Home Community Member Stories Jodie

Jodie

jgirl@semol.com 

Hi my name is Jodie I am a 35 yrs old and a single mother of two children a daughter 7 yrs. and a son 5 yrs old. I have had RA since a teenager at that time it was just in my right hip and only bothered me with a couple of times a month with pain lasting around 3 days with each of the attacks, but I was a active teenager with cheerleading, ski club, running around with friends which you do alot of walking (until we got our license) so I basically chalked up the pain to all the normal activities I was doing so of course I did not think I needed to tell a doctor. Well I married when I was 20 yrs old and tried for 8 yrs to have my daughter, this is where my nightmare began( not my daughter of course she is my miracle baby ) when I did conceive I had to have an operation to carry her full term which in turn put me on strict bed rest for 7 1/2 months I could only lay and mostly only on my sides. That sent my hip pain into overdrive all of a sudden to where they had to give me pain medication and that is where I first heard about arthritis from my ob/gyn. I had a very difficult pregnancy of course I had to take a leave off work so my husband at the time picked up a part time job and worked a full time job, I was in and out of the hospital with preterm labor, stayed in and out of the hospital, but I did get a beautiful healthy baby. I went back to work six weeks after her birth and started having the pain in my right hip just about daily and my hands started having pain also, I worked as a customer service executive for the big three and many other companies. I had to be on the phones all day plus typing and running to the back of the shop I also was driving an hour and a half each way to and from work. Well that did not help that right hip any, but I just coped still not seeing a doctor yet to see what was wrong, seemed there was not any time, I think I was in denial thinking I am only 28 yrs old I thought that this disease was only an "older persons disease" boy was I ever wrong. Well when I got pregnant with my son a 1 1/2 yrs later I had to go through the same as my first with the same surgery (twice this time) I carried him till 35 weeks so he stayed in the hospital for a week and came home healthy. Well the RA went into overdrive my hands became so crippled I could not pull over the tabs of my son's diaper I could not get them dressed without it becoming a big job and those socks my gosh when your hands and fingers are so tight those little socks are hard to stretch, well thank god for my mom and husband, my mom lived only 5 minutes away to help me with two little ones. I had to quit my job. My search for a doctor finally began. I first went to a MD doctor she ran blood tests, her first thought was lupus second was arthritis ( that word again) well the results came back and it was positive " ARTHRITIS" . Now the questions began she asked if anybody in my family had it. Then it hit me my biological father had it. I had met my dad when I was 21 yrs old and the relationship lasted about a year and fell out of touch. My MD sent me to my first specialist, well he treated me like I just wanted pain medicine and he made me feel like it was all in my head. So I went back to my MD and told what had happened and she asked me would it be hard for me to contact my dad and find out what specialist he was seeing at least that way he would have a history on my family. Now this had been at least 8 yrs. since we had talked, but I wanted to find a doctor who wouldn't think it was in my head, because also with my RA most of the time I have no swelling just sever stiffness and pain, so I did contact him and he was great, about helping me any way he could. So I got the phone number of his specialist and that has been the best thing for me, he treated me like a person with a real disease. I have been seeing this DR. for 4 yrs now ( wow how time flies) but at least he knows my family history. I have been on many different drugs and each one I try we have to wait at least 6 months before we know if it works currently I am on ARAVA, VIOXX and on a pain med. 

My children are a great help to me even at this young age, I have been a single parent for 3 yrs now and when I first left my husband there was alot of stress going on in my life which you all know is not a good thing with having RA ( brings on my attacks) but I will never forget my daughter ( at that time age 4 and my son age 2) helping me just helping me get dressed or helping me even go to bathroom with undoing my pants and helping pull them back on doing the zipper and button for me and saying mommy we will always help you. I just pray my kids do not get this painful disease. I have been having a rough couple of days right now and my son wanted to go out and play today saying mommy you want me to teach some soccer moves and me saying I'm sorry my little man mommy is hurting real bad today and he just said that's ok mommy you can just sit and watch me do all my special moves and you can try them when you don't hurt so much. I just hope my DR and I can find a combination of drugs that will work for me he has told me that my type is one of the hardest to treat since he can just travel for day to day where my pain is. My right hip is still the worst for me right now but my right shoulder has been getting just has bad my hands don't flare up as bad has they did when my son was born. 

Well I know this has been a long...... note and thank you for giving me a place to get in touch with people who are going through the same thing as me. I believe it really will help me. Thank you.