Orange County, California
113 Members
Live Yes! Connect Groups offer local connections, education and empowerment. Adults living with arthritis from our local community come together for professional- and volunteer-led sessions on a variety of topics, as well as fun group activities.
We offer a place of understanding and encouragement for both people living with arthritis and their loved ones. Group participants become self-advocates, develop self-management skills and learn how to not just survive life with arthritis but to thrive.
Upcoming Events
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Thursday, June 12th, 2025
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Wednesday, July 16th, 2025
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Virtual Event
- Event List
Arthritis Foundation Event
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Thursday, June 12th, 2025
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Wednesday, July 16th, 2025
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Virtual Event
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Thursday, July 24th, 2025
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Virtual Event
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Thursday, August 28th, 2025
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Virtual Event
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Saturday, September 6th, 2025
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Saturday, September 6th, 2025
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Monday, September 15th, 2025
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Virtual Event
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Sunday, September 21st, 2025
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Thursday, September 25th, 2025
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Virtual Event
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Thursday, October 23rd, 2025
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Thursday, November 6th, 2025
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Virtual Event
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Thursday, November 13th, 2025
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Virtual Event
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Saturday, December 6th, 2025
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Sunday, December 7th, 2025
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Sunday, December 14th, 2025
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Thursday, December 18th, 2025
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Virtual Event
Facilitators [2]
Members [113]
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Comments [12]
Hello all!
I have received a notice of a new group meeting for the AS Connect Group and some of you i our OC Connect group may be interested in so I am posting the notice here. The AS group has a facilitator, Carla, and you may go to that group's page to join or re-join the group and register for this new event she has posted.
A new event has been created and we hope you will join us.
Event Information Ankylosing Spondylitis Connect Group: Overview of AS and the Patient JourneyWednesday, July 23, 2025 07:00 PM - 08:30 PM ET
This event has no location
Please register today! Once registered, you will receive a confirmation email - be sure to check spam and promotional folders if it doesn’t appear in your primary inbox.
Invite friends and family in the arthritis community to join our events. Share the registration link above or forward this email!
Kind Regards,
Carla
Hello,
I'm a 58 year old female who has had RA for 30 years. I have a quick question for anyone who has had surgery to repair damage done by arthritis in the feet. At what time did you determine you had to get the surgery? And was it successful?
I have RA in both feet which are now severly deformed. I can walk in sneakers only and am not in much pain but I am a little wobbley and fear I may take a fall soon. I'd love any information from someone who is dealing with or has had this issue because I'm trying to decide if it's time for me to take the plunge and have my foot reconstructed.
Thanks so much!
Sarah
Hi again Sarah,
I don't see your profile on my group page to send you an E-mail from this group page, so I can give you my E-mail address to send me your E-mail address if you like and we can discuss this further there. I'm sure my friend would be willing to tell you her experinces. She's had foot surgeries and is now in her 70's. so it was possibly in her 60's when she did ther surgeries. E-mail me to discuss if you would like to proceed and speak with her on the phone.
Warm regards,
Mary Michaels - Co -facilitator, Live Yes! Connect Group, Orange County, CA
E-mail: [email protected] | Mobile: 714-8240542
HI Sarah,
This is Mary Michaels, one of your faciliators for this group. I know someone with your issues that I can put you in touch with via telephone if you are open to that. This woman is in our group here but not good with computers. It is a woman who was my former co-facilitator at the Tustin Senior Center for our Arthritis Foundation Support Group there for many years. I have since gone to Zoom meeting/events only for our current OC Connect Group since the pandemic. I will email you more on this in a personal email.
Warm regards,
Mary
Hi all,
Just wanting to put myself out there! Was diagnosed in November with early onset RA. Pain and discomfort feels a lot more intense and longer now. Find myself contacting my PCP and rheumatologist a lot more now. Find myself more anxious and stressed and I was already that way before. Guess that just comes with young kids too lol. Anyways, OC group nice to virtually meet yall.
Hi Mary,
thanks for information! Right now weeknights and weekdays would be best. Schedule will open up more come the end of August too. Will for sure keep an eye out for virtual events and other boards.
HI Michael,
Welcome to the OC Connect Group! Being newly diagnosed is a challenging time for sure. I want to make sure you know that in addition to the support we can provide here in our group, you know there are three other Connect Groups you may want to check out if you have not already. Do be careful to see what time zone each event is in so you can make the adjustment to our time zone. There is a group specifically for Newly Diagnosed, one for Rheumatoid Arthritis and one for Chronic Pain, each of which may offer you information and folks to connect with as you navigate this new aspect of your life. Since many of the Connect Groups meet via Zoom, you can also attend any of the event meetings around the country if the topics they post may be of interest to you. You do not need to join each group but can just attend the events that interest you or you can join the other groups so that you get email from them on events without needing to go searching for the information. Just a thought. I have RA , so if you need any support or information between meetings, please contact me. I've been with the Arthritis Foundation as a volunteer for almost 20 yrs now and it has provided me with many helpful ways to manage my daily life. There are many resouces and connecting with others who can share the experiences and information they have is helpful also. Keep an eye on your email and the Discussion Board for our upcoming event/meetings or other information on Webinars and Podcasts. If you have any topics you would like to have us present and discuss, please let us know! And when is your best time to attend an event/meeting? Are weekday eveings 7-8:30 pm good for you or would a weekend time be better?
Welcome!
