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in Health, Uncategorized &middot March 24, 2015

Advocacy: What It Is and Why I Do It

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in Health, Uncategorized &middot March 24, 2015

Advocacy: What It Is and Why I Do It

Ever since I started this blog, I've described myself as an arthritis advocate. This doesn't mean that I support the disease, and it has many different parts to it. To ... Read the Post...

in Health, Uncategorized &middot March 23, 2015

How To Travel with Arthritis + DSW Giveaway

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in Health, Uncategorized &middot March 23, 2015

How To Travel with Arthritis + DSW Giveaway

If you follow me on social media - especially Twitter and Instagram - then today you'll be seeing a lot about The Arthritis Foundation's Advocacy Summit or ... 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, Uncategorized &middot March 20, 2015

Why We Need Feminism

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in Lifestyle, Uncategorized &middot March 20, 2015

Why We Need Feminism

One of my big pet peeves is when someone, especially a woman, says that they don't need feminism, feminism isn't needed any more, or some variety of that message. Some people ... Read the Post...

in Health, Uncategorized &middot March 19, 2015

4 Easy Ways To Advocate

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in Health, Uncategorized &middot March 19, 2015

4 Easy Ways To Advocate

One of the things that gets me through the tough days of arthritis is the conviction that God has a plan for me. I believe that part of that plan is to help others with ... Read the Post...

in Uncategorized, Writing & Blogging &middot March 17, 2015

Misplaced Modifiers: What They Are And How To Place Them Correctly

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in Uncategorized, Writing & Blogging &middot March 17, 2015

Misplaced Modifiers: What They Are And How To Place Them Correctly

What are modifiers: They are words, phrases, or clauses that are separated from the word they modify (aka describe to further detail). Where they belong: By or near what they ... Read the Post...

in Lifestyle, Uncategorized &middot March 16, 2015

Current Events in One Sentence

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in Lifestyle, Uncategorized &middot March 16, 2015

Current Events in One Sentence

I haven't done this in a while (and I'm still toying with the idea of a linkup), but today it's time for another round of Current Events in One Sentence! Like the title ... Read the Post...

in Health, Uncategorized &middot March 15, 2015

Spoonie Spotlight: Katrina

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in Health, Uncategorized &middot March 15, 2015

Spoonie Spotlight: Katrina

Happy Sunday and welcome to this week's Spoonie Spotlight. Today I'm featuring Katrina! Spoonie Spotlight is my way to use my platform to share the stories of others living ... Read the Post...

in Health, Uncategorized &middot March 14, 2015

Chronic Illness While a Graduate Student

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in Health, Uncategorized &middot March 14, 2015

Chronic Illness While a Graduate Student

Hi everyone! I'm Alison from Simply A, and I'm really excited to be guest-posting today on Kate's blog! When Kate asked what kind of guest post I wanted to write, I had a few ... Read the Post...

in Health, Uncategorized &middot March 13, 2015

The Ten Commandments of Chronic Illness

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in Health, Uncategorized &middot March 13, 2015

The Ten Commandments of Chronic Illness

1. Thou shall not miss a medication dose. 2. Thou shall research all potential medical providers. 3. Thou shall express thou gratitude to those who help to ensure they know ... Read the Post...

in Health, Lifestyle, Uncategorized &middot March 12, 2015

Surgery, Infusion, Grad School, and More

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in Health, Lifestyle, Uncategorized &middot March 12, 2015

Surgery, Infusion, Grad School, and More

Things have been ... interesting ... around here the past few weeks since my surgery. Here's what has been going on! Look at this goober. I wish I was as happy as he was in ... Read the Post...

in Lifestyle, Uncategorized &middot March 11, 2015

Inside My Makeup Bag

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in Lifestyle, Uncategorized &middot March 11, 2015

Inside My Makeup Bag

I'm no beauty guru, but I love makeup and I wear it 5-7 days out of the week. Not because I'm trying to look a certain way for anyone, but for me because I like it. And I love ... Read the Post...

in Lifestyle, Uncategorized &middot March 10, 2015

How to Prevent Sun Damage

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in Lifestyle, Uncategorized &middot March 10, 2015

How to Prevent Sun Damage

Okay, so spring may just be around the corner, but it is never too early to start thinking about your skincare regimen. If you are like me, you will probably want to reduce ... Read the Post...

in Uncategorized, Writing & Blogging &middot March 9, 2015

7 Key Lessons I’ve Learned from Blogging

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in Uncategorized, Writing & Blogging &middot March 9, 2015

7 Key Lessons I’ve Learned from Blogging

I've been blogging here for about 2.5 years, although it has only been regular for the past 1.5, and I've learned a fair amount through it. So I thought I'd share what I've ... Read the Post...

in Lifestyle, Uncategorized &middot March 6, 2015

The Best Winter Soups & Stews

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in Lifestyle, Uncategorized &middot March 6, 2015

The Best Winter Soups & Stews

Here in Boston - and all across the country - we are still in the midst of winter. Between that and the new diet my doctor has me on, I have soup or stew for lunch 6 out of 7 ... Read the Post...

in Health, Uncategorized &middot March 5, 2015

To The Loved Ones of People with Arthritis

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in Health, Uncategorized &middot March 5, 2015

To The Loved Ones of People with Arthritis

Arthritis is the kind of illness where it affects many more people than just the ones with it; it also affects the families and friends of its sufferers. So today is time to ... Read the Post...

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Kate the (Almost) Great

Chronic health lifestyle blog

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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.⁣
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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⁣
⁣
#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. ⁣
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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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