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I was missing yesterday. I had my sis, Angel, write and tell you all that I was not feeling well. I have RA. Also known as Rhumitoid Arthritis. I was diagnosed with it when I was just 4 years old. My mother took me to see doctor after doctor when I was little trying to find out why I was always hurting. At the time they just said arthritis. Later they said it would cripple me by the time I was 21. Even later they told me it was actually RA. It started in my leg. My right one. In the knee. It was very painful and I couldn't even walk on it when it got to hurting but it wasn't like it was all of the time. I am over 21 now and I am ony 4 years of being short of that. I am not crippled. I learned early on that if I would excercise it would help to keep me from getting stiff joints. I now have it in nearly all of my joints. Most of my back is ok. My right jaw is fine. But the rest of my joints have all started to deteriorate. Don't pitty me. I don't. There is no reason to. I have had it since I was four years old. Probably all of my life in actuality. I have learned to ease it when its bad and try not to use anything medically. The longer you use something the less effective it will be so I was advised not to take anything for as long as I can. So far I have managed to keep off of prescribed medication and stick with things like tylenol and long soaks in the tub. Washing dishes and typing help my hands. But if something else is bothering be then ZI may skip it like I did yesterday. All joints in both arms from the shoulders on down to my finger tips hurt yesterday. Instead of feeling sorry for myself I caught up on some reading I had been wanting to do. A lot of people all into depression with this stuff. I won't let that happen to me. I know pain is temporary for me so I don't let it upset me.
The good thing about it and I am sure you are thinking that there can't be any good thing to something like this... I no longer feel pain the way other people do. It takes quite a bit to get me bothered now. When I had my c-sections it was almost nothing to me. They didn't feel good but I could manage. There were other people in the recovery room and some were loud complainers and criers (by the way, crying when you are hurting makes it worse).
Its not so bad for me as it is people who are in their 30's and older when they get it. They tend to cripple up quickly. I haven't done that. probably because I fight it. I will fight it with every thing I have. I am very independent in some ways and getting my own soda from the fridge is one of them.
I do things differently. Instead of being over a lot to pick stuff up I actually can pick up some objects with my toes. I learned that little trick in kindergarden and it stuck with me. I can't mow the yard with a push mower any more so I got a riding mower instead. I can't weed flower beds anymore so we dug most of that up and put in bushes. Trimming them is easier on me then pulling weeds. There are a number of things I do differently. But at least I still do those things.
There are some good points to me having RA. I actually understand what old people are complaining about. Ok that one is kind of funny. I was not feeling well and there was an old man in the store and he was complaining about how he has had arthritis for the last 5 years and it bothers him to no end and that he can't stand it. I wanted to beat him about the head with a shoe and tell him that I have had it for over 30 years (I was about 35 at the time) and that he could darn well get over it and quit feeling sorry for himself and start living again if he wanted to.
Ok that doesn't sound very compassionate but that man hadn't had it all that long and he was doing pretty well for a man his age and I have worked with a lot of sr. citizens so I know for sure what I am talking about. But I do think of the people I know who are suffering with it and try to remember to send them an encouraging word etc to help them get through the day. I also remember that each and every good day is to be appreciated. And I do appreciate them very much. I won't say there aren't that many. I do well because when I get a little achy I don't dwell on it so most every day is a good day. It should be that way.
Yesterday was not just about the RA though. There was a problem and I had to be there for someone if they needed me.