Arthritis at 35

by Mariam
(Charleston SC)

A few months ago, I woke up one morning, only to find that all my joints were stiff and swollen. The pain in my knuckles was excruciating and I found myself imagining the worst possible scenarios of becoming prey to an incurable disease. I crawled out of bed, used the bathroom, and called for an appointment with my doctor. After taking notes of how and when I discovered the pain, my doctor came to the conclusion that I most certainly had an early case of arthritis.

Here I was, 35 years old, in relatively good shape and the doctor was telling me I had developed a disease for the old and feeble! I was shocked! I then did what any sane and educated person would do; I started to do my homework. I found out all there was to know about the disease. I researched on all new miracle drugs out there and their possible side effects. I also read a lot of stories about people who had fought with this illness and won. It made me a bit more confident and the morale boost was what I desperately needed.

The first thing I did was to bring about a positive change in my lifestyle. I decided to go for a morning walk every day. This helped me to keep the blood circulation alive in my body and stopped it from becoming stiff. I also kept myself warm, especially in winter which is especially tough on arthritis.

The doctor had prescribed an excellent drug for pain control and I was conscientious about taking it every day. He also advised me to get a blood report done every month as sometimes a medicine can have adverse effects. A regular check up would instantly spot any developments.

Although, arthritis has changed my life quite a bit, it's not as bad as it seemed in the beginning. With the help of the right medication, healthy diet and exercise, one can most definitely win this battle! I certainly have.