Well to me Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is just a massive pain in the arse. However, it is one you have to learn to deal with rather than just hoping it will go away. For me (and probably many other sufferers) it is annoying to live with largely due to its unpredictability and it having more of an effect than just physical pain.
I can go weeks where I can almost forget I have this condition. I can go out to the pub/clubbing, carry my food shopping, cook, go to the gym, survive the day without a nap and so much more no bother at all. But when going through a flare up or a period of having multiple flare ups, my body just changes in a way that is hard to describe. I can deal with the physical pain very well I feel. I know to manage the swelling with ice, rest the joint and slowly get back to moving it normally and I can get through the day without even complaining too much. However, at the end of the day I just feel fatigued, exhausted and pretty much physically and mentally drained as if I've ran a marathon. Whether I've spent the day at home, not really doing much or have been very busy, the fatigue feels the same, yet sleep is out of the question. I went through a lot of this at the beginning of my diagnosis (late 2013/early-mid 2014) before starting hydroxychloroquine, and from about May when I was on placement until recently. I never really feel as if I can't do anything that I want to do, more that it requires a larger amount of effort and that I'm less likely to carry things out wholeheartedly. Consistency in motivation and managing fatigue are definitely things I need to work on.
Another aspect of the condition I have been made very aware of since January 2014, is the affect on the respiratory system. I experienced inflammation of the airways and had a suspected pneumonia which has now weakened my lungs. I dread winter coming round as a normal cold will often lead to me having a chest infection and nasty cough for around two weeks, However, my trusty inhaler does a good job and keeping physically fit throughout the year I find helps me feel better.
So on the whole I feel my experience of it has been more of a learning curve of how to cope with it rather than just a negative spiral of pain and worry. There are times of uncertainty but my recent experience of placement has taught me to just take each experience as it comes, adapt and make changes when necessary and just to focus on my fitness and strength, which I found before kept my flare ups to a minimum.
