Suffering in Silence (A small portion of my testimony)

Alot of people have asked to hear my testimony. Well, there is so much to it that I have to break it up into different blog posts.  I have decided to focus this first blog post on my health and how God has truly been good to me. Here it goes...I am a 27 year old, single mom, living with Rheumatoid Arthritis and lupus.

At the age of 15 years old, I was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA). JRA is a term used to describe a common type of arthritis in children.  It is a long-term (chronic) disease resulting in joint pain and swelling.  At the time of my diagnosis, JRA was not a common disease known in children so it took a while for the doctors to properly diagnose it.  Once diagnosed, JRA cannot be cured.  It may become dormant and can even be maintained but it is not a disease with a cure as of yet.  Once a patient with JRA reaches the age of 18 years old, the diagnosis is then changed to Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) which is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation of the joints in adults.

I remember first noticing something was wrong in the third grade.  I went to gym class and could no longer do our daily exercises, which consisted mainly of push-ups, because my wrists had lost most of their range to move back and forth.  From then on, I began to walk with a really bad limp, I became very weak (especially in the mornings), and I could not perform everyday activities on my own such as walking up and down steps and opening simple things such as jars and even doors. It was at this point that my joints were beginning to deteriorate.

From the third grade on, I went through a series of ongoing tests, prescribed by various types of doctors, to figure out the problem.  I attended occupational therapy and physical therapy once a week and I began taking all types of medications, including naproxen, oxycodone, and methotrexate, for pain and inflation.  Throughout all of this mess, I remember this time of my life being so lonely and depressing because no one really understood what was happening to me.  My family tried to empathize but still didn’t understand my pain, my classmates teased me in school because of my limitations, and my friends were very few in numbers.  I remember praying to God for a solution before entering high school or to just let me die. I refused to go through highschool with the same pain that I felt in middle school and junior high.  Just before I completely gave up on myself, that’s when my diagnosis was confirmed.

As I began high school, I also began taking an infusion called Remicade.  This is an injected medication, given at the Rheumatologist’s office, that takes anywhere from 4-5 hours to complete.  I can remember missing school once a month to go and get my infusion.  I think I was more anxious at this time of my life than I had ever been before.  After being on Remicade for about 4 months, my arthritis began to get better.  I still needed help walking up and down stairs but it was getting easier. My trips to the nurses office during school was decreasing due to less pain.  I was beginning to open things on my own again (although I still needed help).  And my friends were increasing while the teasing was decreasing.  Life was finally turning around for me.  This medication was working great!  That is until I began to experience some serious side effects from it. I stopped taking the Remicade after 10 months and my doctor began to look for another solution.

Finally, in 2001, I began to take a medication called Enbrel (which I am still currently taking). Enbrel is a prescription medicine that can be self-injected.  It is used to treat five lifelong inflammatory diseases: moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA), moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, moderate to severe juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), and ankylosing spondylitis (AS).  Since starting Enbrel in high school, I can thankfully say that I have been doing a whole lot better.  I still have some limitations on the things that I can do but it is not as bad as it used to be.

Those that know me now are aware that I work out almost everyday, I try to stay very active with my son, I keep up with my visits to the rheumatologist, and I take my injections weekly.  By the grace of God, my RA is currently dormant and I am able to somewhat live the “normal” life of a 27 year old.  There are still some things that I cannot do but, like I said before, it is not as bad as it used to be.  People often ask me what life will be like when I get older and if I even think about it.  Of course I have the thoughts of what it will be like when I get older.  Will I be able to walk? What will I still be able to do with my hands? Who will take care of me? Things like that but for now I am just thankful that I have family and friends who are helping me to get through each day and live my life to the fullest.

I know God is a healer and even though He may choose not to heal my body, I am a new person mentally and spiritually because I am constantly on my knees thanking and praising Him for the things that I am still able to do and for keeping me this far.

I hope that this blog has helped you to learn a little about the history of my life living with RA.  It feels good to share my story and to hear others as well so please feel free to contact me or keep in touch.

Thanks for reading!

I love you all,

Christina Emily