Rheumatoid Arthritis can affect the organ and the body not just the joints. RA can affect the eyes on many different ways, it can make eyes red and painful, also the white of the eyes can become inflamed which could lead to losing vision. There are risks of Sjögren's syndrome which is a condition where the immune system attacks the lacrimal glands, which are the glands that produce tears. If this isn't treated it can cause scarring or infection of the membranes that covers the eye. People with RA are susceptible to infection, might be because of the medicine they take that restrain the immune system. Pericarditis can lead to tightening and thickening of the membrane which can affect the heart from working the way it's suppose too. Vasculitis in the inflammation of the blood vessels which can affect the small vessels that supply blood to the skin. This can effect the skin by lumps of tissue called rheumatoid nodules which are normally under the skin, most on heels, forearms, fingers, or elbows. But also can form on the heart and the lungs.Rheumatoid arthritis can cause lung problems such as rheumatoid nodules that form in the lungs which can cause a collapsed lung, infection, or coughing up blood. Most people with RA have a reduction of red blood cells called Anemia. Anemia can cause rapid heart beat, leg cramps, shortness of breath, insomnia, fatigue, ect... Rheumatoid arthritis can cause emotional effects, depression, loss of motivation, fatigue, and the feeling of living day to day. There has been a recent study showing that 11% of people with RA have moderately serve to severe symptoms of depression. People who have more restriction because of their RA were significantly more likely to have depression. Even though Rheumatoid arthritis is an auto-immune disease it can have a huge affect to other parts of the body and organs, it doesn't just deal with the joints. The pictures below show where the most common sites are for rheumatoid nodules on the arms. The other picture below shows some nodules in the lungs on this x-Ray.
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What you eat most defiantly effects your body, especially when having an auto immune disease. If you have a auto immune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis you should take fish oil supplements to help reduce the inflammation, supplement with vitamins A, C & D3, vitamins A and C help prevent damaging to the joints and vitamin D has a positive effect on immune functions. Eat a balanced diet such as healthy carbohydrates, proteins and fats, also consider eating fresh, whole foods like leafy greens, vegetables, colorful fruits and sweet potatoes. Eat less protein ecspecially animal protein you should eat only about 400-600 protein calories. Try to avoid processed foods, there loaded with additives and preservatives that might irritate your rheumatiod arthritis. Maintaining a healthy weight will help with less inflammation in your body and help relieve your joints. Avoid foods/products made with high fructose corn syrup because there a additives that may stress you liver functions. Try an stay away from saturated fats from meat and dairy products, Omega 3 foods like sardines, walnuts and salmon are great examples of what is good for you. Consider adding fiber to your diet you should consume at least 35-40 grams a day. Things that you shouldn't eat and stay away from is soda, candy, breakfast cerels, frozen foods have barley any nutritional value,refined grains have all the nutrient removed during processing, fast foods which are made of mostly preservatives, gluten can make some sensitive and salt. All the preservatives that we put in our body's don't have any nutrient. We need to start watching what we are eating, what our children our eating because this will effect their whole life. Think smart, Eat smart! You will have a better life without much or any pain, you can try natural remedies to help with inflammation, pain or anything else instead of medicine if you choose. Just like brushing your hair or teeth makes you feel better/look better it basically is the same thing just with what you eating. Strive to be healthy and live a better life. People with any kind of arthritis have joint pain, whether it's ankles, knees, hips, back, wrists, fingers, or the neck. With arthritis it causes painful or discomfort in the joints which may lead to the person to not be as active as they had been. It is very important to stay active and keep your joints from getting tight or hard to move around. Ankle, knees, or hip pain might cause you to walk a certain way or put more pressure on one side than the other because of the pain. That will then cause your back to hurt and possible your neck because of putting more pressure on one side than the other. Feet and ankles play a big role in how you walk, jog or run. The way you walk can effect other parts of the body such as the back, spine and neck. Arthritis in the fingers effect how you hold things or how you write. Arthritis doesn't have to be a bad thing, it just shows that your strong and that nothing will stop you. The red in the picture below of this ankle is where the rheumatoid arthritis has infected the joints in the ankles.
The challenges of being a teen living with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Rheumatoid Arthritis is an inflammatory disease that causes pain, swelling and stiffness in joints. If you break down the word "arthritis" its literally means (itis) inflammation and (arthr) joints meaning inflammation of the joints. Rheumatoid Arthritis also play a big role in your immune system, most of the time people with RA have weak or compromised immune systems meaning they could get sick very easy and catch anything that others might have despite being vaccinated. Being 17 and having RA is difficult in itself, medical professionals exclaim "Although it most commonly strikes between the ages of 30 and 60 in women, it often occurs later in life for men". Although having RA is hard at this age, I still get up and face the day even though it can be stressful. Having arthritis doesn't mean you are limited of doing certain things, you are still the same person you were before you were diagnosed. It is very important to stay active and keep your joints loose because if you stay active your joints and body won't get tight. If you're not active this could potentially create damage to your joints and body. Your muscles could become hypertonic and this would make it very hard to move, stretch, or try to become active after this has set in, it wouldn't be impossible to become active after you are hypertonic but it defiantly would be uncomfortable or challenging. Researchers announced "As RA progresses, the inflamed joint lining invades and destroys nearby cartilage and bone. Muscles, ligaments and tendons that support the joint weaken" this can be helped by medicines, exercise, and eating healthy. These things may seem to be small or not as important to some people but the little things are what really help. I'm 17 I still have a long life ahead of me, I do these little things because I want to be able to move when I'm 60 years old I want to be in the best condition my body can be in at my age. Having Rheumatoid Arthritis doesn't make you different or weird in anyway, it makes you unique and you will appreciate life a lot more because you may have it hard than some people with RA. As you see below there a huge difference between normal joints and the joints of someone with Rheumatoid Arthritis.
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About me~I'm 17 years old, I want my story to be heard and I want to hear about other people stories. I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis when I was 15. In the past 2 years I have been through a lot with going to the DeVos Children's Hospital to the Rheumatology specialist and taking different medicines that are suppose to help. Since I was diagnosed I have lost mobility in my legs & the doctors are not calling my RA juvenile anymore. Although I have RA it has changed my life drastically but no matter what life throws at me, I'll always be thankful for everything I have. ArchivesCategories |