Ice Breaker | Arthritis Information

 

I'm a guy with RA, diagnosed in April or May of 2009.  I understand this condition impacts the ladies 2 to 1 over men, so I guess I'm a minority.  I'm also 62, which means I develped RA pretty late in life.  Rather than whine over my RA, I'm grateful it waited so long to show up.

 

RA reared its head last fall and presented initially in my feet and by January/February had blossomed in my hands and fingers.  I wrote the painful feet off to old age and thought it would pass but the fingers pushed me to see a Dr.  RA was confirmed by bloodtest with pretty high numbers.  And here we are.

 

Can't say I have enjoyed the trip so far.  The pain has been more than attention getting.  The upside is that I had rheumatic fever twice as a child.  I always expected a related illness as an adult.  I'm thankful it is not a cardiac issue.

 

I've been reading the RA forum for a while now and get the drift regarding RA.  A year ago I didn't have a clue.  I wasn't sure how I'd be spending my retirement.  Now I know.

 

Good to meet you.  I'll be around learning the ropes.

 

Rascal