The Seated View

Biosimilars are becoming a real player in RA treatment and is important to know the facts as you make decisions about whether to use them. In my new slideshow for RAHealthCentral, I look at what they are, what they do, and the pros and cons: " What are biosimilars? Most drugs are created by chemicals using small molecules, meaning generic alternatives are chemically identical. Biologics are made from living organisms and their molecules are large and delicate, making it impossible to create exact copies. Biosimilars are a sort of “copycat” version of the original biologic drug, similar but not identical." Read more about biosimilars on HealthCentral .  

Mariah Leach has a fantastic feature on her blog. It's called Facing Forward and in it, people from the chronic illness community tell the stories. I just told mine: "   Name:  Lene Location:  Toronto, Canada Diagnoses: Juvenile arthritis, fibromyalgia, migraines Age at Diagnosis: I was 4 when my juvenile arthritis started, but wasn't diagnosed until I was 9 years old. I've had migraines since my teens, and developed fibro in 2004. How are you currently treating your condition? I'm primarily using a biologic to treat my JA and miracle of miracles, it is working! There were no treatments for the disease for most of my life, so it's astonishing to finally experience what it's like when something works. Because it's taking care of my autoimmune arthritis, my fibromyalgia is quieter than it was when things were active. It is still there, though. I mostly treat that with a variety of painkillers and muscle relaxants. I ...

I was thrilled when Jessica Gimeno of Fashionably Ill asked me for an interview. We talked about my story, Chronic Christmas, and I shared three tips to survive the holidays with "Today, I am interviewing Lene Andersen, author of Chronic Christmas: Surviving the Holidays with a Chronic Illness (paperback and kindle versions available ).  The holidays can be stressful for anyone but they can be especially stressful for people with chronic illness.  Lene Andersen’s blog, The Seated View , is chalk full of inspiration and practical advice you can use all year round.   Lene is 54-years old but says she feels like she’s only 42! Jessica Gimeno:  What is your official diagnosis and when were you diagnosed? Lene Andersen:  I was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis when I was nine years old, although the symptoms started five years prior to that. I also have migraines which started in my teens, and was diagnosed with fibromyalgia 12 years ago. Lene Ander...

Every Christmas season, these guys show up around St.Lawrence Market. I'm not quite sure what mummers are about, but I love watching them.    

There comes a time in every woman’s life when she has an undeniable urge to wear leopard print. Earlier this week, that urge came to Lucy. The Internet argues that wearing leopard print shows a woman is adventurous and likes to show off , that it’s about power and confidence , and that it turns you into a sexy, bold diva . (‘scuse me while I go shopping for clothes. As an experiment that they might effect a fundamental change in my personality….) A couple weeks ago, Jeanne of Genie4Pets Bling PetCollars contacted me on Facebook, offering to send me/Lucy one of her lovely blingy collars . How could I say no? Deciding on which collar would fit Miss Lucy best took a while — there were so many to choose from. Eventually, I narrowed it down to the turquoise. Unfortunately, it wasn’t available in Lucy’s size, so back to the shop I went. And that’s when I saw the leopard print and all sorts of bells went off. It arrived quickly, packaged with some goodies — can...

"I’ve always been really bad at taking care of myself. My body might have had opinions about limits, but I was firmly of the belief that transcending them was just a matter of applying some elbow grease and willpower. Perhaps not surprisingly, my body regularly took revenge. I lost track of how many times it forced me to stay very still for a week or more, while it healed the damage caused by my stubbornness. But still I persisted…until a big flare of my rheumatoid arthritis . This flare made me so weak that I couldn’t do much more than just get through the day. Only after looking into the abyss did I begin to think about changing my approach. These days, I see my body as my best friend, rather than an obstacle. After all, my body gets me through each day, helping me to live my life to the best of my ability. And like any friend, it deserves care." Read the rest of the self-care post on the Mango Health blog .     

Chronic Christmas continues its Australian blog tour! Today it appears on The Original Dragon Mother : "The book had its beginnings in blog posts from The Seated View, where Lene wrote a series of posts about dealing with the additional pressures of special holidays like Christmas, and the ways they can impact on people with a chronic illness. From there, the concept developed into a book that addresses the potential issues for both the person with a chronic illness and those around that person - partners, family, friends and carers.    Living with a chronic illness, especially one of those increasingly known as 'invisible illnesses,' can be stressful and challenging at the best of times. Factor in the pressures of particular holidays and you have a recipe for all sorts of physical emotional mayhem.    Chronic Christmas takes the form of an Advent Calendar. Instead of little windows you open up to find chocolates or other treats, each...

In Denmark, it’s tradition to hang oranges studded with cloves and tied with red silk ribbons in the windows of every room during the Christmas season. It smells wonderful and looks so warm and inviting. This is an excellent craft to do with your kids. The emphasis is very decidedly not on perfection and it is one way of incorporating hygge into your holiday preparations. Take your time, enjoy some hot chocolate and cookies with Christmas carols and songs playing in the background. This will be something your kids will remember as they grow up and likely do with their kids. What you need: As many oranges as you ’ d like to make. Choose navel oranges with thick skin Whole cloves Red silk ribbon. Available on Amazon or in craft stores Scissors How to make the orange 1. Cut a piece of ribbon long enough to go around the orange twice, with enough left over to hang over a curtain rod or on a nail. 2. Place the midpoint of the ribbon on the navel ...