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Kate the (Almost) Great

Chronic illness blog

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2023 Recent Reads: April-June, www.katethealmostgreat.com
in Lifestyle &middot July 18, 2023

2023 Recent Reads: April-June

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in Lifestyle &middot July 18, 2023

2023 Recent Reads: April-June

2023 Recent Reads: April-June, www.katethealmostgreat.com

Let’s ease back into blog posts with a Recent Reads post, shall we? As you know, I share my reads for the previous quarter, and I spent half of last quarter recovering from ... Read the Post...

in Health &middot May 30, 2023

Unusual Things I Do Because of Celiac Disease

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in Health &middot May 30, 2023

Unusual Things I Do Because of Celiac Disease

While I'm recovering from surgery, several other health bloggers are stepping in. Please enjoy this guest post from April of Livable by Design! Celiac disease, on the ... 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 Health, Lifestyle &middot May 23, 2023

The Restorative Power of Nature

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in Health, Lifestyle &middot May 23, 2023

The Restorative Power of Nature

While I'm recovering from surgery, several other health bloggers are stepping in. Please enjoy this guest post from Suzan! Scientific studies have found that time spent in ... Read the Post...

in Health, Lifestyle &middot May 16, 2023

Can a Low Histamine Diet Help Those with (Certain) Chronic Illness Conditions?

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in Health, Lifestyle &middot May 16, 2023

Can a Low Histamine Diet Help Those with (Certain) Chronic Illness Conditions?

While I'm recovering from surgery, several other health bloggers are stepping in. Please enjoy this guest post from Claire of Through the Fibro Fog! If people ask me ... Read the Post...

Text reads: Blogging 101, terms you need to know, www. katethealmostgreat. com (end text). Every now and then, I get an email from someone who says, “I want to start a blog! Where do I start?” The answer to that is too big for me to ever properly answer, but I can write a post on Blogging 101 in which I explain some key terms and information. These are all terms that you should start with if you’re looking for blogging tips for beginners.
in Writing & Blogging &middot April 25, 2023

Blogging 101: Terms You Need To Know

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in Writing & Blogging &middot April 25, 2023

Blogging 101: Terms You Need To Know

Text reads: Blogging 101, terms you need to know, www. katethealmostgreat. com (end text). Every now and then, I get an email from someone who says, “I want to start a blog! Where do I start?” The answer to that is too big for me to ever properly answer, but I can write a post on Blogging 101 in which I explain some key terms and information. These are all terms that you should start with if you’re looking for blogging tips for beginners.

Every now and then, I get an email from someone who says, “I want to start a blog! Where do I start?” The answer to that is too big for me to ever properly answer, but I can ... Read the Post...

Text reads: The Autoimmune Blood Test That Empowers Patients, www. katethealmostgreat. com
in Health &middot April 18, 2023

The Autoimmune Blood Test That Empowers Patients

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in Health &middot April 18, 2023

The Autoimmune Blood Test That Empowers Patients

Text reads: The Autoimmune Blood Test That Empowers Patients, www. katethealmostgreat. com

Note: Unfortunately, this company is no longer in business. I'm keeping this post up because I hope they come back eventually as they provided an incredible service. This ... Read the Post...

Text reads: 2023 Recent Reads, January - March, www.katethealmostgreat.com
in Lifestyle &middot April 11, 2023

2023 Recent Reads: January-March

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in Lifestyle &middot April 11, 2023

2023 Recent Reads: January-March

Text reads: 2023 Recent Reads, January - March, www.katethealmostgreat.com

2023 is rocking and rolling, which means it’s time for the first Recent Reads post of the year! If you're new around here, I like to recap the books I read every few months. ... Read the Post...

Text reads: The best plugins for a blog in WordPress. www.katethealmostgreat.com (end text).
in Writing & Blogging &middot March 14, 2023

The Best Plugins for a Blog in WordPress

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in Writing & Blogging &middot March 14, 2023

The Best Plugins for a Blog in WordPress

Text reads: The best plugins for a blog in WordPress. www.katethealmostgreat.com (end text).

I can’t believe it has been 8 years since I switched to self-hosted WordPress! One of the best (and most complicated/overwhelming, tbh) things about it is how customizable it ... Read the Post...

Text reads: Everything you need for a gluten-free Easter (end text). It’s Spring! And if you’re like me, that means that Easter is on the horizon, too. Easter is a full holiday, but it’s better when you don’t have to worry about eating food you are intolerant to. To that end, I’m sharing everything you need for a gluten-free Easter in this post.
in Lifestyle &middot March 7, 2023

Everything You Need for a Delicious Gluten-Free Easter

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in Lifestyle &middot March 7, 2023

Everything You Need for a Delicious Gluten-Free Easter

Text reads: Everything you need for a gluten-free Easter (end text). It’s Spring! And if you’re like me, that means that Easter is on the horizon, too. Easter is a full holiday, but it’s better when you don’t have to worry about eating food you are intolerant to. To that end, I’m sharing everything you need for a gluten-free Easter in this post.

It’s Spring! And if you’re like me, that means that Easter is on the horizon, too. Easter is a fun holiday, but it’s better when you don’t have to worry about eating food you ... Read the Post...

