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By ant69

1 min read

Hi everyone,

I was diagnosed around 2 years ago after a fall at work - slipped on some ice and just banged my elbow. It swelled up and after a few days. The swelling got worse, so I visited my GP, and she had some blood tests done as I was complaining about sore joints, especially wrists and fingers. Got the blood tests back and one of them was for rheumatoid which was very high, got in to see a rheumatologist and was diagnosed from that.

Since that day I have gradually been going down hill with all the symptoms, chronic pain, flu like symptoms, blurred vision, brain fog and the rest associated with this awful disease. I had never even heard of it before then, and I sympathize with each and every person who has to battle with this on a daily basis. I won't go on much more, otherwise it will turn into a novel, I just can't get my head round it aĺl.

One minute I was fit and healthy, then the next I have this horrible immune disease. All I can say so far is this won't beat me, I won't let it, even though everyday is a struggle.

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Effie Koliopoulos Moderator & Contributor
Hi there <inline-mention user-id="3122060" username="ant69"/> , thank you so much for taking the time to share your story. You are definitely not alone in what you are experiencing. I can relate to being once a young healthy teenager to the next minute being told I have this chronic condition. If you haven't already, I highly suggest you check out 'The Road Ahead with RA,' section here on the site. I am linking it below for your convenience. <a href='https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/the-road-ahead-with-ra' target='_blank'>https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/the-road-ahead-with-ra/</a>
Effie Koliopoulos Moderator & Contributor
Hi there, <inline-mention user-id="3122060" username="ant69"/> thank you so much for taking the time to share your story. You are definitely not alone in what you are experiencing. I can relate to being a young healthy adult to suddenly being told I have a chronic condition. I suggest if you haven't already, to check out this area of the website. I have linked it below for your convenience. The Road Ahead with RA: <a href='https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/the-road-ahead-with-ra' target='_blank'>https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/the-road-ahead-with-ra/</a>
Tamara Haag Moderator & Contributor
Hi <inline-mention user-id="3122060" username="ant69"/> , Thank you so much for sharing your story. I hate that these past two years have had so many challenges for you. 2020 has been a challenging year for people who are not contending with a fairly new diagnosis and rapidly progressing symptoms, so my heart goes out to you. It sounds as though so far treatment is not helping much? Finding effective treatment can often involve a lot of trial and error, as a med that helps one person with RA may do little to nothing for another. (Even my sister with RA and I have found this to be the case, even though we have the same disease and the same genes.) Some meds take weeks or months to reach full efficacy, so waiting for months only to find out a med doesn’t help can be painful, infuriating, discouraging, and exhausting. It sounds like you are meeting the challenges of multiple, hard symptoms with courage, grace, and positivity, which is no small feat. Please keep us updated on how you are doing if you feel so inclined. Wishing you all the best, Tamara
Daniel Malito Moderator & Contributor
<inline-mention user-id="3122060" username="ant69"/> The time when you are first diagnosed can be scary and overwhelming, but you certainly have the right attitude going in. It can be a struggle and there is no doubt some tough days ahead, I know that's not what you want to hear exactly, but you seem like you are as ready as you can be. Just remember, you're not alone either, we are here for whatever we can do. Keep on keepin' on, DPM
dmcclellan2 Member
I was diagnosed in 2014, after I fell on my right knee. In 2019 I was medically terminated from my position at Oracle support.