13 facts about my Life with RA

I know that I talked about this a few times, but today I wanted to get a bit more in depth of my life with Rheumatoid Arthritis. As always I like to keep my post short and to the point, so let’s dive in:

1. RA is an autoimmune disease in which my body attacks my joints. My body feels as though there is an intruder and that “intruder” happens to be my joints.
2. I was diagnosed with RA at age 17- I remember my knee swelling up and had no idea why, so my grandmother took me to John’s Hopkins and that’s when I got my diagnosis.
3. I’ve tried meds such as methotrexate, Celebrex, and prednisone to name a few.
4. When I cheered in college I had to go get therapy on my knee prior to games. I just wanted to live a normal life so I was determined to cheer.
5. Currently I am on a medical treatment plan that has been assisting for 7 years. I share this monthly in my IG stories.
6. RA causes me to have a ton of fatigue, to the point of extreme exhaustion.
7. I have experienced horrific events such as waking up and literally not being able to walk to use the restroom unassisted because my knee had swollen so much that I was unable to bend it to walk.
8. I currently have joint damage in my hands, wrist and fee, it sucks but I’m mobile.
9. I literally prayed daily during each of my pregnancies that this disease stops with me! It will not impose on the life of another member of my family.
10. When I am pregnant, I literally have no signs of RA, it’s the best feeling ever. Unfortunately my pregnancy with Axel was the only time the symptoms didn’t go away.
11. When it’s extremely cold or rainy my body really. feels it. My joints ache so bad during these times.
12. There is no cure, but I believe that oneway I will feel normal and wake up pain free forever!
13. I am determined to live a healthy, normal life and I rarely talk about my RA because I don’t want anyone to “feel sorry” for me, I would much rather be an inspiration to others.

Well, thanks for letting me share a tad bit more of my story with RA, and I look forward to sharing more in the future. If you or someone you know is dealing with an autoimmune disease, feel free to share some tips that they are utilizing to live a healthy life. Until next time…..

XO,

Meka