IT'S MUCH EASIER TO TALK about the basic facts of arthritis than to consider the uncertainties of living with a chronic disease. On a day-to-day basis, aspects of what are considered “normal living” can be affected by arthritis. Your home life and work life can be changed. As you would expect, people with disabling types of arthritis and those with a severe course of the disease face the most change in their lives. In most cases, the new reality arthritis brings occurs gradually.