Understanding Those With Rheumatoid Arthritis

While we all get joint pains from time to time, suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) takes the pain that one experiences from moving to a whole new level. Not only does the pain make some very common activities difficult, in the more extreme cases, the condition can seriously impair an individual’s quality of life. Unfortunately, however because the pain experienced by the condition is hidden to others, those who have RA often suffer in silence.

Unlike other conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease or Psoriasis where the effects of the disease are more visible, those suffering from RA are simply viewed as healthy. As a consequence, when RA sufferers mention their pains or difficulties in getting out of bed in the morning, the result can often be an unsympathetic response from others who interpret the behavior as a sign of laziness or come to view the RA sufferer as a complainer.

The other beneficial subject with reference to this study. Unfortunately, just like these other conditions, RA is incurable and chronic. The medications currently available only moderate the effects of the disease. They don’t eliminate it. In many cases, those with Rheumatoid Arthritis will need to take more potent drugs over time while at the same time facing slowly degrading mobility and health as damage done over time accumulates.


Dr. Larry Willis on Rheumatoid Arthritis in Women – YouTube: Dr. Larry Willis with McBride Clinic talks about Rheumatoid Arthritis and how it affects women on KFOR news.

In an individual’s personal life, RA can also cause chaos to reign, as the symptoms and their severity can change significantly in a very short time period. The best laid plans can quickly unravel when an RA sufferer wakes up in the morning too stiff to move or in rather significant pain. If friends and family aren’t supportive, they can interpret such behavior negatively, questioning whether the RA sufferer is making excuses to avoid prior commitments.

In the work environment, employers can also be unsympathetic even in cases where the employee with RA has tried to make clear the limitations that the condition puts on them. Many employers will often forget that an individual has RA or won’t understand that some days are worse than others with effects on an employee’s ability to perform tasks. This inconsistency in behavior is often not associated with the effects of the condition, but rather with the RA sufferer’s personality.

Now while all this might sound like a call to awareness on behalf of RA sufferers, it’s also a call for those with RA to take on a more active role as educators to those around them. It’s a call to be a better advocate in raising the awareness of this debilitating condition. With Rheumatoid Arthritis being a hidden disease, those with the condition must work hard to raise its profile. If not the RA sufferer, who else is going to take up the cause with necessary enthusiasm?

As can be seen from the efforts surrounding AIDS and Breast Cancer, when a cause can capture the imagination of enough people, important strides can be made in making people aware of the condition.

Jason Kaay is the founder of Wellescent.com, a health community for those affected by injuries, chronic illness, medications, and surgeries. To help take control of your health and to meet other people with similar health experiences, check out what others are saying in the Wellescent Wellness Forums.