Living with Rheumatoid Arthritis

When you live with Rheumatoid Arthritis you never know what to expect out of each day. I have good days and i have bad days and some days are worse than others. When people hear you have rheumatoid arthritis they think of old people with a little joint pain. Rheumatoid arthritis is more than a little joint pain and can affect people of all ages . It does cause joint pain and swelling but it can affect your heart , lungs, and other organs. I live each day knowing i will always have this disease to deal with. There is no cure for Rheumatoid Arthritis. At times the pain can be unbearable. I have to take steroids every day to keep the inflammation down . I inject my self once a week with methotrexate. I go once a month and get an infusion. not only do i have the disease itself to deal with i also have the side effects from the drugs to deal with also .

When rheumatoid arthritis first starts, symptoms often affect the smaller joints, like the joints in your hands and feet. As time goes on, symptoms often move to your larger joints—knees, ankles, elbows, hips, and shoulders. Also, pain tends to affect the same joints on both sides of the body. Unlike the wear-and-tear damage of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis affects the lining of your joints, causing a painful swelling that can eventually result in bone erosion and joint deformity.

The inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis is what can damage other parts of the body as well. While new types of medications have improved treatment options , severe rheumatoid arthritis can still cause physical disabilities.

When ever i have a good day i make the most out of it because i never know what the next day may be like. I make the most out of each day . I will never give in to this disease.