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Chronic illness blog

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chronic pain

The best tips for working from home with chronic illness, www. kate the almost great .com

The Best Tips for Working from Home with Chronic Illness

Ideas for Holiday Gifts: Chronic Pain Essentials, www. kate the almost great .com
Ideas for Holiday Gifts: Chronic Pain Essentials, www. kate the almost great .com
in Health, Lifestyle · December 6, 2024

Ideas for Holiday Gifts: Chronic Pain Essentials

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Ideas for Holiday Gifts: Chronic Pain Essentials

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".
Rheumatoid arthritis guide A-Z, Part Three, www. kate the almost great .com
Rheumatoid arthritis guide A-Z, Part Three, www. kate the almost great .com
in Health · October 1, 2024

Rheumatoid Arthritis Guide A-Z: Part Three

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Rheumatoid Arthritis Guide A-Z: Part Three

Rheumatoid arthritis guide A-Z, part two, www. kate the almost great .com
Rheumatoid arthritis guide A-Z, part two, www. kate the almost great .com
in Health · September 24, 2024

Rheumatoid Arthritis Guide A-Z: Part Two

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Rheumatoid Arthritis Guide A-Z: Part Two

Rheumatoid Arthritis Guide A-Z: Part One, www. kate the almost great .com
Rheumatoid Arthritis Guide A-Z: Part One, www. kate the almost great .com
in Health · September 17, 2024

Rheumatoid Arthritis Guide A-Z: Part One

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Rheumatoid Arthritis Guide A-Z: Part One

Living with tarsal coalition: my experience with symptoms, surgery, & more, www. kate the almost great .com
Living with tarsal coalition: my experience with symptoms, surgery, & more, www. kate the almost great .com
in Health · July 9, 2024

Living with Tarsal Coalition: My Experience with Symptoms, Surgery, and More

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Living with Tarsal Coalition: My Experience with Symptoms, Surgery, and More

What is endometriosis like? An FAQ, www. kate the almost great .com
What is endometriosis like? An FAQ, www. kate the almost great .com
in Health · April 30, 2024

What Is Endometriosis Like? An FAQ

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What Is Endometriosis Like? An FAQ

Text reads: things to do before you have surgery, www. kate the almost great .com (end text). surgery recovery, knee surgery recovery time. surgery for endometriosis recovery, surgery recovery gifts, surgery recovery tips, surgery recovery timeline, arthritis surgery recovery, endometriosis surgery recovery, knee, surgery recovery tips, post surgery recovery tips, tips for recovering from surgery, tips surgery recovery, what helps you heal faster after surgery
Text reads: things to do before you have surgery, www. kate the almost great .com (end text). surgery recovery, knee surgery recovery time. surgery for endometriosis recovery, surgery recovery gifts, surgery recovery tips, surgery recovery timeline, arthritis surgery recovery, endometriosis surgery recovery, knee, surgery recovery tips, post surgery recovery tips, tips for recovering from surgery, tips surgery recovery, what helps you heal faster after surgery
in Health · October 10, 2023

Crucial Ways to Prep for Surgery Recovery Ahead of Time

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Crucial Ways to Prep for Surgery Recovery Ahead of Time

People know so little about autoimmune diseases, so I thought it was time to talk about some autoimmune disease basics.
People know so little about autoimmune diseases, so I thought it was time to talk about some autoimmune disease basics.
in Health · July 25, 2023

What No One Tells You About Autoimmune Diseases

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What No One Tells You About Autoimmune Diseases

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

The Autoimmune Blood Test That Empowers Patients

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The Autoimmune Blood Test That Empowers Patients

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.
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 · January 17, 2023

Can Chronic Pain Go Away? What You Should Know

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Can Chronic Pain Go Away? What You Should Know

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! 
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 · January 3, 2023

Food for TMJ Flares: The Best Recipes To Help Heal

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Food for TMJ Flares: The Best Recipes To Help Heal

Text reads: 7 arthritis myths busted, do you know the truth? (end text). There are so many arthritis myths! As a millennial with arthritis, I have heard so many of them. This month marks 21 years of living with arthritis, so I figured it was as good a time as any to bust some of these arthritis myths. 
Text reads: 7 arthritis myths busted, do you know the truth? (end text). There are so many arthritis myths! As a millennial with arthritis, I have heard so many of them. This month marks 21 years of living with arthritis, so I figured it was as good a time as any to bust some of these arthritis myths. 
in Health · September 6, 2022

7 Arthritis Myths Busted: Do You Know The Truth?

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7 Arthritis Myths Busted: Do You Know The Truth?

