Help Me Please
I contracted R.A. in 1958 when I was eleven. It was an awful attack. I was admitted to hospital the day after my 14th birthday.
Since then I have had around 20 operations including joints removed from both feet, 9 hip operations including 7 hip replacements and a complete femur replacement in my left hip. I have a ball joint which reaches down to my knee.
I have continual chronic fatigue, every day, depression and mood swings constantly.
As you might imagine, given what has never left me I struggle every day just to keep going.
That sound hard I’m so so sorry. I don’t know what to tell you other than hang on and try to find a purpose in it. Maby help us recently diagnosed with information and guide us? 🙏 remember this is a community and you can count on us for support. Stay strong ❤️
Hi,
, and welcome to the community! I am glad you found us!
It sounds like you have endured a lot over the years. We do have a few community members that were diagnosed as children and can understand what you have gone through. No one here will ever try to say that surgery is easy or that anyone gets used to living with RA. It's not easy. And it's okay and healthy to just say that.
Do you have any kind of support system to help you on the rough days? Whether it's a counselor, a support group, or trusted friends and family; everyone needs some kind of support. Do you have that? Please know you are not alone here. This is a community that gets it and understands the challenges of living with RA.
I wanted to share a piece that I thought you might find relatable on the topic of living with RA -- https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/not-a-warrior. Also, we have contributors that write frequently about living with JRA (Juvenile RheumatoidArthritis) and you might find their insights helpful -- https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/author/kelly-mack and -- https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/author/kathryn-elton-otr. I am so glad you took the time to join the community and share a part of your story with us. That's the first step to feeling less alone in this. Please know we're here for you and we're happy to help in any way we can. So, don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
You're not alone!
Best, Erin, RheumatoidArthritis.net Team Member.
Hello fellow serious RA sufferer! I am only at five joint replacements currently, but one of them got botched twice and I had to wear a fixator to grown the bone out for six months, so that's worth some extra points I think. Ha ha. I was diagnosed at 11 after two years of suffering from a flu that never went away after age 9. They think it "turned on" the RA in my body and it never got switched off but I had a serious case and I've had heart attacks, cancer, almost died twice and much more, so I totally get where you are coming from. Every surgery or procedure is going to be the "last" and it will "definitely fix things," right? That is, until the next thing goes wrong which always seems to happen right as the last thing just heals up. You are not alone my friend, just know that!! Keep on keepin' on, DPM
