Hit me like a truck!

That's what my primary doc said to me back when I was diagnosed with RA in the Fall of 1999. And yes, I did feel like a truck had hit me. My mom suffered with severe RA for yrs before she passed in 1995 & the best treatment options back then were gold shots and prednisone--pitiful. So I'm very thankful for the advent of Biological drugs, otherwise, after having this disease for 16 yrs now, I believe I would be in a wheelchair, like my mom was.

RA put an end to my nursing career, I couldn't pound the concrete or standup to the stress's of the profession for long after my diagnosis. I was extremely lucky and was was awarded my social security disability benefits quickly---only took 6 months total time. I think maybe my mom was helping me from above!

My RA has proven to be a daily chronic, grind. No remissions for me, although I am greatly improved from where I was back in the beginning of this journey. Ya know, you get accustomed to a certain amount of pain after while, and I learned my physical limits, although I still sometimes push myself too hard and then "pay for it" the next day. I have learned to be kind to myself--my diet is good, little meat/lots of fresh veggies & fruit & whole grains. I have recently decreased the amount of sugar in my diet--it's hard to do but I'm determined to see if it'll help the pain/inflammation levels. I take a rest break most everyday of a couple hours, and I try to get as much exercise as I can tolerate. My husband and I moved to 'the lake' (Lake Barkley/Ky Lake) 6 yrs ago and I have gotten soo much more exercise since this move, it definitely helps my fibro & RA.

So, all in all, I believe I am doing the very best I can do to help myself-----at first that was a hard thing to do after a life of taking care of everyone (family & patient's) else 1st! I realized we each have to put our health first on our list of thing's to do. Afterall, if we don't have our health then what do we have?! Thanks for reading my story, I look forward to reading other's stories, we learn from each other.