Comments on: Your Rheumatoid Arthritis Onset Stories, page 3 http://rawarrior.com Bringing information & encouragement to fight RA Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:45:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Melissa Parham http://rawarrior.com/onset-of-rheumatoid-arthritis-stories/rheumatoid-arthritis-onset-stories-page-3/comment-page-1/#comment-8254 Melissa Parham Fri, 19 Mar 2010 04:01:53 +0000 http://rawarrior.com/?page_id=1732#comment-8254 Thank you ladies for taking the time to share your story. Thank you ladies for taking the time to share your story.

]]> By: Kelly Young http://rawarrior.com/onset-of-rheumatoid-arthritis-stories/rheumatoid-arthritis-onset-stories-page-3/comment-page-1/#comment-6437 Kelly Young Sat, 27 Feb 2010 01:47:34 +0000 http://rawarrior.com/?page_id=1732#comment-6437 Thanks, Bianca. We do have several Ankylosing Spondylitis readers. Let us know how it goes in DC. Thanks, Bianca. We do have several Ankylosing Spondylitis readers. Let us know how it goes in DC.

]]> By: Bianca Cox http://rawarrior.com/onset-of-rheumatoid-arthritis-stories/rheumatoid-arthritis-onset-stories-page-3/comment-page-1/#comment-6417 Bianca Cox Fri, 26 Feb 2010 20:53:18 +0000 http://rawarrior.com/?page_id=1732#comment-6417 Hello, my name is Bianca Cox and I have Psoriatic Arhtritis and Spondalyathrapthy. I have read everyone's story and I am glad that people are speaking up about thier experiences. I also want people to know that they do not have to suffer. There are so many medications out today that help. Looking back I believe that I began to have symptoms with I was in elementary school. My back always had knots in it and I would beg people to massage my back. I also always needed more sleep than most. My symptoms did not come full circle and until after I had given birth to my second and last child. I was 3 months post partum and I woke up one day and felt stiff all over. I am a nurse so I inspected all of my joints and they did not appear to be swollen. I went to a primary care physcian and he ran lots of tests and then told me I had fibromyalgia but that there was nothing that could be done for it. That was 11 years ago. Anyway,It hurt so much to just move, much less take care of my two kids. I became almost comempletely dibilated and we had to hire a Nanny full time to help me with my kids. After a few years I did begin seeing a Dr. who specialized in Fibro and he put me on afew meds that helped somewhat but I continued to get worse. I have two sisers who both have arthritis and so I went to see a Rheumatologist - nothing showed up on my lab work and everytime I made mention about my sisters he acted like I had not even mentioned it. He did put me on a trial dosage of Prednisone and I immediately got some relief but he said I could not stay on it. I gave him a year of my life and then he finanally told me that I needed to go see a Pys.DR. My Fibro Dr. told me he was convinced I had a form of arthritis and told me to go get a second opinion. I did and I saw this new Dr. and she examined me and within 20 min. told me that I had Psoriatic arhtirits. I cried because I could not believe I had suffered by that time 7 years with this disease not knowing that I had it. It has taken a total of 3 years to get me to the point where I feel half way normal again. I take Rhemicade infusions every 5 weeks and I am on a long list of other meds but it has changed my life for the better. I am now able to take care of my kids without help. I do have someone who comes and helps me clean my house every two weeks. It is true that my life will neveer be the same as before. I still have to pace myself and I still have days when I hurt but I have more days when I feel ok then not. It is difficult because when I really sit down and think about this the fact is that everyday for the rest of my life I am going to wake up in pain and everyday I will have to get up 1 hr before my family does and take pain medication to help take that pain away so that I can be the mom that my kids need me to be. But I am thankful that there are medications out there that I can take. It has taken me a long time to complete the 7 stages of grief, but I have finanally come to accept the fact that I have a chronic illness and that it is not going to go away. I would like to encourage everyone to keep on keepin on. I will be going to Washington DC to help advocate for us. Bianca Cox Hello, my name is Bianca Cox and I have Psoriatic Arhtritis and Spondalyathrapthy. I have read everyone’s story and I am glad that people are speaking up about thier experiences. I also want people to know that they do not have to suffer. There are so many medications out today that help. Looking back I believe that I began to have symptoms with I was in elementary school. My back always had knots in it and I would beg people to massage my back. I also always needed more sleep than most. My symptoms did not come full circle and until after I had given birth to my second and last child. I was 3 months post partum and I woke up one day and felt stiff all over. I am a nurse so I inspected all of my joints and they did not appear to be swollen. I went to a primary care physcian and he ran lots of tests and then told me I had fibromyalgia but that there was nothing that could be done for it. That was 11 years ago. Anyway,It hurt so much to just move, much less take care of my two kids. I became almost comempletely dibilated and we had to hire a Nanny full time to help me with my kids. After a few years I did begin seeing a Dr. who specialized in Fibro and he put me on afew meds that helped somewhat but I continued to get worse. I have two sisers who both have arthritis and so I went to see a Rheumatologist – nothing showed up on my lab work and everytime I made mention about my sisters he acted like I had not even mentioned it. He did put me on a trial dosage of Prednisone and I immediately got some relief but he said I could not stay on it. I gave him a year of my life and then he finanally told me that I needed to go see a Pys.DR. My Fibro Dr. told me he was convinced I had a form of arthritis and told me to go get a second opinion. I did and I saw this new Dr. and she examined me and within 20 min. told me that I had Psoriatic arhtirits. I cried because I could not believe I had suffered by that time 7 years with this disease not knowing that I had it. It has taken a total of 3 years to get me to the point where I feel half way normal again. I take Rhemicade infusions every 5 weeks and I am on a long list of other meds but it has changed my life for the better. I am now able to take care of my kids without help. I do have someone who comes and helps me clean my house every two weeks. It is true that my life will neveer be the same as before. I still have to pace myself and I still have days when I hurt but I have more days when I feel ok then not. It is difficult because when I really sit down and think about this the fact is that everyday for the rest of my life I am going to wake up in pain and everyday I will have to get up 1 hr before my family does and take pain medication to help take that pain away so that I can be the mom that my kids need me to be. But I am thankful that there are medications out there that I can take. It has taken me a long time to complete the 7 stages of grief, but I have finanally come to accept the fact that I have a chronic illness and that it is not going to go away. I would like to encourage everyone to keep on keepin on. I will be going to Washington DC to help advocate for us.

Bianca Cox

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