Welcome to a 'message board' for rheumatoid arthritis & other illnesses. it's for everyone, those with a chronic illness, and those without. i hope everyone here feels free to explore, learn, vent, laugh, support, encourage or just listen. all are welcome & no one is judged. forewarning, i will vent on here a lot. haha
DAILYSTRENGTH.ORG IS A WONDERFUL SITE FOR THOSE WITH RA & OTHER HEALTH ISSUES.
IT'S HELPING ME, CHECK IT OUT.
i'm 34 years old & have had severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA), for 4 years now. the 1st year was the worst. it quickly became severe. i was still new at my job & didn't have health insurance yet. i tried to get tested, but got turned away due to having no insurance & the tests being so expensive. being debilitated & in so much pain all the time & not knowing why, was extremely difficult to deal with.
in dec 2005 i my health insurance began.
in jan 2006 i was diagnosed with severe RA in its early stages. i began medicines that i were told slow down & sometimes actually stop the progression of RA. i take Humira, a self injection, every other week. i used to take 6 Methotextrate pills every week. now i take 1 Trexall a week. i also have tried many anti-inflammatory pills that don't work. tylenol arthritis sometimes works. i hate medicine very much.
i have a good support group. i have a wonderful husband, an understanding family & some close friends. without them i would be progressing much slower. i have lost a lot of 'friends' since i got RA. i think message boards & any other way to talk about it helps a lot, that's why i made this page.
please support one another & do not judge anyone.
rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an auto-immune disease. that means the body uses the immune system to hurt itself rather than protect itself from infection & disease. the liquid lining surrounding the joints that keep them lubricated becomes inflammed. this causes stiffness, soreness & pain mainly in the joints. there are many different types of arthritis & it affects everyone differently. there are many great sites about RA that explain it in more detail & probably better. here are a few facts i do have on RA...
1. almost anyone can get it at anytime of their life.
2. it's not an elderly disease. many are born with it. that's why there's a form of it called juvinille arthritis.
3. the most common age people get arthritis is 30.
4. it can be triggered by an accident, or an infection.
5. it's either in your genes or not, but you won't necessarily pass it on if you have children.
6. all arthritis is not the same, there are many, many different kinds.
7. rheumatoid arthritis is the most common form of arthritis, the most dibilitating & it is mainly in women.
8. everyone has different symptoms.
9. there is no cure.
10. it is making me stronger.
'Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.'
- Dr. Seuss
