Taking pride in who we are as rheumatoid arthritis sufferers

Today was my first time on this site and i read your comment and i have to say I have not cried this much in a long time.  Your comment gave me more realization than I wanted but your are not alone.  You are blessed with children and that is the biggest accomplishment to be proud of.

Please never say that you have nothing to be proud of. The fact that you suffer silently the day to day pain of RA and still do whatever little you can is something to be proud of. Reading your post I found that you are giving up. Giving up to RA is the worst thing you can do. I was diagnosed with drug induced RA in 2001 just after I had joined a premier research institute in my country as faculty and research scientist a dream I have been pursuing since I was a kid. Everybody told me to give up such a demanding job. I was tempted to listen to them. It would have been easy to do since the pain is unbearable at times. But I did not give in to my RA. I fought back tooth and nail with my pain, my disability and also the pity around me. I am now a full Professor with a research group of my own. I have competed side by side with my healthy colleagues who had pitied me, demoralised me, and have come out a winner. So you can do it. Tell people around you that you will do it and give RA a full fight.

Best of luck

Ratnapriya

Hey Holly!

I have got one more thing for you to add to your list:

You can be proud of lifting people up in these great posts!

God bless,

Kelly 

It's all about perspective, isn't it? Thanks for the reminder.

Hey Holly Bad week,lots of pain, read your letter and I'm on top again. I just realized that I finally belong to a club and I'm proud of it. I admit that sometimes I have to wonder if I was sworn in or sworn at in order to become a member. Anyway I'm just proud to be here. Thanks for a great post on a needy day.

Everything or person or situation that comes to us is never by accident..There is always a valuable lesson to be learned in everything that comes our way. It seems like we become addicted to feeling sorry for ourselves..and if you look closely it's not just because we are compromised with a systemic disease..it's almost a way of life..to have an excuse..always an excuse..or to be pretending were supermen or women,when in truth, at our core..we're weak and whiney with victim mentalites and you identify yourself and your selfworth by what you have and what you can do or what you cannot do...Anything that cripples you..will humble you..because you can no longer hide behind your ego..You have two choices. You can view life through the eyes of your ego..or through the eyes of your Holy Spirit. We will all be taken out with some disease..nobody will escape this fate..but you must understand that you are more responsible for your well being than any doctor..every 20 seconds someone dies of a heart attack..caused by faulty diets and saturated fats.

There is a cure!! for rheumatoid arthritis. I know this for a fact. If you are serious please go to this site, that can change your life or the life of a loved one. "The Arthritis Trust of America." NOT "The Arthritis Foundation." They are completely different. There are only select doctors that know of this protocol..why? It is beyond my comphrehension! I am in the process of writting a book that will expose our uninformed and lazy rheumatologists and the toxic drugs they prescribe..that do not address the cause but only the symptoms, and in the long run cause more damage.

What about the poor people in third world countries who have no pain killers or doctors..or insurance.. and it just takes over their entire body...How lucky you are to be on this site!! May God bless you with the cure..

Holly- Thanks for your post.. I am like you to  proud for my own good sometimes.. But I have realized sometimes it is ok to ask for help. But for me it is when I am around certain people I can let down my guard for them to help me. Others forget it I wont ask.. But I am proud of who I am and of the things I can do. But I have a question for you if you don't mind. In your post you said you had to stop work. I have been diagnosed over a year now and they havn't gotten the right mix of meds yet and I also have fibro to boot. When did you decide it was time to stop working or to get soc. security.. I am just confused I hurt everymorning My hands and feet huet alo.t I have a stress fracture that hasn't healed (it has been over a year) so they are talking surgery now.. I am only 34 and of course I get the well you look ok, and your so young.. But damn people don't have a clue... Just wondered how your road procedded and what you did to help yourself along the way..

Take Care