Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms Don't Rule My Aud Life

I’ve come across some funny comments that people make when they learn I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, some comments are just simple while others I find more frustrating. So here are some myths to illuminate the facts.

Myth #1- Rheumatoid Arthritis can be cured.
Oh, how I wish this was true. Right now there is no known cure for Rheumatoid Arthritis. However there are a lot of successful treatments and procedures to slow it down and put the disease into remission, and increase the quality of life of a sufferer.

Myth #2- Rheumatoid Arthritis is an old person’s disease.
Some days I do feel like I’m 90 years old, but I’m only 33. RA can strike at any age. Children, young adults and middle aged people can be affected, and this condition doesn’t care whether you’re male or female.

Myth #3- “You felt fine yesterday, why are you feeling so terrible today?”
This is one of the frustrating myths. Although sometimes I do get a bit of a warning when a flare is going to hit, but that doesn’t happen all the time. Some mornings I wake up feeling like I’ve been hit by a Mack truck!! I may feel tired and achey, or in a lot of pain. No real explanation other than RA involves periods of flare ups and remission, and you roll with the punches.

Myth #4- Rheumatoid Arthritis is caused by the wet cold.
While I am personally affected by the weather, not all other sufferers experience the same thing and the cold and wet not the cause of the onset of the disease. Pain is caused from inflammation and the deterioration of cartilage in the joint. For me, warm baths, and other heat sources are very soothing for sore joints, and I feel pretty good when the climate is warm and dry.

Myth #5- Rheumatoid Arthritis only consists of minor aches and pains.
Yeah, another frustrating myth. I hate those commercials that say “Pop a couple aspirin or Advil and all your arthritis pain will be gone!” I’d love to scatter their chickens! All arthritis sufferers know that this is a crock of….(you fill in the blank)! RA hurts and it hurts a lot, and it’s more than aspirin, extra strength Tylenol or Aleve can handle. A regimen of diet, exercise, supplements and other medications is usually the best way to overcome RA pain.

Myth #6- Rheumatoid Arthritis is caused by poor diet.
Sure, I believe that diet greatly affects a Rheumatoid Arthritis sufferer’s life, but it’s not the cause of the disease. I feel that the digestive system plays a major roll in the immune systems function and since RA is an autoimmune disease, I like to keep an eye on what I’m putting into my body, and I keep track on how I feel after I eat something, especially if I’ve never had it before or haven’t had it in a long time.

Myth #7- “If you have Rheumatoid Arthritis you can’t do…..”
Wow, not something to say to a stubborn person! There are some things I’m  not able to do, and some things I probably shouldn’t do, but most are because I’m a woman, not that strong, and I’m an incredible klutz. A certain amount of help is likely to be required when fatigue and pain are at their worst, but some try to do too much for a sufferer and it can limit them. Certainly RA interferes with some physical activity but it doesn’t mean that someone becomes an invalid because of their diagnosis. Emotional and physical stimulation is an important part of Rheumatoid Arthritis treatment.
Have you come across some odd or absurd comments about Rheumatoid Arthritis? Share them! I’d love to hear them!

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Living with Rheumatoid Arthritis can make a person feel very lonely, and definitely not very glamorous. A recent little search online into celebrities suffering with RA made me feel a little less isolated and maybe not so awkward feeling. Stiff fingers and sore, aching knees don’t seem quite so painful when you can watch others live with it as well. Those with more spotlight shining on them are able to give voice to not only themselves but those who can identify with them.

 I watched “the Soprano’s” every week, and not until today did I realize that Aida Turturro, who played Tony’s sister Janice, has also been diagnosed with RA since a young girl. Now in her 40’s, she has become the spokesperson for “Joint Effort Against Arthritis,” an American arthritis awareness campaign sponsored by the Arthritis Foundation. It’s also sponsored by Centocor, a US company that makes a well-known arthritis drug, Remicade.

 I always thought James Coburn was a cool guy: tough, strong and silent with a rough cynical sense of humor. I like the late actor even more now because I’m able to identify with him and the discouragement of living with constant pain and the medical community not being able to supply any relief. Like him, I went off conventional medications like Plaquenil and Methotrexate and tried something a little unorthodox. He found deep tissue massage, electromagnetic treatments, and MSM to do the trick, I’ve found daily exercise, watching my diet, and Lyprinol (green mollusk extract) to help way more than what the doctors were prescribing me. *Just a reminder: I’m not suggesting anyone should toss their physician’s advice!!

 Way back in 1928, Lucille Ball was diagnosed at the age of 17. She was a young model at the time and was told that she would be wheel chair bound for the rest of her life, but after 2 years of barely being able to walk, with metal braces on her legs, and other medical treatments, she overcame this road block and became the television sweetheart known the world over.

 Being able to witness victories won over Rheumatoid Arthritis gives a sufferer a little more strength and encouragement to keep going. I can relate and gain from their experiences; feeling a little more inspired when the going gets tough and maybe even feeling a touch more glamorous!

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Obviously, I’m a woman (gosh, I hope that’s obvious!), I’m also a   woman with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Is there a slight connection of my developing this condition to my gender? Do women respond to the disease and treatment differently from men? These have been two questions that I thought would be interesting to get some answers to.

