Living with rheumatoid arthritis
Mar. 20th, 2013 10:29 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stormsdotter posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
accessportrayalHi, I'm stormsdotter and I have rheumatoid arthritis. (Why does this sound like an AA speech?)
I was diagnosed about two years ago. The diagnosis was tricky because I had a high RH factor, but I also camp in lyme-tick-populated areas and I was having digestive trouble, so we weren't sure if I also had celiac's. It turns out that RA in an autoimmune disorder, and people with these disorders often have other auto immune problems, like being lactose and gluten intolerant. (I have both of those too.)
So, what's RA like? If you've had your wisdom teeth out, you know how much fun that is. Now imagine that level of pain. In every joint. In your entire body.
This disease sucks. And it gets worse! Some medications can treat RA, but flare-ups still occur. For absolutely no apparent reason, a random group of joints will hurt one day and be fine the next. I tend to have flare-ups in my hands and lower back, but I know people who have hip, knee and foot problems.
My mom's a nurse, and many of her patients have RA. One of the jokes in her nursing home is, "I'd like to do ____, if Arthur lets me." (Arthur = RA.)
I'm "one of the lucky ones." I'm on Doxycycline, which is primarily used to treat malaria. It helps keep the pain to a manageable level so I'm not constantly taking steroids. The other thing that helps is daily exercise to keep the blood flowing and my joints moving. I go to the gym every morning before work. After I get home, I do an aerobic workout with my Wii. On the weekends I do a longer workout. This is what it takes for me to get close to having a normal life. I've lost a lot of weight and I look great, but my 'motivation' takes a lot of the joy out of these accomplishments.
stormsdotter and I have rheumatoid arthritis. (Why does this sound like an AA speech?)I was diagnosed about two years ago. The diagnosis was tricky because I had a high RH factor, but I also camp in lyme-tick-populated areas and I was having digestive trouble, so we weren't sure if I also had celiac's. It turns out that RA in an autoimmune disorder, and people with these disorders often have other auto immune problems, like being lactose and gluten intolerant. (I have both of those too.)
So, what's RA like? If you've had your wisdom teeth out, you know how much fun that is. Now imagine that level of pain. In every joint. In your entire body.
This disease sucks. And it gets worse! Some medications can treat RA, but flare-ups still occur. For absolutely no apparent reason, a random group of joints will hurt one day and be fine the next. I tend to have flare-ups in my hands and lower back, but I know people who have hip, knee and foot problems.
My mom's a nurse, and many of her patients have RA. One of the jokes in her nursing home is, "I'd like to do ____, if Arthur lets me." (Arthur = RA.)
I'm "one of the lucky ones." I'm on Doxycycline, which is primarily used to treat malaria. It helps keep the pain to a manageable level so I'm not constantly taking steroids. The other thing that helps is daily exercise to keep the blood flowing and my joints moving. I go to the gym every morning before work. After I get home, I do an aerobic workout with my Wii. On the weekends I do a longer workout. This is what it takes for me to get close to having a normal life. I've lost a lot of weight and I look great, but my 'motivation' takes a lot of the joy out of these accomplishments.