Struggling With Arthritis

By editor | August 2, 2007

You may be one of the many lucky people whose arthritis is a minor inconvenience, or you may have a kind such as bursitis that can be completely healed and then is gone for good. But for some of us, especially those with rheumatoid arthritis or other inflammatory types such as lupus, arthritis is more serious.

Most of us are used to simple diseases or health problems. You get a cold; it goes away in a week or so. You have a headache; you take an aspirin. You have an infection; you take an antibiotic. You break a bone; you wear a cast and the bone heals.

But unfortUnately, arthritis is not so simple. Rheumatoid arthritis, in particular, will wax and wane, it will get better and get worse, all at unpredctable times. Many medications won’t work instantly, and still others may not work for you at all or may have such uncomfortable side effects that you can’t use them.

When you find out you have arthritis or a related disorder, you may feel that you’re falling apart or that grimmer developments are just around the corner. Many people whodiscover they have arthritis become depressed: They think they’re going to die or completely lose control of their lives.

It’s like being caught up, unarmed, in a war you didn’t know existed, with battles erupting off and on and no armistice in sight. But if you work with your doctor and muster all the patience you can, you’ll eventually find relief.

For many people, particularly the majority with osteoarthritis, the fear is greater than the problem itself. It may help to put your troubles in perspective: Think about a Rolls-Royce, a finely crafted piece of machinery. As a Rolls gets older, the shock absorbers may begin to squeak a bit after a certain number of miles and may need to be repaired or even replaced. But the car is still a Rolls-Royce, built to last. Similarly, your body is still a wonderful mechanism and will last with loving care it has just developed a few squeaks and rattles.


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Topics: Arthritis |

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