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sjogren's syndrome

in Health &middot June 14, 2022

What Sjögren’s Syndrome Is: A Beginner’s Guide

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What Sjögren’s Syndrome Is: A Beginner’s Guide

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Kate the (Almost) Great

Chronic health lifestyle blog

SHARING YOUR HEALTH EXPERIENCES PUBLICLY⁣⁣⁣ ⁣ I sh

SHARING YOUR HEALTH EXPERIENCES PUBLICLY⁣⁣⁣
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I share my personal health experiences online, which I find it somewhat easy to do because I've been talking publicly - albeit to a smaller audience - since my health problems started in 2001. ⁣⁣⁣
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If you share something online, you need to be prepared for people to ask questions or argue with you. Should they? No. Will that stop them? Also do. ⁣
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That's one of the reasons that talking online about what can be trauma is not easy or for everyone. That's why it's important to practice self-care and to consciously think about what you want to share online before you do it. ⁣⁣⁣
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For example, I generally only talk publicly about a health situation once it has passed, especially if it's an emergency. I also make sure that I'm in a good place mentally before I talk about it. That way, I don't share things I'll regret sharing publicly later. It also helps me be less anxious about sharing these details.⁣⁣⁣
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And I don't share everything! There's lot of stuff that I haven't talked about not only online but with people in real life. It might seem like I share everything I've experienced, but I don't. ⁣
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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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IDs: Kate works on a laptop offscreen. She's a redheaded white woman wearing a beige-and-navy striped sweater, silver Claddagh necklace, and pink glasses.⁣
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#ChronicallyIll #RheumatoidArthritis #ChronicPain #Endometriosis #SjogrensSyndrome

Week 18 of 2026 Weekly 1️⃣ Cross-stitch and IVIG

Week 18 of 2026 Weekly

1️⃣ Cross-stitch and IVIG
2️⃣ Another trip to the foot doctor. We’re officially in Try To Avoid My 6th Foot Surgery mode 🤞🏻
3️⃣ At least there were lilacs?

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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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IDs:
1️⃣ Looking down at Kate’s lap. Tubes are coming out of her shirt. She’s working on a cross stitch.
2️⃣ Kate takes a selfie in a doctor’s office. She’s wearing a lilac mask.
3️⃣ A lilac bush

#IVIG #CrossStitching #ChronicIllness #ChronicallyIll #InvisibleIllness

FAQ: Have I Tried Yoga for My Pain? This is a se

FAQ: Have I Tried Yoga for My Pain?

This is a series where I answer questions I frequently get about my rheumatoid arthritis. I am not a medical professional and this is not medical advice - just saying the truth about my body in particular.

Video: Kate speaks to camera. There are captions. A black text box reads “FAQ: Have I Tried Yoga for My Pain?”

#RheumatoidArthritis #AutoimmuneArthritis #Arthritis #ArthritisAwarenessMonth

May is Arthritis Awareness Month, which is the per

May is Arthritis Awareness Month, which is the perfect time to remind people of these facts. Here's today's fact.⁣
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Like, comment, and share to spread awareness 💖⁣
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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: Fact or Fiction? Let's Check! ⁣
Fiction⁣
Arthritis only affects people as they age.⁣
Fact⁣
Arthritis can affect anyone at any age, including kids as young as 3.⁣
katethealmostgreat⁣
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#ArthritisAwareness #Arthritis #RheumatoidDisease #RheumatoidArthritis #ArthritisAwarenessMonth

I’ve been on IVIG since September. So what does su

I’ve been on IVIG since September. So what does success look like? ⁣
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*This is all just for me and my case!*⁣
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1️⃣ I haven't gotten sick at all since I started, not even a cold. ⁣
2️⃣ My lungs are clear of any ground glass opacities, which was what pushed us over to finally doing IVIG regularly. ⁣
3️⃣ We feel better about saying that I don't have any infections. Because symptoms are often signs of the body fighting an infection, we couldn't always trust that I wasn't sick because I didn't have symptoms. ⁣
4️⃣ Because of all of this, we're increasing my next Rituxan dose! This will mean better RA symptoms and hopefully no new illnesses for a few years.⁣
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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 bunch of IVIG supplies, including a pump. ⁣
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#ChronicallyIll #ChronicIllness #ChronicPain #AutoimmuneDisease #Autoimmune

