"I am a fighter, and I will continue to fight"

I suffer with rheumatoid arthritis. Initially when I attended my doctors, I was told that my hands were inflamed and I was given anti-inflammatory medication for a few years.

I was a carer, and I noticed my hands were getting very sore. When I saw another doctor, he gave me a blood test and I was diagnosed with RA. I started off with injections, which I have once a week, and tablets to take twice a day. I’m now on liquid painkillers (similar to morphine) which are really good for easing the pain. The injection eased the pain a lot.

I had a break from the injections for six months, and my arms got really bad. When I went back to the doctor to get more injections, he instead sent me for a scan. A while later, he sent me a letter to inform me that my ligaments were torn and made an appointment with a surgeon.

The surgeon, before operating, wanted another x-ray and offered operation. I had keyhole surgery to mend some tares. As well as this my bones were chipped and the surgeon smoothed these out, which helped me shoulder a lot.

Four months ago, I had a heart attack and had a heart operation. Now I need to wait six months now due to my heart condition. I am a bit concerned that I have to wait so long, the winter is really hard. I find that it aggravates my RA with the cold.

I’ve also noticed that my RA is worse when I’m not doing anything, such as sitting down for a while. The pain is agonizing when I then try and get up. I stopped working as a carer a couple of years ago, but now I volunteer and have done for the past four years.

All my life I’ve cared for others and sometimes I think “why me? ” I am a fighter, and I will continue to fight RA. I won’t give in.