Author Archives: MonicawithRA

Dumb Sh*t People Say: RA Edition Series Three, Part Two

25 Friday Oct 2013

Posted by in Dumb Sh*t People Say Series, Rheumatoid Arthritis

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, ,

“Is RA contagious???”

 

I am more sensitive than usual, especially given all the mean comments aimed at me recently but this one really upsets me.

I do think it is a legitimate question and it is definitely not meant to make me feel bad. Honestly, it’s not the question but the meaning behind it.

 

Part of the reason I did not tell anyone about the RA for almost a year was because I did not want people to treat me like I was sick. People act a certain way when they know someone is sick, it is human nature. There is the part that feels sorry and there is the part that is wary and concerned about how this affects them.

This question unmasks the selfishness that everyone feels. Some people are just better at hiding it, but everyone feels it.

It is easy to talk the talk, but when it comes to actually supporting someone very few people follow-through.

 

If I tell someone about the disease, they automatically see me differently. It’s like a light switch. The tone of the conversation changes, they treat me like I will break.

 

I have been more lax about who I tell about the RA, but I am still cautious. Do you think I would tell you if I wanted pity?

I don’t want pity! I want support! I need to know that even though I have this sometimes crippling disease, you will not treat me any differently than before. I want to know that I can do and achieve the same things. Can I treat this disease like another interesting fact about myself?

No. Apparently not. This isn’t like a poorly executed tattoo…this is an illness, a sickness. People are innately too selfish to see it any other way.

 

Unfortunately, most people just think about themselves. They don’t see someone who needs support, they just worry about how I, as the person with this disease, will affect them.

 

Part One

Part Three

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

NAIL Oct. Theme 4: Treats and Sweets

24 Thursday Oct 2013

Posted by in Nail Art

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

I really wanted to practice my stamping. When I first started doing it I was just awful at it so I put it to the side for a while. I think stamping is so versatile and I know I need to get better at it.

I think the “Picasso Swirl” technique is just so fun. I tried two different looks in this manicure. The first I just swirled each color separately and the second I mixed the colors a little more.

Image

Image

I didn’t notice the line on my index nail until the polishes had dried. I thought there was a scratch on the plate…Nope, it was a little piece of cat hair!

I used 2 coats of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear “White On” as my base. Any suggestions on a better good white?

For the stamping, I used Bundle Monster plate “BM 306” and Wet n Wild “Black Creme”.

For the swirl, I used Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear “White On”, and Color Club “Almost Famous”, “Wham! Pow!”.

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

A Home-Cooked Diet is the Best (Animal Edition)

24 Thursday Oct 2013

Posted by in Animal Sciences

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, ,

My family has taken “crazy pet people” to new heights. Our pets are the only things we talk about and they are the only ones we cook for. Technically, we cook for ourselves but not nearly as much as we do for our dogs.

Image

We tried to convert our cats but they were too used to the free-food set up.

I know a lot of people who will cook some extra turkey, chicken or rice and mix it in with the regular dog food. I’ve seen clients at our animal hospital even go as far as give tomatoes (by the way, tomatoes are NOT GOOD for your dog).

What is special about this diet is it is fully home-cooked. No dog food in sight.

Saachi!

This lovely mastiff came to us with worms and giardia. We spent almost two years trying to get rid of them. The worms destroyed her stomach and she became sensitive to commercial food (including treats). There was only one kibble she could eat and she hated it.

We decided to try home-cooked. We tried different foods before finding something that worked. Saachi is 7 years old and we finalized (for now) their menu last year.

The most frequently asked questions are —

 

What?

Ground beef

Veggie Medley

  • Kale
  • Carrots
  • Green Beans
  • Cauliflower
  • Leftover broccoli stalks

Lentils (2 types)

Couscous

Treats: Graham crackers or peanut butter

 

Changes?

We used to buy the cheapest meat. Pork had too much water loss and ended up being more expensive. We tried chicken, beef or chicken liver but Saachi could not stomach those.

We started with brown rice before couscous but Saachi didn’t digest it and it sat in her stomach. She would only vomit rice. Gross!

Cabbage made her burp uncontrollably, same with broccoli heads.

 

How Much?

We cook enough for 7 to 10 days.

10 lbs of ground beef will last the two dogs 7 days.

3 lbs kale, 1 lb of carrots & green beans, and one cauliflower lasts 9-10 days.

700 g of lentils lasts 7-9 days.

I’m not sure how much couscous we cook but it lasts around 7 days.

 

That’s a lot of work, why?

Believe it or not the home-cooked diet is way cheaper than the commercial diet. Given the type of specialized dog food Saachi would have to eat and her size, we would be going through so much so quickly. Also, this prescription food is a lot more expensive than most others.