Week 17 of 2026 Weekly 1️⃣ Making some real progr

Week 17 of 2026 Weekly

1️⃣ Making some real progress with this cross stitch
2️⃣ Walking casts have multiple uses, including holding down your mat! (Don’t worry - I only did broken-foot-compatible things)

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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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IDs:
1️⃣ An in-progress cross stitch. You can see that Kate stitched 2 bears.
3️⃣ A walking cast lies on a black yoga mat

#CrossStitching #CrossStitcher #RheumatoidArthritis #Osteoporosis #LoopsAndThreads

Can we talk about fatigue for a sec? ⁣⁣⁣ ⁣ Fatigue

Can we talk about fatigue for a sec? ⁣⁣⁣
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Fatigue is so much more than being tired. It's sleeping 10 hours at night and then struggling to stay awake during the day. It's trouble focusing because, even though you just had 3 cups of coffee, you're thinking about sleep. It's needing to factor rest in during the day because you have plans at night. ⁣⁣⁣
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It's a lot. ⁣⁣⁣⁣
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It's no secret that I have multiple chronic illnesses. But did you know that all of them - all 11+ of them - have fatigue as a symptom? Sometimes the fatigue is worse than the pain and, uh, I live with a lot of pain.⁣⁣
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This picture was taken when I was super anemic and waiting for 4 iron infusions. Now, months later, I can see it. And I also don't know how I got through the months of that anemia. ⁣
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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. She's a redheaded white woman wearing a gray sweater and pink glasses.⁣
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#ChronicallyIll #RheumatoidArthritis #Fibromyalgia #Endometriosis #POTS

Week 16 of 2026 This week had EVERYTHING 1️⃣ Cr $Week 16 of 2026 This week had EVERYTHING 1️⃣ Cross-stitch during virtual mass 2️⃣ Tuesday featured a 90-minute meeting during work and then an hour advocacy work call after my day job (both were good!) 3️⃣ Wednesday started at my foot doctor’s office and I left in a walking boot. Hopefully these 3 fractured bones will heal correctly this time 🤞🏻 4️⃣ Thursday started back at MGH for my annual neurology appointment + foot CT scan 5️⃣ Then I went up to Maine … 6️⃣ to celebrate my grandma’s 85th birthday! ⬛⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ I’m Kate, a chronic illness patient and advocate sharing what my life is like with 10+ chronic illnesses. Follow me for more and check out my blog at katethealmostgreat.com⁣⁣. ⬛ IDs: 1️⃣ In the foreground is an in-progress cross-stitch piece. The background shows an open laptop streaming Catholic mass. 2️⃣ Kate takes a selfie. She’s a white woman with auburn hair and green glasses. 3️⃣ Kate takes a selfie in a doctor’s office. 4️⃣ Kate takes a selfie in a car. 5️⃣ Kate takes a selfie snuggling with a golden retriever. 6️⃣ Kate and her cousins stand with their grandmother in front of a sign saying "Happy Birthday." #CrossStitch #ChronicPain #ChronicallyIll #InvisibleIllness$

My face comes with subtitles, so .. ⁣ ⁣ ⬛⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣ I

My face comes with subtitles, so .. ⁣
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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 drinks coffee giving side eye. White text box reads "My Face When Someone Says 'You Shouldn't Need a Cane At Your Age'" ⁣
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#ChronicPain #ChronicallyIll #RheumatoidArthritis #PosturalOrthostaticTachycardiaSyndrome #Fibromyalgia

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