My name is Jennie and I have rheumatoid arthritis.
I was diagnosed in 2003. When I was diagnosed I was a mother of a 3 year old little girl in the process of a divorce because my marriage could not withstand the diagnosis. RA had a direct impact on my failed marriage because never before had I needed emotional support the way I did when I started having RA symptoms. RA also had an indirect affect in that it changed my self image, and brought marital issues that were hidden under the surface right up to the forefront where we had to admit they could not be resolved.
I was very happy as a single mom with RA. Luckily Humira worked well for me, along with methotrexate. I have a severe case and have to be careful about overdoing it and stress, and that did mean changing jobs to one with less stress and no overtime. But I managed just fine being on my own.
I was blessed to find a very supportive, caring single dad on match.com in 2005. We were married in 2006 with my daughter and his three boys making one good sized blended family. In 2007 we were again blessed with girl/boy twins making us now a family of 8. I was able to stop working to be home with the babies and the older kids. I am only recently back on all my medications and having what seems to be an RA hang over from the time without drugs while I was pregnant and breastfeeding. I hope to be back to my normal "simulated healthy" self soon but for now I'm coping with waking up every day to find out how bad today will be, which joints are going to be painful, and hoping the babies take it easy on me (a tall order I know).
Jennie ~ mom and stepmom to 6
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