Text reads: Tips to make living indepdently living with a chronic illness easier (end text). I know how difficult independently living with a chronic illness can be. Whether you’re looking to be independent or you already are and want tips, this post will help.
Text reads: Tips to make living indepdently living with a chronic illness easier (end text). I know how difficult independently living with a chronic illness can be. Whether you’re looking to be independent or you already are and want tips, this post will help.
in Health, Lifestyle · May 31, 2022

Tips To Make Independently Living with a Chronic Illness Easier

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Tips To Make Independently Living with a Chronic Illness Easier

Text reads: What's chronic pain? What you should know if you love someone with it (end text). You can’t know what it’s like living with chronic pain unless you have it, and understanding what it’s like living with chronic pain dramatically affects how you treat someone who lives with it. I hope this post helps you!
Text reads: What's chronic pain? What you should know if you love someone with it (end text). You can’t know what it’s like living with chronic pain unless you have it, and understanding what it’s like living with chronic pain dramatically affects how you treat someone who lives with it. I hope this post helps you!
in Health · May 17, 2022

What’s Chronic Pain? What You Should Know If You Love Someone with It

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What’s Chronic Pain? What You Should Know If You Love Someone with It

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Kate the (Almost) Great

Chronic health lifestyle blog

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Having decades-long health problems sometimes mean Having decades-long health problems sometimes means coming across something in your health history that you completely forgot about⁣
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I’m Kate, a chronic illness patient and advocate. Follow me for more content for chronic illness patients and their loved ones!⁣
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⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ID: Screenshot of a thread post written by Kate Mitchell | Kate the (Almost) Great with the username katethealmostgreat. ⁣⁣The background is dark teal. All text is what’s above the first black square.⁣⁣⁣
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#AlmostGreatHealth #rheumatoidarthritis #arthritis #spoonielife #healthblogger #autoimmune #autoimmunedisease #chronicallyill #healthblog #dysautonomia #fibro #fibromyalgia #endo #chronicallyill #disability #disabled #invisibleillness #spoonielife #healthblogger
Here are some ways I practice self care, aka talki Here are some ways I practice self care, aka talking care of myself AND who I am as a person separate from illness⁣
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This is my Wonderful Things jar. Every day, I write down something wonderful or good that happened that day. ⁣
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I know it looks like I'm forcing Harley to sit like this, but he was making this face before I put my arm around him. Dog snuggle time is the best!⁣
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I got a Kindle this year and it has been amazing. It's so much easier on my body than lugging around books and it makes borrowing from the library a lot easier.⁣
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Yes, I share this all the time, but filling my pill boxes every 3 weeks make it so I stick with all of my medications. But the self-care part of this is that I don't have to take the time to refill a box every single week.⁣
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I’m Kate, a chronic illness patient and advocate sharing what my life is like with 7+ chronic illnesses. Follow me for more and check out my blog at katethealmostgreat.com⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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1️⃣ A glass jar on a desk with a lot of multi-color post-its inside⁣
2️⃣ Kate has her face in a golden retriever who is slumped onto her. They're in a teal room with a red rug. Kate is a brunette white woman wearing red pants and a gray sweater.⁣
3️⃣ A Kindle on dark mode in Kate's lap⁣
4️⃣ 3 open pill cases on a yellow bedspread ⁣
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#AlmostGreatHealth #AlmostGreatLife #SelfCare #ChronicallyIll #ChronicallyAwesome #SpoonieLife #Spoonie #ChronicLife #ButYouDontLookSick #InvisibleIllness #MentalHealthMatters #RetrieversOfInstagram #Readers #Kindle #WonderfulThings #GratitudePractice
What I Bring To the Doctor _______ Video: a pa What I Bring To the Doctor 

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Video: a pan of an exam room. White text reads “What I Bring To the Doctor ” and the “1. Planner/notebook
2. List of current medications 
3. Notes on my biggest concerns and questions 
4. My kindle for wait time” 
The intro to Maroon 5’s Priceless plays. 

