I have rheumatoid arthritis and was diagnosed about 4.5 years ago.  As previously stated my diagnosis came as a surprise and since then I have had my share of ups and downs.

Living with rheumatoid arthritis daily is never the same on any given day.  For me a lot of my days are good but there have been hard days.  One of my bad days is as recent as a couple days ago while writing my blog.  You never know what to expect or how it’s going to be or how long it’s going to last.  Your only hope is that you find something that will bring you relief and how fast that relief will come.

I often look at my right hand noticing the swelling and the slight changes that have occurred just over these few years and realize that I hardly ever attempt to open anything anymore.  This is just one of the things in my daily life I don’t try do because I know it’s impossible.  I also notice the limit I have with my left shoulder which in turn affects some of the use of my arm.  Not being able to use it like I once did affects my use of it daily which can be an emotional roller coaster but you battle on to do what is necessary to keep yourself going strong.

So you see, everyday is a different day and your body is the dictator of how it will be and when it will be.  It doesn’t matter if you’re taking medication because RA finds a way to ease in on you.  It will take away your ability to do the normal things that you do in a day and that’s just the start of it.  It will take away your ability to sleep, to walk, to write and to smile but there’s more.

How do we cope?  We fight back with all that we have.  We face it in a variety of ways and we try our best to keep that fight going.  We know that to give up is to lose and we never want to lose a battle without trying to win it. This is how we cope.