At First I Was Happy

I had been battling severe pain in my foot, shoulders and wrist for over a year. I was sent to an orthopedist who did an MRI and Xrays and could find nothing wrong, but he immobilized my wrist in a cast for six weeks. That didn't help. I was sent to a podiatrist who did surgery for a bunion. The pain in my foot was still there. I finally went to a different general practitioner who did the blood test to find out if I had RA, and the test was positive. I was initially thrilled to find out what was causing my pain. I thought it would be great - get some pills, eat well, do whatever I was told to do and all would be back to normal.

By providing your email address, you are agreeing to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

I found an excellent rheumatologist, and began a course of treatment for RA. And, although I'm doing everything I've been told to do I have suddenly realized that this is going to be my life from now on. I'm still going to hurt, I'm going to get depressed, and there will be things I can't do anymore. I'm not so thrilled as I was when I first found out.

I think one of the hardest parts of the RA diagnosis is that although you can sometimes control aspects of it, it's here to stay. I'm lucky I have a wonderful husband who goes above and beyond to make things easy for me. I have a boss who is very accommodating when I have a flare up and need to dial back a little. I appreciate stories and tips from others because I'm new at this.

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The RheumatoidArthritis.net team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

Join the conversation

Please read our rules before commenting.