It has been an action-packed past few weeks.  Just last week I had the opportunity to accompany everyone's favorite Real Housewife, Jill Zarin, to the U.S. Bone and Joint Decade conference in Washington, D.C.  Jill was the closing luncheon's keynote speaker.  She talked about being the mom of a daughter with arthritis, as well as having a stepson battling Still's disease.

It was great to watch her relate to everyone and have a very meaningful conversation about raising the profile of arthritis among the general population.  Even though I wrote a few notes ahead of time for her to reference, she didn't look at her notes once -- she didn't need to.  Instead, she spoke from the heart about arthritis in her household.

I had the chance to introduce her and say a few words up front about CreakyJoints and our opinion of what advocacy should mean.  Addressing an audience of about 300 people from 60 countries around the world humbled me quite a bit, and re-emphasized the global nature of arthritis and bone disease.  It was kind of like the United Nations for arthritis -- there were doctors and advocates from all around the world, including every continent -- coming together with a singular mission.

Even though the Bone and Joint Decade -- originally created as a 10-year push to raise awareness about, pool resources for, and elevate the profile of arthritis -- is nearly completed, the future is bright for all of us living with these conditions.

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This weekend I caught up with a friend who happens to have moderate-to-pretty-bad anklyosing spondylitis.  I've known him for a while (he's actually the father of some friends), and I've seen his ups and downs over the years -- trying new meds, desperately clinging to old meds, searching every which way for answers.  And some days have been better than others.

This weekend he was doing great, and we chatted over light snacks and club soda (what one does at such gatherings) about how well he was feeling.  I must have knocked-on-wood a dozen times (I'm That Guy), but was really happy to hear that things were going well.

Feeling great didn't deter him one bit from charging ahead and searching for answers and the pursuit of feeling even better -- and I think that's what impressed me so much.

Needless to say, he is on a roll and I wish him well.  I told him to go celebrate.

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Most people opt out of politics unless there's a juicy scandal involving an intern, a bag of money in the freezer, or an escort.  Which really grinds my gears, because when a subject like health care comes up, we all need to pay attention.  The old saying goes "if you don't have your health ..." -- so I ask myself, how could anyone afford to ignore what's going on?

Here's the problem:  it affects all of us (especially those with arthritis) because we're the ones living with a chronic condition who rely on good health care to live a decent life.

If you've ever gotten a referral, been prescribed multiple medications, needed a test (like an MRI) or even a second opinion, you've likely had difficulty navigating the complicated mess of approval, authorization, and reimbursement that is health insurance benefits.

It's hard not to get angry at the thought of an insurance company denying a claim.  I remember way back when I was prescribed a Prilosec (proton pump inhibitor) to keep the other medicine I was taking from causing an ulcer.  That one little pill (back then it was prescription-only) was so annoying to get approvals for, it must have taken a dozen phone calls a month between the doctor's office, pharmacy, insurance company and my mom.  And why?  Because an MBA graduate at the health insurance company made a formula that kicked back costly drugs because there were other alternatives available.

Even then I never understood how an insurance company could challenge a doctor's decision to prescribe a certain medicine.  Why even separate the two?  If we're going to get screwed by the insurance company, why not take out the middleman and have Blue Cross open clinics for their doctors to tell us up front that the medicine or tests we need aren't covered, so we won't even bother.

Whichever "side" or whatever opinion one might have about the health care conversation, it's best to at least get involved and know more.  And know more doesn't mean learn everything from Fox News or even MSNBC.  It comes down to learning and thinking about some of the complexities that comprise the issue.  Boiling down health care into small sound bites or news stories (like disruptive town hall meetings) doesn't scratch the surface.

And it doesn't do us any good if we're going to actually get hooked up and stop being jerked around.

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I always said that if I were to travel abroad, I'd want to do it as an ambassador. Well, I got my wish, kind of.

This December I took the plunge (as in the Ambien) and went to the Land Down Under -- Australia -- to visit a friend and experience life in another hemisphere. The toilets do flush in reverse, but besides that, everything is just as it is at home, only nicer. Including living with arthritis, which isn't so nice if you're dealt that card.

I had the opportunity to meet a new friend, Ainslie, who runs the Arthritis Foundation Australia (read: Arthritis Australia), and we sat and talked for hours about the similarities and differences facing our two distant, but similar worlds. While it wasn't exactly a sanctioned United Nations or State Department trip -- and though I didn't have chauffeured service in an armored car -- I still felt somewhat responsible for representing Americans with arthritis.

What I found fascinating was learning about some of the cultural issues facing a country like Australia, which is the exact same for us in America, but not as seemingly obvious.

For example, the really strong Greek community in Australia needs educating badly. I hadn't realized this was such a large demographic (I just assumed Australians liked Greek pastry shops), and could see how English-language materials might cause a problem.

And learning about the government and medical system here, with respect to all of the expensive drugs, has been fascinating. Everything I know about socialized medicine I learned from a pamphlet about Canada, so this was a good eye opener.

It has been exhausting and exhilarating at the same time. I wake up every morning praying for the "all quiet on the western front" (no flares) and knock-on-wood.

So far, so good.

To listen to Seth's chat with Arthritis Australia CEO Ainslie Cahill, click here.