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in Writing & Blogging &middot October 19, 2016

Writing a Blog Post: My Creative Process

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in Writing & Blogging &middot October 19, 2016

Writing a Blog Post: My Creative Process

A few months ago, I shared my creative process for writing a novel, and ever since then I've tossed around the idea of sharing my creative process for this blog. While writing ... Read the Post...

in Lifestyle &middot October 17, 2016

Food Substitutions for Allergies & Sensitivities

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in Lifestyle &middot October 17, 2016

Food Substitutions for Allergies & Sensitivities

More and more people are cutting certain foods out of their diets. Some are doing it because they've discovered that they have allergies or sensitivities. Some are doing it ... 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 October 12, 2016

What To Do in Boston This Fall

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in Lifestyle &middot October 12, 2016

What To Do in Boston This Fall

Fall is a great time to visit Boston because it's beautiful, it isn't as cold as winter, and it isn't as crowded as summer. Whether you live here or within driving distance ... Read the Post...

in Health &middot October 10, 2016

The Lifestyle Changes I Made for My Rheumatoid Arthritis

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in Health &middot October 10, 2016

The Lifestyle Changes I Made for My Rheumatoid Arthritis

It's hard to believe that this fall marks the beginning of my sixteenth year of living with arthritis. Of course, it wasn't until 2010 that I was diagnosed with inflammatory ... Read the Post...

in Lifestyle &middot October 7, 2016

Fall Outfits & Layering Tips

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in Lifestyle &middot October 7, 2016

Fall Outfits & Layering Tips

It's finally fall in New England. Temperatures are generally below 60 (my favorite) and the shorts have been put away. The only thing I like more than low temperatures? Fall ... Read the Post...

in Health &middot October 5, 2016

Being a Chronic Pain Patient in the Opioid Abuse Crisis

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in Health &middot October 5, 2016

Being a Chronic Pain Patient in the Opioid Abuse Crisis

It has been all over the news and the US election - the opioid abuse epidemic. Like most issues, there are several components that complicate the matter beyond what many ... Read the Post...

Blog Traffic Report: September 2016
in Writing & Blogging &middot October 3, 2016

September Blog Traffic Report

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in Writing & Blogging &middot October 3, 2016

September Blog Traffic Report

Blog Traffic Report: September 2016

Can you believe that it's October already?! I feel like by the time I finally become used to what year it is, the year is almost over. BUT we're finally at my favorite time of ... Read the Post...

Her Campus College Fashion Week Recap
in Lifestyle &middot September 28, 2016

Attending Her Campus College Fashion Week

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in Lifestyle &middot September 28, 2016

Attending Her Campus College Fashion Week

Her Campus College Fashion Week Recap

I had the pleasure of attending the Her Campus College Fashion Week show in Boston over the weekend! First things first, a MAJOR shoutout to alllll of my readers because ... Read the Post...

7 Questions To Help You Prepare for NaNoWriMo
in Writing & Blogging &middot September 26, 2016

7 Questions To Help You Prep for NaNoWriMo

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in Writing & Blogging &middot September 26, 2016

7 Questions To Help You Prep for NaNoWriMo

7 Questions To Help You Prepare for NaNoWriMo

If you're interested in writing a novel at some point in your life, NaNoWriMo - or National Novel Writing Month - is a great time to do that. As the full name suggests, it is ... Read the Post...

Currently
in Lifestyle &middot September 23, 2016

Currently

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in Lifestyle &middot September 23, 2016

Currently

Currently

Apparently, I'm on a personal kick this week with Wednesday's post about living life with chronic pain for 15 years and opening up about my general life today. What's a better ... Read the Post...

in Health &middot September 21, 2016

What It’s Like To Live with Pain for 15 Years

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in Health &middot September 21, 2016

What It’s Like To Live with Pain for 15 Years

As I talk about a lot on this blog as well as my social media, I live with rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. I've been in pain for 15 full years - this fall begins the ... Read the Post...

in Writing & Blogging &middot September 19, 2016

5 Ways Bloggers Make Money

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in Writing & Blogging &middot September 19, 2016

5 Ways Bloggers Make Money

There are 2 reasons why you're probably reading this post. 1 - You want to make money with your blog. 2 - You want to know how bloggers make money. Regardless of your personal ... Read the Post...

in Writing & Blogging &middot September 15, 2016

Improve Your Writing: 4 Different Parts of Your Book To Work On

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in Writing & Blogging &middot September 15, 2016

Improve Your Writing: 4 Different Parts of Your Book To Work On

I am a firm believer in continuing education for everyone and everything, so it should be no surprise that I think writers should try to improve their writing. But in order to ... Read the Post...

Dear College Freshman Kate
in Lifestyle &middot September 12, 2016

Dear College Freshman Kate

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in Lifestyle &middot September 12, 2016

Dear College Freshman Kate

Dear College Freshman Kate

When I went back to Nashville at the end of August, my hotel was right on the edge of Vanderbilt property. To be more specific, there was a parking lot in between the hotel ... Read the Post...

in Health &middot September 8, 2016

Traveling with an Invisible Disability: How To Deal with Rude People

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in Health &middot September 8, 2016

Traveling with an Invisible Disability: How To Deal with Rude People

http://wp.me/a6uYJo-1e5 http://wp.me/a6uYJo-1e2 As I've talked about briefly on social media and my trip recap last week, I had some serious issues with employees of the ... 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. ⁣
⁣
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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