my life since Rheumatoid Arthritis

I was diagnosed with RA almost five years ago, when I was just short of 23. It was a sudden onset - there was swelling and pain in my fingers, wrists, toes and ankles at the end of a tiring day at a religious ceremony. I put it down to all the heavy lifiting and running around I had done. But when the swelling and pain did not go away even after  two days, but kept getting worse, I saw a doctor. He took one look at my hands and feet and suspected RA which a blood test confirmed.

I had no idea that it can get so criplling when the diagnosis came, I was just happy that it was not rheumatic fever as I had feared and with which I had seen a cousin suffer and was happy I did not have to go through painful peniciline injections every fortnight!! Now I know what I was saddled with!

Since then I have seen my life just stop being what it was - I can no longer ride my bike, had to quit my job, struggle to walk because of a bad right knee joint, can no longer play the 'veena' which I used to love to do, have lost effective use of my left arm, both wrists and elbows! But, I am certainly glad that I do have limbs though, however limited their use and however painful they are! :)

I tried alternative therapies like ayurveda (the traditional Indian system of medicine) and homeopathy, but my condition has steadily worsened. But, I have seen at least one person who has made a complete recovery from RA because of ayurveda, but I don't know why it did not work for me.

I am here because I saw so many people share their problems so frankly and I hope that I can get emotional help and useful tips and maybe be of some use to everyone here myself too.