From Top Level Athlete to RA Depression and the beginning of the comeback trail

When I was 17 years old I joined the United States Army and found myself in basic training. I enjoyed the challenge and yes it was stressful. I thrived on being an M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank Armor crew member. I also enjoyed the physical part as well as the mental part of being on the tip of the spear. After basic I was assigned to Bravo Company 2/72AR in Camp Casey Korea. One of two Armor units responsible for patrolling the DMZ on the North and South Korean border. It is not as normal as people would probably believe with the tensions that exist in that area. At that time I was running half marathons, cycle racing, hiking, Judo, baseball, softball, football, Tae Kwan Do, mountain biking, mountain climbing, and rappelling. All of these activities kept me in very good shape but the one activity that I found a passion for, and had talent for was powerlifting.

Powerlifting competitions consist of three events and your best of three lifts in each of these events. The three events are bench press, dead lift, and squat. I began Powerlifting and went from being 6 foot tall 152 pounds to 180 pounds and 5.5% body fat in three months. After my 2^nd competition I was chosen for the Division Team which competed against other Divisions in the Pacific Rim. I stayed Powerlifting for the next few years until when playing basketball when I came back to the United States I injured my ankle to the point where I had to have my ankle reconstructed. After I was Honorably Discharged from the Army I put on weight from not changing my diet and no longer performing so much cardio. I continued to powerlift and compete but stayed larger but I still hold my weight well.

Then two years ago I sat up in bed and my back popped. I felt as if I had been hit with a baseball bat and had been set on fire at the same time. (For those wondering Yes I do know what it feels like to be hit with a bat but that is another story) I then yelled for my wife because I could not move my legs or feet at all. I spent the next 3 days in the hospital and slowly over those days gained the use of my legs back. I still had problems with my back and legs and not being able to feel anything from the waist down. I finally agreed because of other issues to have my spine fused so they could also repair the nerves and spacing issue from where my disc had exploded in my back.

It had been a long road up to that point, and then 9 months ago I woke up and I could not move my hands.  They were so swollen that I had no space between my fingers. What a way to welcome the New Year huh? I called in sick for work and made a same day appointment with my family doctor. Blood tests were run and my blood test came back negative. My doctor gave me some medications and told me if I still had problems in 2 weeks to come back. Almost two weeks to the day and the same event happened with the swelling and not being able to even move my hands. Once I arrived at my doctor's office he looked at my hands and felt the heat and called and had an appointment set up with a Rheumatologist.