Do you depend on DMARDS and Biologics to control your Rheumatoid Arthritis? I know this method is not for everyone but for those of us who depend on these methods have you ever wondered what would happen if there would come a time when there wasn’t a medication left for you to try in aiding you in your fight with Rheumatoid Arthritis and has that thought made you worry what you would do if that possibility comes? If it does, have you thought about what would be your next step in helping you along the way? This is a thought that I have pondered!!! For those of us who maybe facing this reality, where do we go from here!!! This is something that I’ve thought about and thought I would share my thoughts with you.
Being diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis we got to know the routine and like I once said before, we thought we knew what to expect from having this disease but IT of course has proved us wrong more times than we can remember. I’m sure if your time with Rheumatoid Arthritis has been long or short you’ve learned so much about this disease but the reality is, there’s always something new to learn and our learning bring more surprises than we care for.
Having Rheumatoid Arthritis most of us have probably gone through at least 2 different medications if not more so what we’ve learned, finding the right medication that fits your needs is a process that can be worrisome, long and scary. It may seem before you get use to one, you’re moving on to another one. Your body is telling you “No This One Isn’t The Right One” and this is how it goes. So we change to something else in hopes of making it work or in some cases staying with what we happen to be taking and adding to it hoping this mix will do the job. We go through this time and time again trying hard to find the medication that can kick your RA down a notch. Oh, but what happens when you’ve gone through this process over and over again, whether it was a few years or many years and you’ve come to the realization that you maybe running out of medications to try. What do you think, what do you feel and what do you do.
This can be very difficult but being at a close point like this myself, it is what I think about and cannot ignore though I try not to dwell on it but it is my reality. Is it yours? Are we in the same boat and are some of you closer to that point that I am. Are you worried about what will happen when you’ve gone through all of the medications known for RA? Where do we turn at that point and what other options are there for us! I know for many of us taking the medication we need isn’t easy but we do what we need to do in order to sustain our life as best we can with Rheumatoid Arthritis but the possibility of someday not having that choice is scary. As difficult as it can be on our medication and as much as we may dread it, we still do what we must because for us it is a way of life. We know as it stands our trials with any of our medications can be a short one, therefore sending another one our way rushing us through all there is out there known for us to fight this disease.
Does it make you think or have you wondered what life would be like without medication, not as a choice but because there is no other option? Is this just another burden we have to bear, something that we keep hidden in the back of minds only letting peek out when we feel our current medicine isn’t working anymore or is it something you may not think about at all. I personally have been on several different medications in a short span of time and there’s only one left for me to try and to be honest that is a burden knowing I have a lifetime with this disease. What do we do in this situation? Do we start from the beginning as if we were just diagnosed? Just a thought because I don’t have any ideas, what about you all!!! Do people see how life with Rheumatoid Arthritis is complicated, frightening, isolating and much more confusing than we can even wrap our minds around. So how can anyone think we aren’t filled with so many struggles in our lives with this disease. Not just our daily pain, fatigue and what we now accept as our normal days but with unforeseen struggles. We are forever dealing with something and there are always uncertainties creeping into our lives unexpectedly. So add this possible painful realization to it and this alone should tell the story.
Yes some of us are fortunate enough to have a medication that will work for years giving us the best relief from pain as we know it but when the time comes for change this change can be unpredictable but for all of us it is inevitable that changes will continue to come. Our journey with medication is a bittersweet one because it is what we need to fight this disease as they both fight us but what would our lives be like if our fighter runs out. This is a thought that is frightening and it may also be one we may not want to think about but like with this disease it maybe a reality. It is my reality, one that I must admit I push into the back of my mind.
Medication maybe our enemy but it can be our lifeline and without it our lives would be a different one. Though it may not be for everyone, for those of us who depends on it wishes for something new to come along. But there is no harder wish than for a CURE for this disease. A cure that will end all of our struggles and worries.
This blog is not to worry but it was brought on by a thought of myself. So I decided to put it in words to share with you because I’m sure there are some of you out there dealing with the same thing. NEVER GIVE UP!!!
Be Blessed.
photo: frolicsomepl/pixabay
RA AND THE FAMILY FIT 
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