Christopher Columbus, Part 3: How Does Reactive Arthritis Compare to Rheumatoid Arthritis?
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When I was in nursery school I was diagnosed with reactive arthritis. My left knee would always swell when I had step throat. It is important to note here that I was getting strep throat nearly every month through my elementary school years and subsequently I am now allergic to ALL antibiotics except the 3day Z-pack which I have to take with benedryl to combat a rash. They diagnosed me with reactive arthritis because they couldn’t figure it out. I had test after test after test and Children’s Memorial Hospital. The doctors were stumped. This reaction to strep throat continued until I was in high school when it mysteriously stopped. I also have no had strep throat since. However the symptoms of the reactive arthritis continued and continued to get worse until my dr in college who also happened to be a rhuematologist what Ah-ha!! He put the puzzle together after I had my gull bladder removed and called me with x-rays of my back in his hand and said, YOU HAVE AS!!! THAT is what it has been all along!! Tricky arthritis cousins!! They can be so difficult to weed out and differentiate between, hat’s off to the doctors who can properly diagnose any of us!
The more of your story I hear, the more fascinating it is. All of those things are clues that could one day lead to answers/causes/cures. Someday, maybe this will be seen as the ‘dark ages’ of arthritis…
G-d willing today will be tomorrows dark ages of RA and AS! That would be so amazing!!