reply about RA being an invisible disease it's far from invisible my deformities & 14 surgeries

I hear that. I always say that when it's called an "invisible illness," maybe invisible to other people, like they think it's nothing serious, but it certainly isn't invisible to us. I am in the double digits with surgeries myself and, until recently, when they fixed my deformed foot, it was very obvious to even strangers that there was something wrong. That doesn't even bring into the conversation the pain and fatigue. Those CERTAINLY aren't invisible! You are not alone! Keep on keepin' on, DPM

Hi , Daniel might be too humble to share his own article, but I thought you really might appreciate the article he wrote about RA being named an "invisible illness", https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/not-invisible-illness. It's titled, Invisible Illness: A Name Coined by Someone Who Didn't Have RA. -- Warmly, Christine (Team Member)

Hi as my team members have stated it can be far from invisible. I have to say as RA progressed for me, and I landed in the 'visible category' due to joint damage in my hands... I began to be conflicted with the team invisible illnesses or invisible disabilities. I understand, however, why some refer to it that way. Mainly because the symptoms they feel and test results/what their doctors may see/know are not readily seen to the naked eye. Which causes a ton of misunderstandings and stigma within the general public. There are terms like visible illness and visible disabilities, but it's not as widely used as the former. Daniel's article does a great job explaining it! -Effie, team member

Hi . My wife, Kelly Mack (a contributor here), was diagnosed at age two, 45 years ago - before modern treatments, with the damage to show for it. She has used a wheelchair since her teens. Obviously, her RA is not invisible. In fact, she wrote this article on how to stick out: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/stick. Concerning "invisible illness" she writes "I feel for my friends with RA who struggle with an invisible illness that they have to explain to others, who are often not understanding and supportive. While there are things I don’t like about always being visible, at least I don’t have to defend myself and explain that I have pain and a condition that can make life challenging. It is obvious!" Daniel's case is a great example of what Kelly wrote of - they are friends both diagnosed as children, with extreme forms of juvenile RA. In many ways Daniel has experienced worse issues (cancer, heart attack and subsequent cardiac issues, etc...), but because sometimes his issues haven't been readily visible he has run into problems, such as people not believing he should have handicapped parking or occasionally need a hand reaching items in a store or other lack of understanding the seriousness of the condition. I don't know if you have ever had people underestimate the extent of the limitations RA causes, but if so, that is a form of the "invisible illness" problem. Hope this information is helpful and know that this community is here for you. Best, Richard (Team Member)