Home Community Member Stories Catharine's Story

Catharine's Story

cyberlucy@core.com 

My experience with Rheumatoid Arthritis began in 1994. After having been overweight and out of shape as an adolescent, I had made a commitment in my 20's to become fit. I was at my goal weight by 1994 and running 2 miles a day. I was feeling great until I started to have pain in my right hip and in my feet. What went on from there was an odyssey of pain, joint replacement, and depression.

The biggest problem was getting someone to verify the condition. For about 5 years, I had trouble getting the doctors to confirm that it was RA or not. It wasn't until I was forced to change my primary care physician because of my insurance that I got an answer. By that point in time I was in so much pain that I was crying rather than sleeping at night. I had to have my right hip replaced and had lost the joints in both big toes of my feet and the ball of one foot.

I also had other problems related to the hip replacement that I had to deal with. I had a problem with my thigh that I eventually learned was an entrapped nerve. I also had a problem getting the strength back in my right leg muscles, particularly the thigh. Every time that I sat on a hard surface I had trouble getting up because the muscles in the right leg did not want to work. It was quite an ordeal, and one that no seemed to be able to help me with. Since I was unable to exercise and was eating sometimes for comfort, I found myself back to were I was when I was first trying to get into shape, and the weight gain certainly didn't help my joints. I was so depressed that I started not to care very much. I plugged along until the new doctor gave me hope. She referred me to a Rheumatologist who has been very helpful.

In the process of trying to find medications that might help me and following the doctor's advice about staying as active as I could, I ended up having to have a cortisone injections in my right hand, my left knee, and both shoulders. At one point he gave me an overall injection, which helped get the inflammation down quite a bit.

The Rheumatologist and I started with Methotrexate and Celebrex then added Plaquenil. These meds have decreased the symptoms quite a bit, but have not taken all the complications away completely. Now I have just recently started Remicade treatments. I feel better now and am able to now start getting back closer to were I was 8 years ago. The one thing that I have learned is not to give up. I am more confident now than ever that I can live with this condition.