I'm posting this, because although it is a fairly common disease, and I've connected with some others online, I was just wondering if others might have RA?
For those who don't know, don't be fooled by the name. While arthritis is common, the way this disease attacks is not something you would perhaps realize. It can attack joints (and for some that is the most noticeable form of the disease) but also attacks organs (Heart, liver, lungs and brain). But this is an auto immune disease - in other words the body attacks itself. It thinks there are foreign invaders, and ramps up the immune system to fight out something that essentially isn't there.
So, this isn't just wear and tear or old age (as with most osteoarthritis) but something that can attack at any time. In fact, it appears most who get RA are diagnosed around mid thirties, and many, like me show signs long before that. In my case, nearly 10 years before.
Treatments vary, but basically they are all trying to do the same job - suppress your immune system. Downside to this means I'm now also more susceptible to other problems, like colds and flu. In Feb. I had a cold, which was a viral attack. In its own right, I wouldn't have been down long - as it was it was near enough 8 weeks before I recovered.
I take Sulfasalazine 500 mg and Methotrexate 10 mg - both toxic nasty stuff, but a necessary evil. It means that I also have to undergo regular blood tests *fortunately unlike NB who can faint* needles and blood doesn't faze me.
Would be interested to know if others either have RA or even just an Auto immune disease.
