Re-Mission Accomplished...

Hello, it's Brenda with another planted blog post. I have completed my brain tumor survival month, as my craniversary was on September 8th. It was a month filled with celebration, memories, advocating and some great news, which is the whole reasoning for this title.

I had my 6 month visit with my rheumatologist and he told me, that I continue to be in clinical RA joint remission. Let me be clear. I still live with this disease. It's not as active at this time. This has been going on now, for over 3 years. I had a brief stint with remission the first time in 2010, but that was short-lived. I never gave up HOPE that it could happen again and in August of 2020, I found out while reading my rheumatologist's notes from my visit, that it had. It would have been nice to actually hear those words out loud, which I did have a discussion with him about that at my next visit. He did apologize for not telling me straight up. It seems like I'm never told anything outright and it gets frustrating. 

My osteoarthritis is a different story and it's different than rheumatoid. Osteoarthritis is the wear and tear of joints. Rheumatoid is an autoimmune disease, where healthy joints can be attacked. It simply does not know what it is doing. It can also be inflammatory. 2 very different types of diseases. I was actually diagnosed with degenerative arthritis (OA) in my lower spine, while at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN in 1988, almost 3 years before my diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). 

Last year my rheumatologist told me that my ankles are also part of osteoarthritis, not so much the rheumatoid, as I was told in the beginning by a podiatrist. I also had sustained an injury to my left knee, when I was a child, tearing some ligaments. I was told that I might end up with arthritis later in life. That is definitely part of the osteoarthritis. You can definitely end up living with both, but it's important that you know the difference. 

I strive to educate whenever possible. It's not just arthritis. That will never fly with me. There are at least 100 different types of arthritis, so it can be hard to diagnose properly, as it was in my case. The costochondritis the horrible chest wall pain, however was actually the start of my rheumatoid arthritis (RA) cooking up almost 3 years before, when I was sent to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. 

I ended up having several cartilages removed in the costochondral junction, by a heart surgeon in November of 1988 and that seemed to take care of the problem for the moment. I have about a 5 inch scar to prove it. Had the scar been any lower, I would not have been able to have my breast reduction, which I had performed in 2006. Whenever I get a mammogram, they always have to cover it with tape. 

Three years later after the procedure for my chest wall pain, I started developing pain in my smaller joints, mainly my fingers, hands and wrists. That was in 1991, over 32 years ago now. 

I've been through a lot and I never gave up HOPE that there was something out there to help me navigate this disease. My first 10 years of living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was pure HELL at times. I would wake up crying, because the pain was so unbearable. All this time continuing to work full-time and getting all kinds of advice, some of it not so helpful. "If you had more faith, then you would be healed." How insulting! My faith is none of your business! I was doing the best I could with all that was thrown at me on a daily basis. 

I never knew what a day might have in store for me, so I always got up early, to get my joints lubricated and going for the day. If I kept moving, I was fine. The minute I would stop, I would start to stiffen up and it would be hard to get going again. Something as simple as getting out of a chair, was pure agony for me, as I would stiffen up so bad. 

As some of you know, walking is paramount for me to keep my joints in shape. At that time when I was about to cross the street and a car would be coming, I would HOPE that they would come fast enough, so I could keep walking and not have to stop. It was pure agony having to start up again. Some of this I've never shared with anyone before. You have no idea what those of us who live with invisible diseases go through. I thought this was a great illustration. So much of it you could not even begin to understand, because some of it is invisible. It's a war going on inside of our bodies. 

Almost 10 years after my diagnosis and many fails with medications, I was finally able to try something that truly changed my life. It was a different class of medication, called a biologic, which is manufactured with a protein, so it's a rigorous process. I did a lot of research, so I found out a lot about what was involved. It gave me HOPE, that my life could be changed. I was determined to have this work. 

It has now been over 22 years since, since I've been on this biologic. That is not the norm for many, but as my current physician would tell you, "I'm not your textbook patient." In this case, that doesn't bother me in the least. 

To hear those words from my past rheumatologist; "You are in joint remission." First in 2010 and then again in 2020, by my current rheumatologist, was something I had never given up HOPE in attaining once again.

So there you have it folks! Re-Mission Accomplished! 

My seed of enrichment for this time is something that I HOPE will spur you on and encourage you this month. 

Until next time, KEEP ON BLOOMING! 

❤️ Brenda 

"Find your passion, then follow that path."🔥@blk