Radiant Rheumatology

10/29/2026

An extra hour of sleep sounds wonderful, doesn't it? Unless your body doesn't cooperate.

This weekend, we'll turn our clocks back an hour. While many people look forward to gaining that extra hour, those living with chronic illness may experience the change quite differently.

Disrupted sleep, increased fatigue, brain fog, and chronic pain can make even small changes in routine feel significant.

In this week's Patient Perspectives blog, we share a personal account of why this year's time change feels particularly challenging, along with information from Radiant Rheumatology about the relationship between our internal body clocks, inflammation, and sleep.

Because an extra hour in bed doesn't necessarily mean an extra hour of restful sleep.

Read the latest article: https://www.radiantrheumatology.com/post/daylight-saving-time-and-chronic-illness

Gaining an extra hour of sleep sounds wonderful, but for people living with chronic illness, the seasonal time change can bring additional challenges. Explore how disrupted sleep, circadian rhythms, and inflammation may affect pain, fatigue, and daily life.

10/28/2026

Psoriasis affects the skin, so why might it come up in a rheumatology appointment?

Because for some people, psoriasis can also be associated with inflammation in the joints.

Psoriatic arthritis can cause joint pain, swelling and stiffness. Some people may also notice swelling of an entire finger or toe, changes in their nails, or pain where tendons and ligaments attach to bone.

If you have psoriasis and begin experiencing new or persistent joint symptoms, make sure your healthcare provider knows about both. Even if the skin and joint problems seem unrelated to you, that connection can be important.

And don’t forget to mention a history of psoriasis even if your skin is doing well when you arrive for your appointment.

World Psoriasis Day is a good reminder that sometimes what we see on the skin can be one part of a much bigger picture.

10/27/2026

Happy Thanksgiving from Radiant Rheumatology!

Today, we're especially grateful for the patients who trust us with their care and for the opportunity to support them as they navigate their health.

We wish you and your loved ones a peaceful, enjoyable holiday filled with the people and moments that matter most.

10/26/2026

Do your joints need a little time to “wake up” in the morning?

Morning stiffness is something many people experience, but if you’re seeing a rheumatologist, the details are worth paying attention to.

Think about what those first few minutes—or hours—of your day are actually like. Which joints feel stiff? How long does it take before you start moving more comfortably? Does getting up and moving help? Is it happening most mornings, or only occasionally?

It can also help to think about what the stiffness prevents you from doing. Maybe your hands don’t cooperate when you’re trying to get dressed, your knees make the stairs difficult, or getting out of bed and moving normally takes longer than it used to.

You don’t need to diagnose what’s causing it. Just describe what you’re experiencing as specifically as you can.

Those everyday details can give your rheumatologist useful information about what’s happening beyond the exam room.

10/23/2026

Of course today would be the day you feel pretty good.

You’ve waited weeks for your rheumatology appointment. Your joints have been hurting, mornings have been difficult, and there were days when you wondered how you were going to get through everything you needed to do.

Then appointment day arrives…and your symptoms decide to behave.

Don’t worry that a good day means there’s nothing to talk about.

Tell your rheumatologist what the difficult days actually look like. How long does the stiffness last? Which joints bother you? Have you noticed swelling? What activities become harder? How often are those bad days happening?

Photos and a few notes on your phone can also help you remember symptoms that aren’t obvious during your visit.

Your rheumatologist doesn’t expect every symptom to conveniently show up during your appointment. What happens between visits is part of the story, too.

10/22/2026

Someone can smile, laugh, carry on a conversation, and appear perfectly fine while living with challenges most people never see.

For people with invisible chronic illnesses, those brief moments can lead others to make assumptions about what they're capable of doing every day.

This week's Patient Perspectives article comes from a mother's point of view. She shares what it's like to raise children with invisible illnesses, advocate for them as adults, and navigate the frustration of having to explain struggles that aren't always apparent to others.

As we recognize Invisible Disabilities Week, it's an important reminder that we can't determine someone's health or abilities simply by looking at them.

Read "When Your Child Lives With Invisible Chronic Illnesses" and learn why listening, understanding, and looking beyond appearances matter.

https://www.radiantrheumatology.com/post/invisible-chronic-illnesses-mothers-perspective

When your children live with invisible and chronic illnesses, the world often sees only their smiles, not their struggles. One mother shares the challenges of advocating for her adult children, navigating assumptions, and helping others understand that looking fine doesn't always mean feeling fine.

10/21/2026

A visit to the doctor involves a lot more than the time you spend with your physician.

Medical assistants are often among the first people you see when you arrive. They help get you settled, gather information, update medications, take vital signs, answer questions and help keep everything moving throughout the day.

But there’s another part of the job that’s harder to put on a checklist: helping patients feel comfortable when they may already be dealing with pain, fatigue, uncertainty or anxiety about their health.

During Medical Assistants Recognition Week, we want to recognize the people who do that work every day and the important role they play in the patient experience.

Thank you for everything you do for our patients and for Radiant Rheumatology. 💜

10/20/2026

Why does it sometimes take so long to diagnose an autoimmune disease?

For patients experiencing pain, fatigue, and other unexplained symptoms, waiting for answers can be incredibly frustrating. Sometimes, the symptoms are present long before a condition has developed enough recognizable features to make a definitive diagnosis.

In this video, Dr. Shubha Kollampare of Radiant Rheumatology explains why autoimmune diseases can be difficult to diagnose, how treatment may help even when a diagnosis isn't yet clear, and why communication between patients and their rheumatologist is so important.

She also shares something every patient deserves to hear: Your symptoms matter, even when there isn't a clear diagnosis yet.

Watch as Dr. Kollampare discusses the importance of education, listening, and helping patients navigate the uncertainty of autoimmune disease.

10/20/2026

What does bone health have to do with rheumatology?

Quite a bit.

Osteoporosis causes bones to become weaker and more likely to fracture, often without obvious symptoms along the way. Some people don’t know they have significant bone loss until a fracture occurs.

For rheumatology patients, bone health can be an especially important part of the conversation. Age, menopause, certain inflammatory conditions, reduced physical activity and some medications—including long-term corticosteroid use—can affect bone strength.

That’s why your rheumatologist may ask about previous fractures, medications, family history or whether you’ve had a bone density test, even when bones weren’t the reason you scheduled your appointment.

For World Osteoporosis Day, it’s a good reminder that taking care of your joints and taking care of your bones often go hand in hand.

10/19/2026

You can look perfectly fine and still be having a difficult day.

Pain doesn’t always change the way someone looks. Neither do fatigue, stiffness, brain fog or many of the other symptoms people living with rheumatic conditions may experience.

That can make chronic illness particularly frustrating. You may find yourself explaining why you can’t do something today that you were able to do yesterday, or why an activity that looks simple to someone else requires much more effort from you.

Symptoms can fluctuate, too. Having a good afternoon doesn’t mean the difficult morning didn’t happen. Being able to attend an event doesn’t tell anyone how much energy it took to get there—or what you may need to do afterward to recover.

At your rheumatology appointments, those experiences are worth talking about. How your symptoms affect your everyday life can provide important context that isn't always visible during an exam.

What you're able to see during an appointment is only one part of the picture.