An Introduction To Me

I have had RA since I was 2 (Stills Disease). You would think that I would be used to it, and in some ways I am. However, it partially went away from about age 10 to my mid 30s and then re-appeared, slowly, insidiously and bit by bit eating into how I led my life.

It is now, as a 48 year old woman, that total acceptance is impossible. If I totally accept it then I am letting it have its wicked way. And as long as I fight it, it will never win. I feel very strongly about this, as positive thought begets positive action.

RA is an auto immune disease. This is where the body’s auto immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, in the case of RA primarily the joints and the tissues surrounding them, and in some cases other organs of the body.

Your immune system normally hunts down and then kills off all invaders in your body, such as infections and such. With an auto immune disease such as RA, it also attacks healthy tissue, creating the well known inflammation associated with RA.

In my mind Rheumatoid Arthritis should not have the word ‘arthritis’ in its name. It is a systemic illness involving other parts of the body, as well as the joints. In some quarters it is known as Rheumatoid Disease, and personally I prefer this. But that’s just me being awkward!

How it affects me

I have pain in almost all my joints, some a lot more severe that others, and to varying degrees. Sometimes certain joints are worse, and then another time it will be different joints that cause me the most annoyance.

I have pain in every muscle in my body. I literally hurt all over. They are also all ‘stiff’, and at its worse, it’s as if I have semi cramp all over. I assume this is caused by inflammation.

I don’t have the strength in my muscles I once had (and no it’s not old age!)

The constant severe inflammation in my wrists appears to have caused carpel tunnel syndrome in both hands.

Practically it means I can’t turn taps off properly. I have to lift a kettle or saucepan with 2 hands as I am liable to drop it (I don’t always have as tight a grip as my brain tells me that I do). I have to use my upper arms and shoulders to lift myself out of a bath (extremely painful as the RA is in them too of course). I can’t kneel down at all as the pain is unbearable. Stairs are a pain in the neck (and the knees and the rest of the body) as on a bad day I have to drag myself up via the banister. I have to lift myself off of and out of chairs, which is very painful. I can’t start my petrol lawnmower, chainsaw, brush-cutter etc anymore, (I have had to buy namby pamby electric or battery versions). I am often exhausted just sweeping one room, and then of course bending to use the dustpan and brush is extremely painful (which means I use avoidance and the house is not always as spick and span as it should be). And as for dating… what guy wants to date a woman who can barely do steps or stairs and who has to lift herself out of a chair in a restaurant !

Having said that, to the best of my ability I do not let it stop me doing anything. And I never will.


Additional Info - In early 2010 I was also diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, which explained a lot of the strange things I had been complaining of.  It was also confirmed that I had some damage from Osteoarthritis, probably due to damage as a child, and the joints not wearing normally as an adult.

Welcome

Welcome to my very first post on my new blog - Living with Rheumatoid Arthritis in Ireland.

I intend to make this not only a record of my experiences of the disease, but a source of information, a place for sharing and a haven for people who feel isolated in their difficulties.

I hope to post a minimum of twice a week, maybe more. I want to make this a fun place, as well as an information and ideas place.

Many thanks for visiting and I hope that you come again as often as you wish.

Please say hello, either by comment or email. I would like for this to be an interactive blog as much as possible. To make that possible I am happy to post peoples experiences and ideas, but I will always research things myself prior to posting to ensure a fair and accurate blog.

Happy reading !