Mary Michaels, Co-facilitator Live Yes! Connect Group, Orange County, CA
E-mail: [email protected] | Mobile: 714-824-0542
Hello OC Connct Group Members!
If anyone has general questions between meeting events or issues registering for events or getting entry into events at the time of the event, and for some reason does not get a response by clickiing on my image here on the group site, you may contact me directly using my E-mail or by calling or texting me by phone.. See contact information below in this message. This would be especially important if you are having any technical issues trying to enter an event.
Thanks,
Mary Michaels, Co-facilitator, LIve Yes! Connect Group, Orange County, CA
E-mail: [email protected] | Mobile: 714-824-0542
Hi Connect Group Members,
I am reaching out to share a unique invitation open only to Connect Group Members. The Arthritis Foundation is hosting a webinar on Tuesday, May 13, 2025 at 6 pm ET entitled, "Arthritis Foundation & American College of Rheumatology Research and Treatment Showcase." This exclusive webinar is only open to Connect Group Members and aims to provide patients with accessible and impactful insights from the 2024 American College of Rheumatology Convergence conference, focusing on key research and information that can enhance patient-provider relationships and improve patient care. Register today!
Register: https://https://joinus.arthritis.org/event/acrshowcase/summary
Just thought I would send the link to the Newly Diagnosed Group Event that starts a series that may be of interest this evening. Note the time for our area is 4:30 pm PDT to start.
https://connectgroups.arthritis.org/events/event-detail?eventid=225938
We hope you will also be joining us for our Orange County Connect Group event on Wednesday, April 30, 2025 at 7 pm - 8:30 pm PDT,
Mary Michaels, Co-facilitator - Live Yes! Connect Group, Orange County, CA
[email protected] | Mobile: 714-824-0542
Temecula wineries are where it's at! Come join me for water...lol...and watching others drink! We could share a yummy charcuterie board... :-)
Hello Evelyn!
Welcome to the Orange County, CA Live Yes! Connec Group! You will be receiving some personal email from myself and Susan as a new member. You may use this Dicussion Board area to post questions or thoughts to share. If you wish to contact myself or Susan or both, you may do so by clicking on our icons on the group page or use the contact information in our personal e-mail messages to you.
We look forward to seeing you at future events via Zoom!
Mary Michaels, Co-Facilitator, Live Yes! Connec Group, Orange County, CA
Hello, just diagnosed with an aggressive form of bilateral RA-that means it spreads through both sides of my body. I would love some help and ideas. I started methotrexate last night and my pain more than doubled about 6 hours later. It's the weekend so I'm not sure what to do. Any tips are appreciated.
Aloha, I a new here. I am pretty confused about Arthritis. Just reaching out to meet others. Aloha,
Hi Tom C ,
Our Oange County group is not very active wth members at this time so I want to put you in touch with the West Los Angeles Live Yes! Connect Group. You can join as many groups as you like.
Also I will email you the contact information of the West Los Angeles group facilitator. She has an active group and I have been joining her group each month for events and meetings via Zoom. But this month the West LA group is meeting in person, so that means our Orange County group will not be connecting with them this month.
Look in your email for the information on contacting the West LA facilitator, Haydee Sedlmeir via email and she can help get you connected with some folks and offer some other suggestions.
Many thanks,
Mary Michaels , Live Yes! Connect Group, Orange County, CA
[email protected]
(714) 824-0542 - mobile
Anyone here with personal experience with osteoarthritis in the knees and treatment options? Looking for information and learning how to advocate for myself with my doctors. Thank you
Hello, I am new to the group and don't see a lot of comments or post. Maybe I am not accessing this site in the correct way. Please let me know how you guys are communicating if at all thanks
Welcome Monica!
This is a the discussion area and you are doing it correctly. I am the group facilitator, Mary Michaels. I started the group last year, and while it seems like we have a lot of members, they don't talk here for some reason. Folks don't even post about themselves on their profile much. I am here if you want or need to chat. And we can see if we can get the rest of the group to join in. I've been co-hosting meetings with the West Los Angeles group over the last year. They have monthly Zoom meetings where the first half is an educational presentation by an expert in the medical field or an exercise expert or a relaxation exercise expert, etc.. and then we all share how we are doing in general for the secon half of the meeting. Our group is still growing so joining the activities of the more established group in West LA has worked for now, but we can totally do our own thing too. I've been meaning to. What would you like to learn about? Or groups can just gather on Zoom and talk and have some fun too. What kinds of things would you like to have in the group? So glad you joined! - Mary
Can anyone that is on Humira give me more info on side effects. My Doctor has suggested this medication but I am not sure.
Hi Lawrence,
I've been on Humira for 20 years and it has been great for me. Other than a little reddness or swelling at the injection site I've had no side effects.
Hope that helps,
Sarah
I haven't figured out how to create a post I'm just trying to figure this out. Are there any in person support groups in Orange county?
Hello, I'm Mary Michaels, the Facilitator for this group. I'm so sorry I have not seen your message here until today. I got sick with the flu in March as I was just starting this group at that time. I was sick for several months, so am just now getting back to working on our group. I see you wrote here on April 14th so I am wondering what you have found out since then about Humira. I have Rheumatoid Arthritis. Diagnosed in 2007 at age 51. I began taking Humira in 2011 and have found it to be very helpful and had no side effects other than some fatigue on the day of the injection and that is not consistent, just sometimes. It helps a great deal with my pain and inflammation. The injections are pain free. Did you begin using Humira since your original post here?