Arthritis Life

Episode 1: Sarah Dillingham

Episode Summary

Sarah Dillingham shares her unique experiences living and working with rheumatoid arthritis in England and the USA.

Episode Notes

Episode at a Glance

She and Cheryl discuss their best advice for newly diagnosed patients, explore how fatigue can be more debilitating than pain, highlight the importance of mental health treatment for chronic conditions, and dig into the impact of rheumatoid disease on everyday life.

Sarah's experience designing her own custom wedding day splint (due to not wanting to wear the typical ugly splints available in the current market) led her to form a start-up called Grace and Able, where she's developing more comfortable and aesthetically pleasing wrist braces. She also runs the Women with Rheumatoid Disease Facebook community.

Here's the show breakdown:

01:25 - Sarah's diagnosis story and brief medical history
08:30 - Highlights and lowlights from Sarah's experience with medical providers
23:34 - Sarah's advice for newly diagnosed patients (includes a discussion on social media)
38:00 - How rheumatoid disease has affected Sarah's experiences at work
42:27 - The effects rheumatoid disease has had on Sarah's friendships and romantic relationships
47:11 - The origin of Sarah's custom wedding day splint, which led her to form Grace & Able.
51:00 - How chronic illness has affected Sarah and Cheryl's mental health.
59:54 - Why fatigue is the hardest part of coping with RA (even more so than pain).
1:07:20 - What to do when there are no more treatment options - how to have this discussion with your doctor and care team.
1:11:41 - Sarah's frustrations with day to day living, and how she's learned much of what she's needed to cope with pain and daily living challenges from other patients and not health professionals.
1:18:00 - The three MOST important parts of Sarah's current management of her condition.

Additional links relevant to this episode:

Get more support at:

Rheum to THRIVE, an online course and support program Cheryl created to help people with rheumatic disease go from overwhelmed, confused and alone to confident, supported and connected**.** See all the details and join the program or waitlist now!

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER:

All content found on this podcast was created for generalized informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read or heard on this channel.