post...

Text reads: Expert Holiday Blog Post Ideas You Need This Year, www.katethealmostgreat.com (end text). As we head into the holiday season, it’s time to think about holiday blog post ideas. Stressed out? Don't be! Here are over 17 expert topics.
in Writing & Blogging &middot September 5, 2023

Expert Holiday Blog Post Ideas You Need This Year

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in Writing & Blogging &middot September 5, 2023

Expert Holiday Blog Post Ideas You Need This Year

Text reads: Expert Holiday Blog Post Ideas You Need This Year, www.katethealmostgreat.com (end text). As we head into the holiday season, it’s time to think about holiday blog post ideas. Stressed out? Don't be! Here are over 17 expert topics.

As we head into the holiday season, it’s time to think about holiday blog post ideas. Why? Because you should be publishing holiday blog posts sooner than you think. If you’re ... Read the Post...

Text reads: What Immunocompromised Patients Need To Know, www. kate the almost great .com
in Health &middot August 22, 2023

What Immunocompromised Patients Need To Know

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in Health &middot August 22, 2023

What Immunocompromised Patients Need To Know

Text reads: What Immunocompromised Patients Need To Know, www. kate the almost great .com

We have been living in a world with COVID for over 3 years now, can you believe it? It hasn’t been an easy time, especially for us immunocompromised patients. Living with a ... Read the Post...

Text reads: 12 Simple Ways for Bloggers To Get Ready for the Holidays, www.katethealmostgreat.com (end text). If you’re a blogger, you’re looking at what is possibly the most profitable time of year. Whether it be ads or affiliate sales, sponsored posts or sponsored reviews, the end of the year is a great time of year to make money … if you’re willing to put in the work. That’s why I suggest getting started now. 
in Writing & Blogging &middot August 8, 2023

12 Simple Ways for Bloggers To Get Ready for the Holidays

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in Writing & Blogging &middot August 8, 2023

12 Simple Ways for Bloggers To Get Ready for the Holidays

Text reads: 12 Simple Ways for Bloggers To Get Ready for the Holidays, www.katethealmostgreat.com (end text). If you’re a blogger, you’re looking at what is possibly the most profitable time of year. Whether it be ads or affiliate sales, sponsored posts or sponsored reviews, the end of the year is a great time of year to make money … if you’re willing to put in the work. That’s why I suggest getting started now. 

Yes, that’s right, it’s time to get ready for the holidays! If you’re a blogger, you’re looking at what is possibly the most profitable time of year. Whether it be ads or ... Read the Post...

People know so little about autoimmune diseases, so I thought it was time to talk about some autoimmune disease basics.
in Health &middot July 25, 2023

What No One Tells You About Autoimmune Diseases

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in Health &middot July 25, 2023

What No One Tells You About Autoimmune Diseases

People know so little about autoimmune diseases, so I thought it was time to talk about some autoimmune disease basics.

I have been publicly talking about autoimmune diseases for over 10 years now, and one of the biggest things I’ve learned is how little people know about them. To that end, ... 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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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⁣
⁣
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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⬛⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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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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