BD (before I was diagnosed with RA), I went to see a few different orthopedic surgeons. After tests, manipulation on the table (hey that really hurts!) and x-rays, they decided I needed a new hip. I had been limping for years. So this wasn’t surprising. The fact that I was 45 and needed a full hip replacement was surprising. I chalked it up to “Well, at 40 your whole body just starts falling apart.” I mean people say that. I’d never been 40 before, but I’d never had pain traveling through my body before either. So, it made sense to me. I figured one major surgery and I’ll be able to walk again after rehab. So short term pain for long term gain. I can do that.
We scheduled the surgery when my kids could be with their father. The surgery went well. The first few weeks of rehab went outstandingly well. Then my RA, still unknown to me or my surgeon, reared its ugly head. My body hurt all over. My joints were in full protest. I couldn’t straighten my knees or my elbows fully. The pain from the surgery was the least of my problems. The therapist started doing manipulations to for the joints to open. I would sit in my car and cry in pain for at least half an hour after each session.
I went back to the surgeon and told him what was happening. He took more x-rays. He shook his head and met my eyes. “You need your other hip and both knees replaced. You’re much too young to have this kind of damage. I see 80-year-olds who need one joint replaced. Something is going very wrong. I’m sending you to a specialist who can help us figure out what it is.”
This is very scary to hear. Then my search for the right rheumatologist was so frustrating. In addition to being a single Mom, recovering from major surgery, working and being a PhD student, I was trying to manage a debilitating disease. I wonder sometimes how I made it through all of this. Friends and faith I guess…. and I’m so grateful for every single one of those friends.
Once I found the right rheumatologist (Dr. Best!), got on the right medications, finished all my surgeries and rehabs, I am happy to say, I found a lot of ways to survive RA. You will, too. Dr. Best Rheumatologist helped me a lot. Not only by going through treatment after treatment until we found one that worked well, but by laughing with me, insisting that I slow down and care for myself more, taking me seriously, and giving me an antidepressant when all the changes were just more than I felt like I could handle. He and his wonderful nurse were there whenever I needed them. That’s the kind of team to be a part of!
