Member Profile Leslie Age: 21 Writing from: Turku, Finland (via Johnson City, Tenn.) Arthritis types: Fibromyalgia, rheumatoid Arthritic for...: 1-2 years

What don't you tell your doctor about how you manage pain?
Probably some of the silly techniques I employ, like singing at the top of my lungs. I guess I am embarassed or think he would take me less seriously, but I think it helps.

What could George Bush do personally to make the lives of arthritics better?
Focus research dollars on autoimmune diseases in particular. Young people are getting these diseases more and more and there is no reason treatments should still be so hard to come by or endure.

What could the Arthritis Foundation do?
Be present in more communities for starters and make their programs more easily accessible to those of us who still work and go to school. Also, help it feel more like it is for the young sufferers too.

Have you ever used your arthritis to gain an unfair advantage?
I don't think so, but maybe I use it to get my boyfriend to rub my feet more often, when they don't hurt all the time. I think we can all use some more of that kind of advantage though.

When's the last time you felt humiliated because of your arthritis?
When I was in class and everyone was leaving, and I had been sitting so long that I couldn't get out of my chair and had to ask someone for help.

What are you doing in your picture?
Looking for a castle.

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