Image alt text: Looking at a gray kiosk at an angle inside a building. The image on the front says “Safe Drug Disposal” in large text and the Spanish translation below in smaller text. (“Eliminación Segura de Medicamentos”). In the red text below is “Return Your Unused Prescription Medications Here”. The text below is blurry but most likely the Spanish version of that.
in Health &middot March 5, 2023

Essential Prescription Tips

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in Health &middot March 5, 2023

Essential Prescription Tips

Image alt text: Looking at a gray kiosk at an angle inside a building. The image on the front says “Safe Drug Disposal” in large text and the Spanish translation below in smaller text. (“Eliminación Segura de Medicamentos”). In the red text below is “Return Your Unused Prescription Medications Here”. The text below is blurry but most likely the Spanish version of that.

This shop has been compensated by Inmar Intelligence and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ConsumerDrugTakeBackMassachusetts As we all know, part of chronic ... Read the Post...

Text reads: 2022 Recent Reads, October - December (end text). Background is a white femme person with an open book on their lap, a leaf in the book, and a piece of cake on a plate near their leg. Credit at the bottom is www.katethealmostgreat.com
in Lifestyle &middot February 7, 2023

2022 Recent Reads: October-December

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in Lifestyle &middot February 7, 2023

2022 Recent Reads: October-December

Text reads: 2022 Recent Reads, October - December (end text). Background is a white femme person with an open book on their lap, a leaf in the book, and a piece of cake on a plate near their leg. Credit at the bottom is www.katethealmostgreat.com

Yes, I know it’s already February 2023 and I’m still working on a post about 2022. But this is the last one! It’s all 2023 things from here on out.  That being said, I ... Read the Post...

in Writing & Blogging &middot January 24, 2023

Best Social Media for Bloggers: How To Manage Your Social Media

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in Writing & Blogging &middot January 24, 2023

Best Social Media for Bloggers: How To Manage Your Social Media

Blogging and social media go hand in hand, so if you’re going to have a blog, you need to have social media associated with your blog. If you’re going to do it well, it’s a ... Read the Post...

Text reads: Can chronic pain go away? What you should know (end text). People without chronic pain have questions that they often don’t feel comfortable asking of a patient, such as, “Can chronic pain go away?” Most of these questions - this one included - have nuanced answers! Which is why I’m answering a bunch of them in this post.
in Health &middot January 17, 2023

Can Chronic Pain Go Away? What You Should Know

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in Health &middot January 17, 2023

Can Chronic Pain Go Away? What You Should Know

Text reads: Can chronic pain go away? What you should know (end text). People without chronic pain have questions that they often don’t feel comfortable asking of a patient, such as, “Can chronic pain go away?” Most of these questions - this one included - have nuanced answers! Which is why I’m answering a bunch of them in this post.

One topic that I can write about forever and ever is chronic pain, especially when it comes to questions people have about chronic pain. People without chronic pain have ... Read the Post...

Text reads: Food for TMJ Flares, the best recipes to help heal, www.katethealmostgreat.com (end text). Whether you have TMJ arthritis or problems with the muscles around your TMJs, it can be difficult to manage TMJ jaw pain. But since I have 12+ years of experience with this, and plenty of people don’t, I wanted to share my favorite food for TMJ flares. I mean, every year or so I go through a period of 1-2 months when I have a hard time chewing. That’s at least a year’s worth of time! 
in Health, Lifestyle &middot January 3, 2023

Food for TMJ Flares: The Best Recipes To Help Heal

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in Health, Lifestyle &middot January 3, 2023

Food for TMJ Flares: The Best Recipes To Help Heal

Text reads: Food for TMJ Flares, the best recipes to help heal, www.katethealmostgreat.com (end text). Whether you have TMJ arthritis or problems with the muscles around your TMJs, it can be difficult to manage TMJ jaw pain. But since I have 12+ years of experience with this, and plenty of people don’t, I wanted to share my favorite food for TMJ flares. I mean, every year or so I go through a period of 1-2 months when I have a hard time chewing. That’s at least a year’s worth of time! 

Whether you have TMJ arthritis or problems with the muscles around your TMJs, it can be difficult to manage TMJ jaw pain. But since I have 12+ years of experience with this, ... Read the Post...

Text reads: 15 best blogging tools for 2023 (end text). As always, I’m rounding up the blogger tools I used this past year, and I’m only using tools that helped me grow in some way. I did plenty of other things, but since they didn’t work, I haven’t included them.
in Writing & Blogging &middot December 30, 2022

15 Best Blogger Tools To Try in 2023

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in Writing & Blogging &middot December 30, 2022

15 Best Blogger Tools To Try in 2023

Text reads: 15 best blogging tools for 2023 (end text). As always, I’m rounding up the blogger tools I used this past year, and I’m only using tools that helped me grow in some way. I did plenty of other things, but since they didn’t work, I haven’t included them.

I can’t believe it’s (basically) 2023! This year, I really didn’t think that I had done a lot to grow my blog. Boy was I wrong! As always, I’m rounding up the blogger tools I ... Read the Post...

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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⁣
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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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⬛⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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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. ⁣
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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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