quiet, quiet

I was put off by the RHWOBH treatment of Yolanda last year. Chronic illness can be invisible to others. I have a chronic disease and don’t like to share the gory treatment details. I go about my life as normal bease it is normal for me. Many people think if you don’t “look “ sick you aren’t. Once I lost about 60 lbs.…

I was about to say. Tons of my patients come in and get their “chemo” refilled. I know they’re talking about their MTX. it’s toxic, and it’s the same med whether they’re taking it for cancer or RA. what kinda dick is like, “Excuse me, this isn’t CHEMO unless you’re using it for CANCER. Buck up!” yikes.

Yes! Like my parents want me off all my anti-depressants and anti-anxiety and sleeping meds. Sorry, but I enjoy being somewhat stable and getting the 4-6 hours of sleep my meds let me have.

It’s so ridiculous. If diet could treat diseases, we wouldn’t need drugs. Like, we would have figured that shit out by now.

My friend has RA and is a strict vegan and gets annoyed when other vegans suggest that her RA should be fine without meds simply by eating vegan. It’s not, she’s not going without her meds and it’s ridiculous to suggest that a diet would make chronic pain go away. I’ve got arthritis in my hands and they’re hurting…

I was diagnosed at 28 with RA and since then methotrexate has been a constant. Did Humira injections until I developed an allergic reaction and shortly after started Plaquenil. I am 35 now and have occasional flare ups. When I am asked what the pain is like I can only give the description that makes the most sense to…

RA is so scary. It’s on the short list of potential reasons I have been feeling like crap (chronic fatigue, sore joints esp ankles, hips, knees, and a lot of morning stiffness) and I’ve been doing some research. So far the only plus side is that ... some of the other possibilities could be worse? Even now, when I can…

The hard-to-see diseases must be so exhausting to explain. A friend of mine in college had juvenile onset RA and there were people who thought she was exaggerating to get the handicapped parking pass, you know? But they didn’t see her on the days when walking to class was impossible even with a cane. She probably…

You make a really good point about the aggressiveness of treatment. I don’t complain a lot, so when I got diagnosed people were really surprised. And people don’t understand why I’m taking these crazy drugs when I don’t seem (to them) to be that bad off.

I’m glad I’m in a position that I can still work because if I had to do a back to work assessment (I’m from the UK) I’m sure that I’d be screwed as I try to go swimming a few times a week and I walk to work. It was only when I started on the MTX and called it chemo that certain people in my circle started to realise…

RA is almost 3 times as common in women, so it’s one of those diseases that sometimes gets downplayed. Unlike “chronic Lyme,” it’s a real, uncontroversial, well-documented disease. Flare-ups, or flares, are a big part of it — you’re fine until all of a sudden you can barely function. Depending on the joints affected,…

Right?! The heels thing irked me so much. It's like if you're not in bed suffering then you can't actually be sick. I've heard that insurance companies hire private investigators to get pictures of those claiming disabilities smiling or going out to prove they're faking it. SMH.

Oh lord. I have a family friend who thinks that way. Finally had to block her after she sent me an article with “proof” that RA meds killed Glenn Frey. There was not enough room for me eyes to roll.

I have a handicap placard now from having my ACL repaired and honestly, I hope one of these assholes tries this with me. I’m doing more or less ok, but people have said stuff to my godmother (who has lupus) about hers and I would love to unleash some holy terror on her behalf.

RA isn’t a medical mystery; it’s very well known and documented.

People don’t realize that these things can and will kill you, sometimes even if you DO treat them, directly or indirectly. RA, for example, apparently doubles a sufferer’s risk of heart disease. My friend with scleroderma would be dead by now if it wasn’t for her treatments, chemo included.

Sounds like a lot of the recommendations I get when I say I have major depression.

Excellent point. And mtx is *technically* chemo and a first line tx of Ra, PsA, and other autoimmune illnesses.

Her struggle with Rheumatoid Arthritis is so vastly different from Brooks’ (who lied that he was sick) and Yolanda’s (who is unwell, but claims to have a disorder that science-based medicine does not recognize) cases. The comparison doesn’t seem to fit. RA is a well-established autoimmune disorder, not a medical…