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in Writing & Blogging &middot September 6, 2016

August Blog Traffic Report

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in Writing & Blogging &middot September 6, 2016

August Blog Traffic Report

Another month, another blog traffic report. Here are the statistics for traffic and social media, as well as my top posts from the month, what I did to increase my traffic, ... Read the Post...

in Lifestyle &middot September 1, 2016

August Favorites

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in Lifestyle &middot September 1, 2016

August Favorites

Another month come and gone, meaning that it's time for another round of sharing my favorite things! * denotes affiliate link Listening H.O.L.Y, Florida Georgia Line | ... 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 August 30, 2016

#WeddingWeekend in Nashville

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in Lifestyle &middot August 30, 2016

#WeddingWeekend in Nashville

What a weekend! I returned to Nashville on Friday for the first time since I moved 2 years ago for my friend's wedding. I got to see people I haven't seen in years and ... Read the Post...

7 Amazing Writing Bloggers
in Writing & Blogging &middot August 26, 2016

7 Amazing Writing Bloggers To Follow To Help Improve Your Writing

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in Writing & Blogging &middot August 26, 2016

7 Amazing Writing Bloggers To Follow To Help Improve Your Writing

7 Amazing Writing Bloggers

One of the best things about the Internet is its ability to connect you to people all around the world whenever you want. This is especially helpful if you need inspiration or ... Read the Post...

in Lifestyle &middot August 24, 2016

My Back-to-School Essentials

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in Lifestyle &middot August 24, 2016

My Back-to-School Essentials

In just a few days, my second year of grad school begins! I've already been doing homework because I'm a nerd and proud of it and I'm ready for the new semester. For everyone ... Read the Post...

in Lifestyle &middot August 22, 2016

What To Pack for a Weekend Trip

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in Lifestyle &middot August 22, 2016

What To Pack for a Weekend Trip

I am so, so, so excited for the weekend because I'm going back to Nashville for the first time since I moved over 2 years ago! One of my friends from college is getting ... Read the Post...

in Health &middot August 19, 2016

Common Spoonie Conversational Issues + How To Respond

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in Health &middot August 19, 2016

Common Spoonie Conversational Issues + How To Respond

If you have a chronic illness and you talk about it with anyone - even just your immediate family or your partner - you have probably run up against some ... interesting ... ... Read the Post...

Note Taking in Class
in Lifestyle &middot August 17, 2016

How To Take Notes in Class

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in Lifestyle &middot August 17, 2016

How To Take Notes in Class

Note Taking in Class

We're at that time again, the time when half the nation has already started school and the other half is gearing up to. A new school year is just as great a reason to have ... Read the Post...

in Writing & Blogging &middot August 15, 2016

Why You Need a Social Media Content Calendar

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in Writing & Blogging &middot August 15, 2016

Why You Need a Social Media Content Calendar

Social media is a huge part of online presence, especially if you are a blogger or have an online business of some kind. Most people know this and have various accounts where ... Read the Post...

My Modern Preppy Style
in Lifestyle &middot August 12, 2016

My Modern Preppy Style

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in Lifestyle &middot August 12, 2016

My Modern Preppy Style

My Modern Preppy Style

For my entire life - no, I'm not exaggerating - my style has been classic and preppy. With today's fashion, my style is less shorts with animals stitched on them and more ... Read the Post...

in Writing & Blogging &middot August 11, 2016

Writing a Novel: My Creative Process

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in Writing & Blogging &middot August 11, 2016

Writing a Novel: My Creative Process

You may or may not know that I am a published author. I wrote my first novel when I was in high school and published it years later, and last year I wrote The Essential ... Read the Post...

Achieving Your Dreams if You Have Health Issues
in Health, Lifestyle &middot August 8, 2016

Working for Your Dreams if You Have Health Issues

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in Health, Lifestyle &middot August 8, 2016

Working for Your Dreams if You Have Health Issues

Achieving Your Dreams if You Have Health Issues

If you were to ask my family, ex-boyfriends, and friends what my worst quality is, they would probably say that I can be extremely stubborn. Now, I'm also self-aware enough ... Read the Post...

in Writing & Blogging &middot August 5, 2016

July Blog Traffic Report

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in Writing & Blogging &middot August 5, 2016

July Blog Traffic Report

It feels like my journey to 20,000 unique pageviews on Google Analytics has featured more struggle and frustration than not. There have been plenty of things that have been ... Read the Post...

July Favorites
in Lifestyle &middot August 3, 2016

July 2016 Favorites

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in Lifestyle &middot August 3, 2016

July 2016 Favorites

July Favorites

I feel like I'm constantly talking about how shocked I am at how fast time in moving. I have this theory that it always feels that way because as you go on, each week/month ... Read the Post...

in Writing & Blogging &middot August 1, 2016

Why I Can’t Stop Journaling

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in Writing & Blogging &middot August 1, 2016

Why I Can’t Stop Journaling

Why I Can't Stop Journaling If I stopped carrying my journal everywhere with me, I would lose a quintessential part of myself. My friends can tell you that I always carry ... 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

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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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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?⁣
⁣
⬛⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
⁣
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".⁣
⁣
#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. ⁣
⁣
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. ⁣
⁣
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. ⁣
⁣
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. ⁣
⁣
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. ⁣
⁣
PTSD is a bitch.⁣
⁣
(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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⬛⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
⁣
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. ⁣
⁣
#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? ⁣
⁣
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⁣
⁣
#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
There are a lot of medical advancements that I'm g There are a lot of medical advancements that I'm grateful for, but one of them is the ability to do IVIG at home. ⁣
⁣
I'm on IVIG - or, in my case, subcutaneous immunoglobulin replacement therapy - because I have to kill the better part of my immune system. There are, in fact, some parts of my immune system that don't attack me, which is why we add them back in. This helps reduce my chance of serious infection and also made my rheumatologist feel comfortable enough to increase my Rituxan dose. ⁣
⁣
This is a weekly treatment that I do, but it's so much better that I can do it at home than going into the hospital. It takes around 2.5 hours from taking my pre-meds to tossing my needles into a Sharps container. While it's another thing that I have to do, because I do it at home, I don't have to risk exposure to infections at the hospital or deal with Boston traffic, which would add another hour to the process. ⁣
⁣
I can finish my treatment and then go about my day, which I'm very grateful for.⁣
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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: A Kindle on Kate's legs. There are tubes for an infusion coming out of her shirt.⁣
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#IVIG #ChronicallyIll #RheumatoidArthritis #Autoimmune #AutoimmuneDisease
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