News story aired in July 2016

RA... Say what?!?!?!

My name is Beth. I am 35 years old and I have Rheumatoid Arthritis. The purpose of this blog is to educate, advocate, and provide a look into what it is like to have autoimmune diseases as a mother, wife, and person in general. I would like to take a step back and reflect on how I was diagnosed. It was 2012 and I was pregnant with my third child. I was sick with strep throat for the like 8th time in a year. I went into a walk in clinic and the Doctor looked at me and said "I would like to do some blood work on you. You are sick way to much and something is not right." That blood work was the answer to so many unanswered questions that I had had in my past. Long story short, I was referred to a Rheumatologist and found out I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, and Fibromyalgia. I also have a list of other issues that are autoimmune related such as a blood clotting disorder, thyroid disease, anxiety, and mild depression. The diagnosis, while awful, was an answer to ...

What I Want You To Know...

Like most that suffer from chronic diseases, I feel like people typically do not understand what it is like to walk (or not to walk) in our shoes. While I do not want to constantly focus on my ailments, I think it is important to spread awareness. It is crucial that we educate and provide basic knowledge for the general public. I chose this picture for this post because it hit home for me personally. I have lots of friends with Rheumatoid Disease that do indeed have severe arthritis. While I look at them and see strength, hope, and courage, you can also see the pain and suffering through their disfigurements. My sister and I have many health issues, but one can not visibly see any deformities as of yet. While I am grateful that all my extremities are characterized as normal so far, this can make it hard for others to realize what type of struggles we go through on a day to day basis. I wanted to post some symptoms here that go hand in hand with Rheumatoid Disease. These wer...

THE CHAIR

I am having one of my HARD weeks this week. So hard in fact, that I can not bear the pain of standing up in the shower to bathe in the morning. I get so weak and dizzy from the shooting/throbbing/stabbing pain i want to faint. Like I have said before, I do get a little down and out, but I try to always see the good in every situation. So here it is... When you have a disease like RA, it is essential to have supportive and loving people surround you. I just happen to have several in my life. Thanks be to God. My husband is at the top of the list. He isn't always perfect, but when I am hurting really bad, my husband really comes through for me. After complaining about how hard it is to stand in the shower, I asked my hubby to run to the store to buy me one of those chairs you put in the bath or shower to sit on. You know, the kind old people have to use... I woke up the next morning to find this chair put together and waiting for me. Instead ...

RA Sisters

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