What Others Need to Know About Rheumatoid Arthritis

Michelle Tossoun: What Others Need to Know About Rheumatoid Arthritis
HEALTHJOURNEYS
Michelle Tossoun Rheumatoid Arthritis

I am a 52 year old women, with a lovely family and a job that i enjoy. I have an underactive thyroid that as effected my health for over 10 years, but, since the diognosis of RA i have put that condition on the back burner! my focus this year jas been to find a suitable medication tp supress my immune system and control...

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What do you need those who may not understand RA and all that it entails to know?

My body feels sore from the moment I wake, my feet hurt all day and so do my hands, I feel the inflammation, most mornings I have difficulty walking. Although this does pass after a walk around, it does happen during the day if I have sat for a short period. I feel very unmotivated, never feel fresh and alert and the afternoons are difficult due to fatigue. Some days are better than others but never do I feel quite right.

How do you explain what living with RA is really like to those around you?

I usually tolerate the pains, the aches and stiffness in silence, but often stress how tired I feel, how I just want to stop and rest, I tell them I find it difficult to plan ahead as each day is different, i might stress how hard it can be to use my grip or wear boots for long periods

For those who don't know, RA may be confusing. What do you need people to know about RA and how it is to live with it?

It is more than just join pain! it effects my whole body due to the immune system on the attack and tiring out my body, iexplaon that it is an autoimmune disease that is treated by medication to suppress the immune system and stop the inflammation.