Hi everyone! I have had the Privilege and Joy to have been diagnosed with RA since I was 28yrs young. I will be 43 this year and don't ever believe anyone that tells you "time flies when you are having fun"!!! I guess all things considered, I so far have been very lucky.
I can to this day remember my first flare as if it was yesterday because it woke me out of a sound sleep and I could not get comfortable until I figured out that if I sat in my recliner with my arm propped on 5 pillows so my shoulder didn't have to move that I could actually catch a few cat naps! Unfortunately, I am a work-aholic and will not let myself miss work time(proudly or stupidly depending on how you look at it!!) so I have managed to only miss 4 days directly related to this since my dx. It actually took 3 yrs to come up with a firm dx of RA because I am sero negitive for the antibody. We don't know where I got it from because no one else in my family has ever had it before. In my investigations, I have found various studies that have determined a link between viruses like Mono and Epstein-Barr. I was lucky enough(NOT!!) to have had Mono when I was in college. I have taken just about every NSAID there is in combination with sulfasalizine(9yrs) and methotrexate(current). I took Remicade for a year and it was the best year of my RA life. Unfortunately, I developed an allergy to it and developed hives on the way home from my last treatment. You know those commercials with the husband and wife trying to beat each other home, all the while stripping their clothes off so they can beat the other to the new multi-head shower? Well, that was what I looked like on the way home. Luckily, my garage is attached to my house so I didn't have to run up the side walk tripping like the wife in the commercial!!!!
The biggest low of my life I would have to say is because I am still single(not that I NEED a man--it just would be nice to have someone around occasionally
I am a trainer for a major wireless communication company and do a lot of travel which can be tiresome. I don't have a lot of access to the internet so when I do I definitely take advantage of it! It is great to see such a friendly board. Thank you to everyone who contributes words of encouragement--we can all definitely use it!!
Have a Great day!!!