Brenda, 60, is inrheumatoid arthritisremissionbut her journey to this point has been winding.
This in turn causes painful swelling like Brenda had.
But Brenda is determined to focus on the positives.
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Heres her story about living with rheumatoid arthritis thats currently in remission.
Ill never forget the day I found out I hadrheumatoid arthritis.
It was a Wednesday in May 1991, and I was 31.
Id known something was wrong for a while.
The year before, Id started having problems with my feet.
My ankles would swell up.
I thought I just needed good shoes, but then it started to affect my fingers and my wrists.
My levels were sky-high, but it still took another few months to get a diagnosis.
Finding out I had rheumatoid arthritis almost felt like my life was over.
Things that I used to think of as simplebecame so hard.
Opening jars, lifting things, and shopping for groceries was really difficultwe didnt have delivery back then.
I just powered through and didnt say much, although you could tell something was wrong.
For one thing, I was afraid of losing my job.
I work in the medical field, and I really enjoy it.
You have to be a detective sometimes and I love thatI love mysteries.
I really did not want to quit my job at the age of 31.
I said, I am the full breadwinner.
And I will work until I can no longer do it.
That was in 1991, and 2020 marked my 33rd year working full-time for my employer.
Working in the medical field for over 30 years helped menavigate health care appointments for my rheumatoid arthritis.
Im still on it.
For me, its been a life changer.
I think its the reason Im still able to work full-time, which in turn keeps me going.
What also helped was finding a community who understood what I was going through.
I didnt know anyone else with arthritis when I was diagnosed, or anyone else on my treatment.
For years, it felt like no one understood.
I needed to find people who were uplifting.
In 2002, I discoveredCreakyJoints, a community for people with arthritis.
Although Im naturally a shy person, I wanted to get more involved.
You don’t have to go this alone.
There are people out there just like you.
And when you reach out for help, youre not only helping yourself, youre helping others as well.
As hard as rheumatoid arthritis can be, Ive always had hope.
In 2020, I started noticing that I was feeling better.
Things like getting dressed, which could be absolute agony, were easier.
I thought, I’m in remission?
I was shockedit was awesome!
Being in remission from rheumatoid arthritis is almost like being given a gift.
Im hoping it will last longer this time.
Im very aware that I still live with rheumatoid arthritis.
It hasn’t suddenly gone away, it’s just that things are quiet right now.
I still experience fatigue and I still live with pain.
But I havent had very bad days since remission.
I also know when to rest, especially since Im more vulnerable to infections on the medication.
Attitude is so important too.
When you have rheumatoid arthritis, not every day is going to be great.
And dont ever give up hope.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
