Arthritis Life

How to Cope With Comorbidities: Jan's Story

Episode Summary

Living with rheumatoid arthritis as your only diagnosis is challenging enough, but when you add multiple rare comorbidities (or additional diagnoses) it can become even more confusing and overwhelming.

Episode Notes

In this episode, seasoned patient and registered nurse (RN) Jan Hempstead shares her best tips for managing stress and living a fulfilling life with multiple comorbidities. Jan lives with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Hypermobile type (EDS), hereditary alpha-tryptasemia (HAT), Dysautonomia, and more. This includes discussions about the importance of support (including Cheryl’s Rheum to THRIVE program) and mindfulness, meditation and Stoic Philosophy in Jan’s journey.

Episode at a glance:

• Diagnosis story: Jan shares how her rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis was very difficult due to her comorbid conditions: EDS Ehler-s danlos syndrome, dysautonomia, and hereditary alpha-tryptasemia (HAT)
• Best tools in Jan’s toolbox for RA and EDS
• Biggest challenges with Managing multiple comorbidities
• What helps Jan cope with managing multiple conditions
• Importance of community and support groups
• Rapid fire questions (lightning round)

Medical disclaimer:

All content found on Arthritis Life public channels was created for generalized informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Episode Sponsors

Rheum to THRIVE, a community support & education program Cheryl created to help people with rheumatic disease go from overwhelmed, confused and alone to confident, supported and connected. Join the next group today!

Full Episode Details

See full details including a transcript at www.MyArthritisLife.Net