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Rheumatoid Arthritis, our chronic and complicated disease.  With it comes pain that we feel each and every day.  Pain that fights us as vigorously as we fight it.  Still explaining just how much this causes us seem to go unaccepted and misunderstood by so many causing us to fall into a pit of ISOLATION.  Do you find yourself saying “I feel so alone in this fight” and you have no where or no one to turn to.  This is what so many sufferers of RA have to face, the isolation that comes with having this dreaded disease.

Isolated is being separated from others.  This is how we feel when we’ve run out of ways to explain what we’re going through, or how we feel when we mention our disease or even if we say we are hurting or if we simply say we aren’t having a good day and no one seems to care.  We feel what we’re saying is falling on deaf ears or closed minds or the pity of seeing people walk the other way when they see us coming is the true definition of isolation.  Believing that others may or would understand what we are going through is far from the truth.  The idea that our disease and its affects on us would be embraced by others has left us with the harsh reality that not many would be left to face our fight with us.  Our words have become our enemy.

Do you find yourself sitting alone because people feel you’re always sick or talking about RA too much or feel you’re complaining.  This is no surprise because without understanding this is exactly what happens.  So here we are, alone with our pain, emotions, stresses and feelings of being alone while we actually are alone.  So many close their minds and do not want to hear again that our joints are aching or we’re so tired we can barely do our job or that our night was so bad we didn’t get any sleep.  We’re looked at as if that’s all there is to us, a complainer who could very well look fine.  Why can’t we suck it up and get over it they think.  So here we are all alone in a fight that’s bigger than us.  Alone with a powerful disease that’s tearing us physically and mentally little by little.  One that we are often forced to lie about, evade or simply ignore so we can find our own peace for a while.

Why should we have to go through this! Why should we have to ignore the biggest issue in our lives! We reach out for support because it is what we need but so often we’re left to face this alone.  We shrink back into ourselves only to protect ourselves from what we know can be insincere comments, solutions to solve what is felt to be nothing more than a few aches and pains or just not to be hurt any more than we already have been.  Who wants to hear “You’re sick again”, Oh you again, I have that, Just get over it, It can’t be that bad, You complain too much, Be Tough-You’ll Be Alright”, the very things that does not make this disease or us any better.  So we isolate ourselves to protect ourselves because the lack of understanding is painful.

Yes, we may go unheard, be misunderstood and we may be isolated still this disease doesn’t stop.  Getting support and understanding and a fix for ourselves is our goal, not facing Rheumatoid Arthritis alone.  Not facing a life of uncertainties and struggles is what we yearn for and for people to give just a little.

Be Blessed.