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in Lifestyle &middot July 31, 2017

Currently [Vol. 11]

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in Lifestyle &middot July 31, 2017

Currently [Vol. 11]

The summer is flying by, and to be honest, I'm okay with it. July was a roller coaster of a month personally and for my health, and I learned the hard way this month that my ... Read the Post...

in Health &middot July 28, 2017

A Letter to the Mom Who Yelled at Me on the Bus for My Disability

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in Health &middot July 28, 2017

A Letter to the Mom Who Yelled at Me on the Bus for My Disability

If you follow me on Twitter, you may remember that last week I posted about being yelled at on the bus. It was pretty crowded, and a mom got on the bus with her kids, and they ... 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".
My Favorite Face Masks
in Lifestyle &middot July 26, 2017

My Favorite Face Masks

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in Lifestyle &middot July 26, 2017

My Favorite Face Masks

My Favorite Face Masks

There are many elements to having great skin, but one of the ways you can help make your skin as good as possible is by using face masks. I've used loads of different ones ... Read the Post...

in Writing & Blogging &middot July 24, 2017

A Guide To Writing Disabled Characters

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in Writing & Blogging &middot July 24, 2017

A Guide To Writing Disabled Characters

No matter the story that you're writing, you should make sure that there is a diverse cast of characters, and a part of that diversity should include disability. Disability is ... Read the Post...

in Writing & Blogging &middot July 19, 2017

Where To Find Blog Post Ideas

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in Writing & Blogging &middot July 19, 2017

Where To Find Blog Post Ideas

Whether you're considering starting a blog or you've been writing for a while, at some point you need to figure out where you can get blog post ideas. I've been blogging for ... Read the Post...

On Inspiration Porn
in Health &middot July 17, 2017

On Inspiration Porn

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in Health &middot July 17, 2017

On Inspiration Porn

On Inspiration Porn

If you have had any interactions with anyone involved with the disability community - including if you follow me online, especially on Twitter - you've probably heard about ... Read the Post...

Are Book Reviews Necessary?
in Writing & Blogging &middot July 14, 2017

Are Book Reviews Necessary?

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in Writing & Blogging &middot July 14, 2017

Are Book Reviews Necessary?

Are Book Reviews Necessary?

I'm out recovering from my infusion, so thanks you, Chris, for the awesome guest post! I'll be back next week! You’ve heard the old adage, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” ... Read the Post...

2017 Reader Survey + Giveaway
in Lifestyle &middot July 12, 2017

2017 Reader Survey + Giveaway

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in Lifestyle &middot July 12, 2017

2017 Reader Survey + Giveaway

2017 Reader Survey + Giveaway

Every year since I started blogging, I have done a reader survey. This helps me understand my readers better, from what they like to who they are. As always, as a thank you ... Read the Post...

My Summer Essentials
in Lifestyle &middot July 10, 2017

My Summer Essentials

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in Lifestyle &middot July 10, 2017

My Summer Essentials

My Summer Essentials

We're officially in the thick of summer! It was still pretty springy here through most of June, but summer really kicked in at the end of June. Since we still have a lot more ... Read the Post...

in Health &middot July 7, 2017

Beginner’s Guide: Seronegative Rheumatoid Arthritis

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in Health &middot July 7, 2017

Beginner’s Guide: Seronegative Rheumatoid Arthritis

As I've mentioned before, there are over 100 types of arthritis, and one of the more common ones is rheumatoid, with 1.5 million American patients (x). When diagnosing ... Read the Post...

June Blog Traffic Report
in Writing & Blogging &middot July 5, 2017

June Blog Traffic Report

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in Writing & Blogging &middot July 5, 2017

June Blog Traffic Report

June Blog Traffic Report

Another month, another traffic report. I'm actually really pleased with this one, though! My traffic increased by 28% in June, and my social media grew, too. What's extra ... Read the Post...

in Lifestyle &middot June 30, 2017

Currently [Vol. 10]

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in Lifestyle &middot June 30, 2017

Currently [Vol. 10]

Guess who's baaaaaackkkkkk! I'm doing better but am nowhere near healed yet. In fact, it has taken me all week to write this post, so again, not healed. But I am doing better, ... Read the Post...

Coconut Products
in Lifestyle &middot June 28, 2017

Surprising Benefits of Coconut Oil

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in Lifestyle &middot June 28, 2017

Surprising Benefits of Coconut Oil

Coconut Products

I'm still out recovering from surgery, but I hope you enjoy this guest post from Samantha! I hope to be back here within a week. Surprising Beauty Benefits of Coconut ... Read the Post...

30 Things about Living with POTS
in Health &middot June 23, 2017

30 Things About Living with POTS

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in Health &middot June 23, 2017

30 Things About Living with POTS

30 Things about Living with POTS

Thank you to the amazing Emmie for this awesome guest post! I am especially thankful for it because we're trying to figure out if I have POTS, so it's great to see this post. ... Read the Post...

in Lifestyle &middot June 20, 2017

Making the Perfect Picnic

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in Lifestyle &middot June 20, 2017

Making the Perfect Picnic

Hi, everyone! I'm currently out recovering from knee surgery and won't be back for a little while, so pease enjoy this guest post. I'll be back on social media before I'm back ... Read the Post...

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  • What Does Arthritis Pain Actually Feel Like?
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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⁣
⁣
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. ⁣
⁣
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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