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Kenny's Story

kennytheslayer@lineone.net 

Arthritis From Boy To Man

This is my story of how I was told I had Arthritis through to the present day . The reason I am writing this story is to show people that we do not have to give in to the disease.

Back in the good old days when pain was clip around the ear from your parents and arthritis had not yet reared its ugly head . I was a teenager who was already working and had done so since the age of ten with weekend jobs and such. Not a care in the world did have but in 1985 I started going to a gym and weight training. Not so long after I had made myself all beautiful for the ladies I woke up one morning with pneumonia. I did not know at the time what I had but I could not move my arms were locked at the shoulders my legs did not even feel like they were there. But I do remember feeling frightened as I could not do anything , I had a fever of one hundred and four and my head was spinning around . My Mother came into my bedroom to wake me for work but she found me in a right old state. She got my dad and they took me across the road to the local doctor. I will never forget that day as it was the beginning of a long and troubled road. My doctor had diagnosed pneumonia but also Osteo arthritis this was why I could not move anything. He sat behind his little desk and stated that I would need some tests to see how bad things were , but I will never forget what he said next which was "You will probably be in a wheel chair by the time you are thirty". I gave him a right mouthful who did he think he was to tell me I would be in a wheel chair I was at my peek fight as a fiddle . I got treated for the pneumonia and went for my x-rays and bloods , which showed that I did have arthritis, but only in my neck and shoulders . Gradually things went from a stiff neck in the morning and evenings to my hands starting to hurt and swell and my hips becoming too painful to stand on for long .I started working with my doctor on different meds to help with the pain that I was now starting to feel. Some painkillers worked some had to have anti-inflamorties added to help . Then came the side affects migraine, sickness ,even internal bleeding at one point. I started going to the doctor about every five to six months with new problems and to keep on top of the side affects with even more drugs . I was a walking chemist .At this point several years had passed and I had struggled to keep working , I ended up as a manager for a food production plant. In 1995 I was made redundant but walked straight into a similar job with a new company that had just opened. At the same time my back took a turn for the worse and I had some real problems to deal with . In 1996 after a long year I had to go for a MRI scan which revealed that the vertebrae in my back had started to decay with the arthritis. I was sent to a neurological surgeon who offered to sever my nerves at the top of the spine in the neck , which in turn would mean that I would have no more pain . But the down side was that it would only last for three years and then I would have to have it done all over again. And as if that wasn't enough there was a fifty- percent chance that the op would paralyse me .I opted to fight through it and carry on with meds. My mental health at this stage I think was starting to suffer . I was becoming more and more depressed but without knowing it. It was the people around me that noticed my family and my friends. My life was being systematically taken away from me. From a happy young man to a useless wreck. If it wasn't the pain it was the depression I was fighting , life was looking rather grim I can tell you .My family were adapting more and more to my predicament but this made me feel like I was letting them all down . Also being registered disabled later in the year was awful it felt like a death sentence was hanging over my head. But as time went by I learned more and more about living with arthritis and my family were amazing when it came to support, as well as my friends who would do anything to help shopping etc. Things slowly began to fall into place in about 1998-1999 the arthritis was being controlled to certain degree with the meds that we had worked so hard to get right . Which ended up as co-proxamol , Volatrol, Tryptizol. Pain killers anti-inflammatory and anti-depressant drugs wonderful concoction. But life was beginning to get liveable once more and I started to occupy my mind with the computer and I started playing the Guitar . Odd instrument I know for an arthritic but it has worked well on my hands keeping them moving. Just as I thought things were picking up for me and I was becoming less tense when I had to go top my doctors last week for a change of meds again as they started to let me down again . My usual doctor was on holiday so I had to see another doc. Now remember I have been treated for Osteo arthritis for the last fourteen years . The doctor went through all of my files and looked at me rather strangely and out of his mouth came the words I think you Rheumatoid arthritis. Well you can imagine how that felt . He sent me for blood tests usual blood count bone profile rheumatoid factor and yes they came back with I have Rheumy this week. The doctor is sending me to see the Rheumatoligist to see if he can get me on a new plan for pain control. We will have to see what that brings . But what I wanted you all to know is even after fourteen years of tests drugs prodding needles and the rest of the things we go through I will not give in to any Arthritis and we might not be able to cure it , but we can manage it and learn to live with it. There will be those of you out there that have just been diagnosed and may think as I did that the end is near but please believe me you can get through it with a little help. There is no need to shut yourself away from the facts you are ill yes but you can still have a life and be happy. I am still learning but I am smiling as well and that's been a long time coming.

Kenny.
If I can help in any way with problems you will come across please contact me and I will do all in power to listen , support and help anyone in the same situation.