An Interview with Mea McNeil: Seeing Clearly

"I had to stop cold in order to wake up."

M.E.A. McNeil, author of The First Year - Rheumatoid Arthritis: an Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed speaks of the RA flare that trapped her in bed, "unable to turn over ... watch television or read" with gratitude.

Mea, as she's known, was diagnosed in 1993 after several years of symptoms, primarily in her feet. That was 15 years ago -- medically the dark ages for RA. The information pamphlet given to her had the word "arthritis" written in a shaky hand and when she went to a lecture about her disease, the message was dire, involving excessive fatigue, misshapen joints and no effective treatment. She said: "I cried all the way home."

Increasingly unable to walk, Mea started using a wheelchair -- the progress of her disease followed the prognosis from the lecture. And then she was offered to take part in a study for a new drug called Enbrel at the University of California, San Francisco. Unfortunately, she "drew the short straw and got the subclinical dose." Unable to take any other medication due to being in the study, her RA continued to flare, causing intense pain and swelling -- "my left knee was the size of a cantaloupe." Once the trial was over and the drug was cleared for use, she started Enbrel, accompanied by a small dose of Methotrexate and experienced what she calls "a dramatic remission." And dramatic it was. Within five days, she was back on her feet.

The experience changed her. The flares changed her body -- in the book, Mea calls herself "a crooked tree." But who she is emotionally changed as well. During the experience with the intense flare, she says "all I did was lie there, my body was essentially gone and there was this sense that there was something left and the something that was left was a core of spirit." Coming out on the other side, Mea believes herself transformed for the better, that the gift given by this experience was a drastic shift in perspective, a realization that she had "a lot less to deal with psychologically."

Mea's book is one I wish I'd discovered years ago. A comprehensive guide to adjusting to life with RA, it covers the medical (immune system, medication, nutrition, selecting a medical team), the emotional (adjusting to change, finding hope) and the fun stuff (travel, intimacy, socializing). An invaluable resource for those new to the disease, Mea says "I was really writing as much for myself having had a long-term diagnosis ... so I thought I'd address the book to people who have RA period." She succeeded - First Year also offers a refresher course, and perhaps a new way of thinking, for those of us who've been in the trenches for years.

In light of Mea's personal journey and her depth of knowledge acquired through the research for the book, I asked if she were diagnosed today, what three things would she most want to know. Here's what she had to say:

There Is Effective Treatment Available.