#AlmostGreatHealth #ChronicIllness #ChronicPain #RheumatoidArthritis #SjogrensSyndrome #Fibromyalgia #Endometriosis
💃🏼 Week 17 of #2025Weekly 💃🏼⁣
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1️⃣ She’s married!! ⁣
2️⃣ She married the best person in the world for her!!!!!⁣
3️⃣ I got dressed up! ⁣
4️⃣ The reality of doing fun things with chronic illness and pain is that then you have to recover from the fun things. It took … a while. One million percent worth it, but this is why I don’t do big events on a regular basis. ⁣
5️⃣ And then I had to be a person again for an appointment!⁣
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I’m Kate, a chronic illness patient and advocate sharing what my life is like with 7+ chronic illnesses. Follow me for more and check out my blog at katethealmostgreat.com⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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1️⃣ Kate stands hugging Emmie. They're both white woman. Emmie is in a wedding dress and Kate is in a red dress and wearing round tortiseshell glasses.⁣
2️⃣ Kate and Emmie stand next to Matt, Emmie's husband. He is a white man.⁣
3️⃣ Kate takes a mirror selfie. she's in the same red dress but now also wears a jean jacket and holds a cane and mask.⁣
4️⃣ Kate takes a selfie while giving a thumbs up. She looks tired. She's now wearing a pink flowery dress. ⁣
5️⃣ Kate takes a mirror selfie. She's wearing black shorts, a gray shirt, a jean jacket, a blue mask, and black aviator sunglasses. She has a bag over her shoulder and holds a cane.⁣
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#AlmostGreatHealth #AlmostGreatLife #ChronicallyIll #InvisibleIllness #SpoonieLife #RheumatoidArthritis #RheumatoidDisease #Autoimmune #ButYouDontLookSick #AutoimmuneDisease #SpoonieLife #InvisibleIllness #DisabledAndCute
On the one hand, you should always believe what pe On the one hand, you should always believe what people tell you about their bodies.⁣
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On the other hand, I’ve had so much ridiculous and unconnected health things happen that I do understand why people might not believe me.⁣
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⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣I’m Kate, a chronic illness patient and advocate. Follow me for more content for chronic illness patients and their loved ones!⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ID: Screenshots of a thread posts written by Kate Mitchell | Kate the (Almost) Great with the username katethealmostgreat. ⁣⁣The background is dark teal. All text is what’s above the first black square.⁣⁣
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#AlmostGreatHealth #ChronicallyIll #ChronicPain #Autoimmune #AutoimmuneDisease #RheumatoidArthritis #RheumatoidDisease #SpoonieLife #InvisibleIllness
Last week, I talked about how it surprised me how Last week, I talked about how it surprised me how systemic autoimmune arthritis can be. But something else that surprised me was how much pain can be caused by small things.⁣
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In this picture, I was getting ready to have an MRI on my knee. It has been bothering me a fair amount the last 6+ months, so I'm trying to do something about that. ⁣
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Unsurprisingly, some of the tissue is damaged, but it's not bad. What's probably causing it to bother me so much is a teeny tiny cyst. ⁣
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Baker's cysts are a type of cyst in the knee that are generally caused by arthritis. But having a cyst in my knee means that it's causing pressure on that damaged tissue. ⁣
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The body is a weird thing, and one of these weird things is developing tiny cysts that cause a lot of pain. ⁣
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I’m Kate, a chronic illness patient and advocate sharing what my life is like with 7+ chronic illnesses. Follow me for more and check out my blog at katethealmostgreat.com⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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ID: Kate takes a mirror selfie. She's a brunette white woman wearing a hospital gown, scrub bottoms, black mask, round tortoiseshell glasses, and round tortoiseshell glasses. ⁣
🌸 Week 16 of #2025Weekly 🌸 ⁣ ⁣ 1️⃣ S 🌸 Week 16 of #2025Weekly 🌸 ⁣
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1️⃣ Spring has sprung … ⁣
2️⃣ … Which means I am overheating! ⁣
3️⃣ A quick view of NYC on my travels ⁣
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I’m Kate, a chronic illness patient and advocate sharing what my life is like with 7+ chronic illnesses. Follow me for more and check out my blog at katethealmostgreat.com⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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1️⃣ A flowering tree on a street ⁣
