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So Someone You Know Was Diagnosed with Inflammatory Arthritis
in Health &middot April 28, 2017

So Someone You Know Was Diagnosed with Inflammatory Arthritis

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in Health &middot April 28, 2017

So Someone You Know Was Diagnosed with Inflammatory Arthritis

So Someone You Know Was Diagnosed with Inflammatory Arthritis

With how many people have arthritis - the CDC's new data shows that it's 54 million Americans, or 1 in 4 adults - there is a huge change that you know someone who has it. That ... Read the Post...

in Lifestyle &middot April 26, 2017

Currently [Vol. 8]

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in Lifestyle &middot April 26, 2017

Currently [Vol. 8]

Another month has come and gone! This means that it's time to take a look at what I've been up to, what's coming up in my life, the things I've been enjoying, and more. If you ... 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".
30 Creative Writing Prompts
in Writing & Blogging &middot April 24, 2017

30 Creative Writing Prompts

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in Writing & Blogging &middot April 24, 2017

30 Creative Writing Prompts

30 Creative Writing Prompts

Hit writer's block? Just want to try writing something different? Check out these 30 creative writing prompts. They're all pieces of dialogue that you might want to use at the ... Read the Post...

in Lifestyle &middot April 21, 2017

New England Trips this Spring and Summer

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in Lifestyle &middot April 21, 2017

New England Trips this Spring and Summer

Whether you live in New England or just want to visit, there are lots of ideas for New England trips this spring and summer. New England summers are great because it doesn't ... Read the Post...

How To Ensure You're Getting the Best Medical Care Possible
in Health &middot April 19, 2017

How To Ensure You’re Getting the Best Medical Care Possible

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in Health &middot April 19, 2017

How To Ensure You’re Getting the Best Medical Care Possible

How To Ensure You're Getting the Best Medical Care Possible

This is a guest post. I'm dealing with finals and Cassie graciously wrote this post for you. I hope you enjoy it! The current model dominating the field of healthcare ... Read the Post...

Why an Editorial Calendar Is Really Worth the Time + 164 Blog Post Ideas
in Writing & Blogging &middot April 17, 2017

Why an Editorial Calendar Is Really Worth the Time + 164 Blog Post Ideas

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in Writing & Blogging &middot April 17, 2017

Why an Editorial Calendar Is Really Worth the Time + 164 Blog Post Ideas

Why an Editorial Calendar Is Really Worth the Time + 164 Blog Post Ideas

Everyone's blogging style is a little different and everyone's process is different, too. I've already explained my process for writing a blog post, so I won't go into that ... Read the Post...

in Health &middot April 14, 2017

4 More Things a Millennial with Arthritis Wants You To Know

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in Health &middot April 14, 2017

4 More Things a Millennial with Arthritis Wants You To Know

With the statistics of how many people have arthritis who are younger - 2/3 are under 65 - it amazes me how few people understand particular things about our lives. A few ... Read the Post...

in Lifestyle &middot April 11, 2017

2017 Recent Reads: January-March

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in Lifestyle &middot April 11, 2017

2017 Recent Reads: January-March

As I've mentioned several times this year, I'm participating in Modern Mrs. Darcy's 2017 Reading for Growth Challenge. This has been great because it's helping me grow my ... Read the Post...

What To Wear on Easter
in Lifestyle &middot April 5, 2017

4 Different Easter Outfit Options

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in Lifestyle &middot April 5, 2017

4 Different Easter Outfit Options

What To Wear on Easter

It's hard to believe that it's already April - and that Easter is only a few weeks away! I gave up soda (except for ginger ale because, y'know, I'm nauseous literally every ... Read the Post...

March Blog Traffic Report | Kate the (Almost) Great
in Writing & Blogging &middot April 3, 2017

March Blog Traffic Report

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in Writing & Blogging &middot April 3, 2017

March Blog Traffic Report

March Blog Traffic Report | Kate the (Almost) Great

I'm not going to lie - I'm pretty bummed with this traffic report. I'm trying to look on the bright side - I definitely learned something from this month - but it's so ... Read the Post...

in Lifestyle &middot March 31, 2017

Currently [Vol. 7]

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in Lifestyle &middot March 31, 2017

Currently [Vol. 7]

You may (or may not) have noticed that I've stopped doing Monthly Favorites post. That's because it's easier on me to do basically the same type of content but in this ... Read the Post...

in Writing & Blogging &middot March 29, 2017

5 Most Amazing Blog Post Ideas To Bring You Traffic for Years

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in Writing & Blogging &middot March 29, 2017

5 Most Amazing Blog Post Ideas To Bring You Traffic for Years

While everyone should blog about a topic because they want to and not because they think it will bring them traffic, there are certain types of blog post ideas that are ... Read the Post...

in Health &middot March 27, 2017

How To Talk about Your Chronic Illness + Free Printable

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in Health &middot March 27, 2017

How To Talk about Your Chronic Illness + Free Printable

I asked on my Twitter what part of living with chronic illness you would like help with and one response was how to talk about your chronic illness and the way it affects your ... Read the Post...

Drugstore vs. High-End Mascara: Which Is Really Better?
in Lifestyle &middot March 24, 2017

Drugstore vs. High End Mascaras: Which is Really Better?

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in Lifestyle &middot March 24, 2017

Drugstore vs. High End Mascaras: Which is Really Better?

Drugstore vs. High-End Mascara: Which Is Really Better?

The age-old beauty question: is the more expensive makeup worth the money or are the cheaper versions just as good? I'm a firm believer that it depends on the product and the ... Read the Post...

in Writing & Blogging &middot March 21, 2017

Improve Your Cover Letter by Focusing on Your Grammar

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in Writing & Blogging &middot March 21, 2017

Improve Your Cover Letter by Focusing on Your Grammar

One of the more daunting aspects of applying for jobs is the cover letter. You want to convince them that you're right for the job so they want to bring you in to interview, ... 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. ⁣
⁣
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. ⁣
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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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