Episode 2: Rheumatology Basics with Dr. Balderia

Explicit content warning

07/14/20 • 17 min

Arthritis Life

Episode at a Glance

Cheryl (rheumatoid arthritis patient and occupational therapist) and rheumatologist Dr. Percy Balderia discuss:

1:00-2:00: - What is Rheumatology?
2:00 - Why did Dr. Balderia choose to become a Rheumatologist?
04:50- Day in the life of a Rheumatologist
06:45 - How to build a good relationship with your provider & prepare for appointments
11:16- What should patients know about Rheumatology?
13:07- Meeting the mental health needs of people with chronic illnesses
14:02- How to pick the best treatment plan & utilize supports available to you!

This interview was originally conducted in April 2019.

Episode is brought to you by:

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!

Additional links relevant to this episode:

Dr. Percy Balderia is a rheumatologist who sees patients at The Polyclinic Madison Center and The Polyclinic Downtown in Seattle, Washington. He has a special interest in rheumatoid arthritis. He trained at the University of Washington and was awarded The Arthritis Foundation fellowship.

Thank you to our podcast interns, Sarieni & Laura from The Modern OTs podcast, for your help in editing this episode!

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER:

All content found on the Arthritis Life Youtube Channel 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 heard on this podcast. Please seek the advice of a physician or other appropriate healthcare provider before putting information from this channel to use. Links to educational content not created by Cheryl Crow of Arthritis Life are taken at your own risk. Reliance on any information provided by Arthritis Life is solely at your own risk.

Episode at a Glance

Cheryl (rheumatoid arthritis patient and occupational therapist) and rheumatologist Dr. Percy Balderia discuss:

1:00-2:00: - What is Rheumatology?
2:00 - Why did Dr. Balderia choose to become a Rheumatologist?
04:50- Day in the life of a Rheumatologist
06:45 - How to build a good relationship with your provider & prepare for appointments
11:16- What should patients know about Rheumatology?
13:07- Meeting the mental health needs of people with chronic illnesses
14:02- How to pick the best treatment plan & utilize supports available to you!

This interview was originally conducted in April 2019.

Episode is brought to you by:

Additional links relevant to this episode:

Thank you to our podcast interns, Sarieni & Laura from The Modern OTs podcast, for your help in editing this episode!

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER:

Previous Episode

Episode 1: Sarah Dillingham

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.

Next Episode

Pregnancy, Parenting and More with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Episode at a Glance:

The following is a breakdown of the main topics we discussed - scroll to the end to see hyperlinks for resources mentioned in this episode! As a reminder: this episode was originally recorded in 2019.

01:35 - Claire diagnosis journey for rheumatoid arthritis: difficulty being believed by providers through her official diagnosis and her journey towards accepting it
10:30 Claire’s pregnancy and childbirth experience
14:20 - Claires postpartum experience with RA coming back slowly
16:20 - How Claire parents a Toddler with Rheumatoid Arthritis
18:15 Claire’s advice for people with RA who might want to have a child
20:20 - How to Manage Stress and Anxiety with chronic illness, including tips for finding a good fit with a provider (
26:40: Claire’s advice for newly diagnosed patients
30:10: What Claire wishes doctors did better
31:26: Claire’s tips for a good patient-provider relationship and tips for advocating for yourself
35:36: The Difference between living with an invisible illness and living with a visible one when Claire had to wear a splint!
38:55: How RA affected Claire’s choice of work, and her employment
41:42: How RA affected Claire’s relationship with her husband
44:00 - Fatigue and RA
45:44 – How RA affects friendships and relationships in adulthood

Get More Support at:

External resources mentioned in this episode or relevant to it:

Suzie Edward May “Arthritis Pregnancy and the Path to Parenthood”
Mother to Baby - website for evidence based information for pregnancy and medications
Arthritis Life Podcast, Practical Tips & Support - Cheryl's Facebook group
Free download from Cheryl: my Master RA Checklist
Free download: the 6 Things Everyone with Arthritis Should Know

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER:

All content found on the 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. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.