2️⃣ Kate takes a mirror selfie. She's a brunette white woman wearing a blue t-shirt saying "The Future Is Accessible," a black mask, a green hat reading "Facilities Management), black shorts, a black knee sleeve, and a black knee brace. She holds a pink cane.⁣
3️⃣ A picture of the New York City skyline behind a bridge.⁣
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#AlmostGreatHealth #AlmostGreatLife #ChronicallyIll #RheumatoidArthritis #SpoonieLife #Autoimmune #AutoimmuneDisease #ChronicPain #Arthritis #RheumatoidDisease #Dysautonomia #PosturalOrthostaticTachycardiaSyndrome #POTS #InvisibleIllness
If I met my newly diagnosed self for coffee ... ⁣
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I tell her how things would get worse before they got better. ⁣
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I'd tell her to stop eating gluten, dairy, corn, soy, and eggs immediately (although that would have been a lot harder in 2010, more than it even is now). ⁣
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I'd tell her that she still needs to keep advocating for herself. ⁣
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I'd tell her that having a diagnosis unfortunately doesn't mean everything automatically falls into place. ⁣
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I'd tell her that she'll develop many more illnesses but her quality of life will actually get significantly better. ⁣
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I'd tell her that she would eventually have to get her right foot fixed, although she does expect that.⁣
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I'd tell her that using a cane is not a sign of failure, but a tool to make life better.⁣
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(I did a sort of tongue-in-cheek post about this a while ago and thought I'd post a more serious one).⁣
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⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣I’m Kate, a chronic illness patient and advocate. Follow me for more content for chronic illness patients and their loved ones!⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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ID: Kate poses for the camera holding a mug with the letter M on it. Kate is a brunette white woman wearing a blue sweater and round tortoiseshell glasses. A white text box reads "If I met my newly diagnosed self for coffee ...". ⁣
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#AlmostGreatHealth #RheumatoidArthritis #RheumatoidDisease #ChronicallyIll #Autoimmune #AutoimmuneDisease #AutoimmuneArthritis #Rheum #InvisibleIllness #Arthritis #ButYouDontLookSick #ArthritisWarrior #CureArthritis
The thing that surprised me the most about autoimm The thing that surprised me the most about autoimmune arthritis is how systemic it is. ⁣
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Like with most things, it's one thing to know the fact and it's something else to experience it. ⁣
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Yes, my joints are affected (a lot). ⁣
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But I've had enough serious infections thats I have to see an immunologist because we need to be aware of my antibodies and I sometimes need help recovering from illnesses. ⁣
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And, yes, I see pulmonology because of my asthma, but we also have to keep an eye out on developing rheumatoid nodules in my lungs. (So far so good!)⁣
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Not to mention that, when I developed POTS, the hospital admitted me to run every heart test to make sure that, at 26, I wasn't experiencing heart failure. ⁣
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Plus, when I developed endometriosis, I also went through a number of GI tests because one theory was that I had ulcerative colitis. ⁣
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Anyway, RA is so much more than "just" joints. If it wasn't, I wouldn't have to kill my immune system every 3 months like I am in this picture.⁣
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I’m Kate, a chronic illness patient and advocate sharing what my life is like with 7+ chronic illnesses. Follow me for more and check out my blog at katethealmostgreat.com⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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ID: Kate takes a selfie in an infusion chair. She is a brunette white woman wearing a Boston Red Sox shirt, blue mask, and round tortoiseshell glasses.⁣⁣
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#AlmostGreatHealth #RheumatoidArthritis #RheumatoidDisease #Rheum #Autoimmune #AutoimmuneDisease #InvisibleIllness #ButYouDontLookSick #Sjogrens #SjogrensSyndrome #POTS #PosturalOrthostaticTachycardiaSyndrome #Dysautonomia
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