Rheumatoid Arthritis

Over the years, I listened to those who I thought knew what they were doing. Come to find out, the decisions made to better my ability only caused more harm. As I have read over and over again, I too was not diagnosed with RA for over 10 years. Began having pain in numerous joints and made to feel that the pain was only growing pains or in my head. They did blood tests, and the RA profile came back negative over and over again but my sed rate continually climbed, at times as high as 80. Other blood tests results also showed that I had an autoimmune issue but the doctors continually denied there was a problem. So the answer was to operate on my knees because there was obvious damage to the knee joints. This ended up being 12 surgeries in all and making these decisions on my own. There was little support from my parents and many times I would enter the OR by myself. With all this pain came a major change in my physical ability to compete in school sports. What became a lifestyle of outdoor enjoyment like riding my horse through the fields behind my home, mountain hiking, and skiing, I became an introvert and stayed in my room for hours writing in my numerous journals and drawing. This all escalated into one of the hardest decisions I had to make: my childhood dream of having a large family. The doctors were prescribing one medication after another with short term benefits. This concerned me tremendously because I worried that I would pass down the illness I had to my children and worried about all the medications being used - and still not having a dignosis. If doctors could not diagnosis me, how could I impose the life I experienced on a child I gave birth too? So, at 25, I was asked by my orthopedic doctor if I thought about having children and I can still remember the tears beginning to flow – I could not allow a child to experience the pain I have over the years so I made the decision to not give birth to a beautiful, innocent individual and imprison them to a life of pain.

Thanks for listening,

Penny

Dear psue,
My heart goes out to you. How cruel for you to have to go though this alone. My first syptoms started in May 2006 (although at the time they werent connected to RA) my GP diagnosed RA in July 2006 i finally saw a specialist in November 2006. I am very lucky i've got the full support of all my family. My mum and older sister have come over a few times to clean my house (before medication) and my two grown sons (21 and 18) are just brilliant. They help me and with their baby sister (3yrs old) nothing is too much trouble for them. All i have to do is mention i'm sore and yep they help without complaint. My life will never be the same, regular blood tests docs visits and medication. Take care psue and keep smiling, i care and i'm sure fellow sufferes do to. RA is not always heridertary (no history of it in my family at all). my thoughts and best wished are with you. Keep smiling, take care.

I wanted to thank you for the well wishes and encouragement. I would have responsed sooner but have been going to doctors and testing for the last few weeks. I think that my mother is not dealing with my illness because she blames herself - which I have told her on numerous occasions that it was hereitary for my fathers family. To protect herself, she distances herself from my daily issues hich makes it harder for me because she is my one and only parent - I lost my father and my grandmother (who was my strongest support system) a few months of each other at 24. I'm just starting to tell my mom how I feel but I can tell that at times sh doesn't want to hear.

Thanks again,

Psue