The Seated View

Did I mention I love my Loopy? It has made using my phone so much easier and even expanded how I can use it. Dear Loopy Cases people: thank you for inventing this! Also thank you to the wonderful Loopy Cases people for donating not one, but three cases for this giveaway and including a protective screen of tempered glass for those winners who have an iPhone. It’s incredibly generous and I’m very grateful. And the winners (and their comment entries) are: Jocelyn , who said “This came at the perfect time. I was just diagnosed with RA this past summer, and as the cold sets in, I'm noticing that my grip is getting less sure and my hands hurt more.” Terri B: “I would love to try this out. Thank you.” Momzilla: “That would be amazing! I'm always afraid of dropping my iPhone due to the unlexpIned (sic) numbness and weakness in my arm and hand,” Contact me at leneATyourlifewithraDOTcom to learn more about how you can claim your prize. Join me tomorro...

I've always looked to books for inspiration, information and community. This can be especially helpful when you have a chronic illness — adapting is hard and reading how others have found a way through can make a tremendous difference. In my new slideshow for HealthCentral, I have put together a collection of the best chronic illness books for you: "Having a chronic illness adds a unique challenge and perspective to your life. Adapting to this and finding a way to live your life to the fullest requires support and information from many different places. Some of the best resources are books written by others who live with chronic illness. These authors provide information and inspiration that we can use to help with our own journey. Even better, they make us feel part of a community — rejoicing in the “me too” moments and sharing both tears and laughter. Here are some of the best chronic illness books to help you get started." Find out what's on my list of ...

Some people who have rheumatoid arthritis are the only ones in their family with the condition. In other families, autoimmune disease is everywhere. Can it be helpful to have family members with the same condition or can of getting away? My new article on HealthCentral takes a look at this issue: "Due to the interactions between genetic predisposition and other factors, it’s not possible to predict who will have RA and who won’t. That said, one of the greatest risk factors for developing RA is having a family member with the condition. First-degree relatives of someone with RA — parents, siblings, children — are approximately three times more likely to develop the condition . As well, if one identical twin has RA, the other is up to 15 percent more likely to develop RA. For fraternal twins, the risk is less than 4 percent. ...

I love my Loopy Case . It has solves a many of the problems I have in using smart phones, problems related to my rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and disability. Because of lifelong RA, I can’t hold a smart phone — it’s just too wide for my grip. Not to mention that I don’t actually have much of a grip, what with my fingers being mostly fused straight. And then there is the rest of my upper body, which makes it near impossible to hold anything to my ear. And so on. When I first got a smart phone several years ago, I bought a case with a cover and it worked fairly well. There were still a lot of things I couldn’t do and one I did remarkably well. Dropping the thing. Phones are slippery. After my medical adventure last year, I had an additional problem. I came out of the ICU with damage around my ulnar nerves causing numbness and tingling in my hands and fingers . The one on the left is still especially sensitive and holding the phone case required turning my lower...

I should have these giveaways more often – I’m having a blast. What about you? There was a lot of excitement about this week's prize, the beautiful adaptive Integrale cutlery. Thank you so much again to Heubl for donating a set to give away. And the winner is…. Tony Kitchell, who left a comment on the blog saying "This cutlery would finally make it so that I won't have to wince in pain just to butter toast. I can eat without putting on splints."   Congratulations, Tony! Please email me at leneATyourlifewithraDOTcom to claim your prize. Tune in tomorrow for Giveaway #3!