If you are at all interested in how I cook the food, please let me know. I will link each recipe to a different post so as not to over-load this post.

Yes, I know I’m crazy, but my pets are the most important beings in my life and I will do anything to keep them healthy!

My dogs never get sick. Never. We probably tacked on a few years to their life just because of this diet.

 

Recipe for Ground Beef

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Dumb Sh*t People Say: RA Edition – Series Three, Part One

23 Wednesday Oct 2013

Posted by in Dumb Sh*t People Say Series, Rheumatoid Arthritis

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

,

Disclaimer: I don’t really classify this as “dumb”.

 

“Is RA contagious???”

 

This is not a dumb question but it is a very silly one.

It is a disease. Some diseases are contagious. However, RA is rheumatoid arthritis.

 

Is osteo-arthritis contagious? 

During a flare, just by standing near someone can I pass on my confused immunity? Just by sneezing can I contaminate the air with my RA inflammatory anti-bodies?

Okay, so even if they did not know this was an auto-immune, I can’t even imagine a way that arthritis could be contagious. Suggestions?

 

Just taking one second to think about what the name of the disease is should be an indicator, on its own, that this illness is probably not contagious.

This question leans towards not having any knowledge of RA but it is a rather strange question nonetheless.

 

Part Two

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Help!: In Search Of….

22 Tuesday Oct 2013

Posted by in Reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

I am in search for a good creme white and yellow.

 

The whites I tried (China Glaze “White On White”, Sally Hansen “White On”, Essie “Blanc”) got very gloopy and thick within two uses.

The China Glaze polish was unusable. The bottle was totally full but I never managed to get any polish on the brush.

Essie was just awful from the get-go and I had to toss the polish. It was too thick and the dry time was very slow, even with thin and streaky strokes.

I liked Sally Hansen, I got full coverage with one coat but the consistency changed as well.

 

The yellows I tried (Cult Nails “Deal with It”, Color Club “Almost Famous”, the Milani Fast Dry yellow) also changed consistency very quickly.

I never liked Cult Nails because it was very tacky and no matter what I tried to do I could not get even layers. The dry time was extremely long.

In general, I am not a fan of the Cult Nails polishes.

I purchased Sephora by OPI “Cab Fare”. I liked the polish but it was too sheer on it’s own. Even after four coats I could still see my nail bed. Also, it has shimmer and I really wanted a bright creme.

 

Help!

I just realized I am totally bashing these polishes. My opinion is my own and I did not have a good experience with them. Other people might have had better luck with these polishes and brands. There are some great polishes from these brands that I really like, however, these polishes just did not work for me.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Nail Art: Inspired by the Pets

22 Tuesday Oct 2013

Posted by in Just for Fun, Nail Art

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

I managed to take a rather awful picture of Affie this morning but it captured a very silly expression. I am usually very good at reading animal’s expressions but  I have NO idea what she was trying to tell me.

 

While I was painting my nails this evening I realized they reminded me of my loveable goofy Affable. Sponging, and water decals are very arthritis friendly but I decided to push my restraints a little bit and did water marble accents! I hope you like it!

 

ImageBases: (2 coats): Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear White On (ring+thumb), Zoya Cheryl

Marble: Orly “Bonder”, Sephora by OPI “Mr. Right Now”, “Mrs. Can’t Be Wrong”, “Cover Me in Petals”, and “Cab Fare”

Sponging: Zoya “Cheryl”, Essie “No Place Like Chrome”, China Glaze “Fuchsia”, Color Club “Mrs. Robinson”, Urban Decay “Smog”, and Sephora by OPI “Cab Fare”

Middle Finger: I used two separate water decals from the Born Pretty Store. They were two different designs from the Christmas collection. I finally figured out how to use these properly! After I soak the entire paper in water I need to remove the decal from the backing. Hah…well, practice makes perfect! I had no problems with keeping the decals flat on my nail.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Nail Art: Number Crunchers

21 Monday Oct 2013

Posted by in Nail Art

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , ,

I recently got a job as an after-school enrichment program teacher. For one of the classes, I work with K-2nd graders and play a ton of math games!

In honor of the class, I decided to do a Number Crunchers-inspired mani! I really like this so I will probably play around with different color combinations and styles.

I love the subtlety of the double gradient!

 

Apologies on the massive swelling in my fingers this morning! I think shorter nails accentuate it…

Image

 

For the gradient I used Milani “Mint Chip” and Sephora by OPI “I Come in Peas”.

For the stamping I used Milani “Mint Chip” and “Quick Teal” and Bundle Monsters plate “BM 311”.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.