Dating arthritis

Relationships & Arthritis

Dating is tricky enough without throwing in a diagnosis of a chronic autoimmune disease , such as rheumatoid arthritis or multiple sclerosis. Four folks who have been in the dating trenches share their stories — including why having a chronic illness helped them find their soulmates and made their relationships even stronger. Here, four things they want you to know. While her date was gracious, she still felt humiliated. Then, a couple of years later, she went on a first date with her now-husband, Santiago, to a park. She confessed to Santiago that she had rheumatoid arthritis and the stairs would be difficult to manage. The next thing she knew, he had swept her up in his arms and was gallantly carrying her down the steps. Sean Ritz, 25, a public relations executive in New Jersey, remembers one disastrous date when he had to bail out of rock climbing because of his achy joints. Kai Brown, a year-old television marketing consultant in Edgewater, N. Ten years later, Brown is celebrating her engagement to a man who shares her same values, including compassion.

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Arthritis can affect your relationships in many ways. From having to cancel plans with a loved on, to not feeling romantic because of your pain, there are ways you can cope with the impact arthritis may have on your relationships. Maybe you want to tell. Riding the emotional ups and downs of arthritis can be easier when you talk about it with family, friends, and even co-workers; some may be able to offer arthritis help and advice. Alex Shikhman, MD, a San Diego rheumatologist, says the majority of his patients opt to stay quiet about their arthritis in the workplace for fear of it adversely affecting their job status. Working with arthritis patients, he found that those with a more common, more socially understood disorder — osteoarthritis, for example, as opposed to fibromyalgia — tend to disclose more often. To explore how this personal decision can play out in everyday life, Arthritis Today asked three people to share how they told others.

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It is challenging enough to talk about intimacy and sex with a spouse or longtime partner. But if you are single and have arthritis, it can be intimidating to even think about going on a date. Here are some tips on how to look for love in all the right places. Living with a chronic condition like arthritis can be challenging. Some days are going to be physically and emotionally worse than others.

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Dating can be challenging for anyone, especially when telling your new partner that you have arthritis. Use these nine tips when making the big reveal. Get involved with the arthritis community.

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