Andrea’s Story

[LovingHeart]

Life happenings:
-2010 moved family to new city/new home
-just finished nursing my last child (2 c-sections, 1-vaginal)
-major stress (financially, emotionally – recently lost both mother and father to cancer)

Around Thanksgiving 2010 I was unable to lift my right arm. It felt like I was punched in the shoulder and the pain was persistent for several days. Trying to lift my arm would bring me to tears. It eventually passed, yet came back just a few weeks later. I decided to go to urgent care. After several doctors within one month, while pain began to begin migrating to my hands, knees, hips, big toe etc. etc., several blood tests ruled out Lyme’s (3 negative Lyme tests), lupus, MS, etc. etc., I was eventually sent to a RA doctor.

My RA Factor and and Cyclic Citrullinated Peptide testing have convinced my RA doctor, I indeed have RA. (The several Lyme’s tests were by my request because coincidentally I had a tick stuck to the back of my knee about 1 month before my symptoms began… still he would not treat me for Lyme’s).

I’ve since fired my RA doctor. I have a new family practitioner who has referred me to an infectious disease counselor (scheduled for July 2012). I’ve also began seeing an acupuncturist.

My pain continues to be sporadic. It can be in my right wrist/hand one day then shift to my left. Some days I can’t walk without great pain because of my hip. It seems to find new places as of late, like my knees and elbows… even my back. Normally, the pain lasts a few days… ALWAYS worse in the evenings/mid-might hours and sometimes disappearing entirely throughout the day.

I can begin to feel a slight ache in one of my extremities now and can almost pin point where the next attack will be.

I feel incredibly stiff in my wrists/hands some days. Some days I’m astonished at how much strength I’ve lost.

I continue to strive to eat healthy and exercise daily. I’ve begun taking Fish oil, Vitamin D & C everyday (as per my new doctors recommendations). Prior to this, I’ve had no real health issues of any sort… always healthy, sporty and in good shape. I will turn 40 in November.

At this point, I’m simply a bit scared.

[Author]

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