So what is this relationship between being a woman and having Rheumatoid Arthritis? RA can strike at any age, but most commonly a sufferer will first be afflicted in between the ages of 30 to 60, and it’s 2-3 times more common in women than in men. Several studies suggest that women experience more pain with Rheumatoid Arthritis than men. Now some may say that men can handle pain better… talk to me after you’ve had a baby!

At Karolinska Institute in Sweden researchers have been doing a few studies on some gender-specific tests on RA and some interesting results are being discovered. For instance, life quality is eventually more impaired for female sufferers than it is for male sufferers, the underlying reason may be that the medications are tolerated differently between men and women.

A study at the Institute on a specific therapy revealed that men responded significantly better to the therapy than women who had the same treatment, joint swelling and the sufferers own experience of the disease was also taken into consideration. The therapy just seemed to have a better affect on the men than on the women, the women felt sicker than the men. Hmmm, interesting.

This was something I found very relevant- women often develop Rheumatoid Arthritis when sex hormones are changing, perhaps after pregnancy or menopause. It’s not clear why this is but researchers have made a connection between hormonal factors and a woman’s chance of developing RA. This seems to be where I find my link.

Just before my second daughter was born I was put on blood thinners because of a brain clot (I’m going to need to be on blood thinners for the rest of my life) and because of the thinness of my blood, every month I was in incredible pain and losing so much blood I was becoming anaemic. Eventually I received a hysterectomy in 2004 which made life SO much better, but 10 months later I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis- coincidence?

Being a man may have made things a bit easier but I just wouldn’t look as good in my favorite bikini! I’m still VERY happy being a woman, even a woman with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

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I really do not have a tremendous amount of content today either in my blog or my stomach. Yesterday morning I awoke with a sore throat and painful joints, the painful joints are usual, but the throat thing was new. At the office I was chilled and not my usual happy self, but I forced myself to perk up for lunch because I was meeting two of my closest girlfriends for lunch at my favorite restaurant. I was hungry and figured that maybe that was my problem. But after lunch I knew there was more to this story.

On the way home I had to stop at my mother’s to use her bathroom, all that nice sesame crusted chicken and raspberry creme brule- gone in a flush! But I felt a little better and made it home in time for the girls coming in from school. I was able to finish preparing supper (good thing I started it the day before) but I couldn’t stand to look at it! And smells…gag! I was steam cleaning the living room when my husband came home because I could “smell” something in that room and I had to get rid of it! No body else could smell it- but I knew it was there!

My husband took the steam cleaner from my hands and guided me off to bed. I took my usual meds, plus some anti-nauseate pills and nodded off to sleep fairly early.

This morning was worse than the morning before with a pounding   head and joints a flaming. I was “Monster Mommy”, stumbling around and moaning like Frankenstein’s monster- I also noticed a similar green tinge to my skin as well! Putting lunches together, while trying not to barf, was my skilled talent for the day and I quickly bolted for the bathroom as soon as I could.

Three hours later, after crying “Why me?” to ‘Ralph’ on the gigantic porcelain phone I emerged and dragged myself to bed with a cold cloth and bowl to hug. After a few hours of sleep with nightmares of having my stomach given as an offering to the giant toilet god, I feel pretty good! Fever has broken and so far some water and cereal has been kept in place. My joints are very, very sore still and usually they stay painful for a few days until the virus is completely gone. But, hey!! I’m no longer staring down a toilet and that’s always a good thing.

I hope everyone else is germ free and enjoying their food!

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I’m sure I’ve said it before in a previous post that I’m feeling better in my 30’s than I did in my 20’s, but I’m wanting to make that point again. For about 10 years I was quite a bit miserable, in a out of hospital for so many reasons from stomach and back issues, to having strokes and surgeries. By the time I turned 30 my medical chart was over 2 inches thick and I felt old. There was a 30 year old face in the mirror, but I felt 90.  The biggest reason was the <em>Rheumatoid Arthritis</em> that caused me to feel creaky and rusty like the tin man in Oz before the oil can relief!

So why am I feeling so “awesome” now? I’m learning to live with a different mind set, instead of putting others needs first, taking care of myself has become priority. Let me explain before I get called a selfish wench! How can I help properly when I’m barely able to get around myself? I might as well do nothing because I’m not going to do a lick of quality good for anyone. When I’m healthy and happy I’m in a better position to participate and people actually enjoy my presence because I’m not cranky!

The first step was to inform myself about arthritis and what arthritis causes. I then used my medical history along with professional health care advice to map out the supplements and medications I would be able to take to reduce pain and damage. The next process was getting physically active, starting out slow and doing things I truly enjoyed. 

I found my hobbies to be a great source of therapy. They not only gave me physical activity but my mind was taken off the disease for the time being. Playing the guitar and piano, painting and other creative outlets provide amazing exercise for my hands. Gardening, walking and muscle building has improved my knees, back and feet.

I’m not saying that everyday is a bowl of sickly sweet sunshine, I do have the occasional heavy storm clouds rolling in, but they’re not as severe or frequent as they were, even a year ago. It’s a fantastic feeling to look back upon my day and see all I’ve accomplished despite the fact that I have <em>Rheumatoid Arthritis.</em>

Everyone has interests or hobbies that keep them active - can you share your story?

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