And because my dogs got me up to go out
I hardly have your typical case of RA and yes, it did take me a long time to get it under control. I am now in remission and have suffered no new damage since Rituxan started to work...
I have damage that was caused by several things, not just RA. I was in a serious accident shortly after I was diagnosed. My right leg was shattered and I spent about a year relearning how to walk. That is the same leg that I suffered a hip fracture in and that now has avascular necrosis. Both my RD and Ortho believe that the accident was a major factor in me sustaining the stress fracture in my hip and the AVN..........
I also have damage in my shoulder which is not surprising considering the fact that I have insability there that was diagnosed as a congenital problem. I have chosen to treat that problem, up till now without surgery. It is a personal choice that I remain comfortable with.
Because of the delay in being diagnosed, I have bone on bone damage in my ankle. Now I was also a runner for many years and because I took Levaquin, I suffered a partial tear of my achilles tendon. (For those of you who may take Levaquin, please be aware that tendon rupture is a major side effect of that med!)
My ortho at the time when I first was experiencing symptoms of RA thought my symptoms were caused by my achilles problem.....Later on when I saw my first RD, my test results came back negative ( the curse of being sero-negative) and told me he didn't think I had RA. I no longer see either of those two doctors....................
It was my PT who suggested I get a second opinion from another ortho and RD. I have had a great team of docs for many years now and they have done a great job keeping me active and healthy.
My RD now believes in tight control concerning his RA patients. I certainly don't "blame" western medicine for the fact I was allergic to Humira and that Enbrel didn't do a good enough job of controlling the inflammmation, Rituxan, which is a B-cell therapy has been a wonderful med for me.
As I've said numerous times before...RA is not a one size fits all disease and that has certainly been true in my case. I live a very full and active life. Pain will always be a part of my life because of my accident.....but it has very rarely stopped me from doing anything that I wanted to do. My youngest daughter will be getting married this fall and I intend to dance all night at the reception, in heels!
Lynn492009-01-06 03:01:54thanks for that testament... You GO Lynn!!
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