What Does RA Feel Like in Your Body?

Deen Allen of Parlin, NJ, says hardly a day goes by when he isn’t dealing with some sort of RA pain or other symptoms, such as brain fog. He’s learned how to keep pushing.

When I'm in a flare, it's two or three days, sometimes it could be weeks, and all I can do is just do the things that I can do and when I can't, I'll just gut it out.

Interviewer: What does RA feel like in your body?

Wow. Oh, my gosh. It is chronic pain. I cannot honestly tell you a day where I have not been in pain. Some days are better than others, but for the most part, it's just the chronic pain. The stiffness is no joke.

Today just walking through the city, my right thigh is just on fire because I had surgery, like I said, and the healing process is taking forever. It's just frustrating as all get out.

The brain fog is just ridiculous. My memory used to be super sharp. I could remember just about anything. Now I'm like, where did I put my keys? I have a set routine now that I have to put things in certain places. I know that, OK, this is where I put it. Nobody touches it. It's great. I know where it is.

Godzilla moments are when I have fatigue and the joint pain together. That's brutal. And because I still think I'm type A and can just make it happen, that combination just wipes me completely out. Sometimes, when I'm in a flare, it's two or three days. Sometimes it could be weeks and all I can do is just gut it out, do the things that I can do. And when I can't, I'll just go to bed and sleep.

Now that it's really starting to have a more of an impact with my joints, I'm noticing that my knuckles are starting to become a little bit more inflamed and that inflammation is staying a little longer. I'm just wondering if I'm sort of edging or heading down that road with deformity.

The medications that I'm on seem to be holding it back, but all the medications are doing is just slowing the progression down of the disease. It's not really a cure.

It's a really interesting battle and challenge that they're facing because I hate Godzilla, but I'm still living my life.