Take a Walk

This morning I woke up with a minor flare in my left hand and knees. I have spent the last hour reading more about Humera and the possible side affects and while the occurrences are low they can be very serious. I do plan to read more about Embrel at a later time.

The more I read about this disease the angrier I get. And think why me. Then I think what can I do about it? My response is two fold. First is to live my life the best I can and try to stay as active as possible. Secondly I can donate money to the Arthritis foundation, and there are different ways to do so.

On May 20th 2006 in many Cities around the country there will be an Arthritis Walk. You can choose the one or three mile walk. Debbie and I are planning on walking and would like to encourage you to join us weather it is in Duluth or the nearest location to your home. More information can be found at http://www.arthritis.org/events/arthritiswalk/default.asp

Here's what they say on ra.com “According to the World Health Organization, more than 50% of patients with RA completely stop working within 10 years of onset. Statistics like these demonstrate that RA, like heart disease and diabetes, can result in a substantial amount of disability.” I do not want to be in the 50% that stop working. All I am asking is for you support and understanding. And if you deiced to take a walk on May 20th great.

frustrating and annoying

One of the most annoying effects of RA for me is never knowing when a flare will hit or how severe it will be of how long its going to last. Every thing might be going well and I’m feeling fine and wham all of a sudden a knee, foot, hand or fingers are all swollen and not working very well. Most of the time I can just keep going but sometimes it really hurts and I have to just stop doing and sit or quiet using that hand.
This is tough because when the pain is bad I do not want to slow down but there's no choice. Sometimes walking or simply grocery shopping can be a challenge due to pain. Its a silent pain as no one know that you have it unless you tell them, do you really want to say I hurt too much and need to stop and go home?
When you do tell people about the pain there are those who if they can’t see it then it dose not exist. This can be very frustrating and annoying. If they could only walk a short distance in your shoes they just might sing a different tune.