Pain, Pain Go Away, Rheumatoid Arthritis Stay Away

Betty Friedan was once quoted saying “Aging is not ‘lost youth’ but a new stage of opportunity and strength”. I am never conscious about my age but that opportunity and strength becomes so hard to comprehend when your physical strength fails you. It doesn’t matter if I get wrinkles and if I get those flabs. However, it is different when at 37 you start to feel pain, swelling, stiffness and loss of function in your joints especially in the wrist and fingers. Now that feeling is what you call Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) which is more often experienced by women than men. Studies reveal that it commonly starts between ages 25 to 55. RA is an autoimmune disease meaning that the arthritis is an effect of the immune system attacking our body’s own tissues. It is a chronic, progressive and systemic disease which can affect the whole body and internal organs such as the lungs, heart and eyes.
When I started having RA, I always felt the tiredness and anxiety. The pain did not only affect me physically but also mentally and socially. I had a hard time carrying out my daily task because of the pain and somehow I felt worthless. For a while, my self-esteem really got low because I can’t endure the pain that it brings to me. Fortunately, my family has been very supportive during those tough times that I went through.
It is also a good thing that the medicine that my doctor prescribed me works really well for me. My doctor gave prescribed me to take Celebrex that helped me cope with the pain. There are other brands such as Enbrel , Arencia, Humira and Remicade but one has to consult their doctor which is the best RA treatment for them. It is not advisable to self-medicate by just relying on the brand’s ads because they are a bit technical or rather medical in terms of explaining what the medication is all about. Ads should be simple so that everyone would understand what kind of medication they will be getting. I would have created a tag line in a magazine ad “Pain, Pain Go Away…RA Stay Away”.
I have also heard that there are comprehensive programs that provide medical, social, and emotional support for people with RA. These programs (which include medications, reduction of joint stress, physical and occupational therapy, and surgical intervention) are all aimed at reducing pain and discomfort, preventing deformities and loss of joint function, and maintaining a productive and active life.
Alongside with this, it will be beneficial if pharmaceutical companies will share information about RA by means of forum, advertisements, leaflets, fliers and the likes. In my case, awareness equipped me with the knowledge that I need to know on how to handle the disease and what aspect of my lifestyle I should change.