Stories From People Living With Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
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Arlene, NJ
Living with RA for more than 10 years.- Staying Motivated 01:31
- Finding Your Personal Style 02:16
- Finding Support 00:56
- Living With RA 01:33
- Making Time for Yourself 01:36
- Planning Ahead 01:33
- Making Your Job Work 01:50
Chantelle, MA
Living with RA for more than 10 years.- Making Time for Yourself 02:00
- Teaming Up With Your Doctor 02:10
- Dispelling Myths 02:01
- Living With RA 01:33
- Keep Moving 01:40
- Finding Support 01:24
- Making Healthy Choices 01:52
Danielle, PA
Living with RA for more than 10 years.- Empowering Yourself 02:16
- Remaining Hopeful 01:00
- Staying Motivated 01:32
- Sharing Advice About RA 01:53
- Dispelling Myths 01:05
- Living With RA 01:04
- Teaming Up With Your Doctor 02:13
Esther, CT
Living with RA for more than 20 years.- Acceptance 00:24
- Creative How-Tos 00:48
- Taking Care of Yourself 01:27
- My Relationship With My Doctor 00:22
- Swimming Lessons 01:20
George, PA
Living with RA for more than 30 years.- Living With RA 02:17
- Fulfilling Your Dreams 01:13
- Teaming Up With Your Doctor 02:49
- Sharing Advice About RA 01:06
- Finding Support 01:23
Joyce, DC
Living with RA for more than 15 years.- Relationships After Diagnosis 00:19
- Accepting Your Kids’ Support 00:28
- Treating RA 00:16
- Work and Illness 01:57
Kia, PA
Living with RA for more than 10 years.- Making Healthy Choices 00:25
- Eating Healthfully 00:15
- Maintaining Relationships 00:40
- Listen to Your Body 00:09
- Life Changes 00:51
Stephanie, VA
Living with RA for more than 10 years.- Staying Motivated 02:22
- Fulfilling Your Dreams 02:12
- Rising to the Challenge 01:44
- Finding the Support of a Partner 01:16
- Sharing Advice About RA 01:52
- Teaming Up With Your Doctor 02:09
- Living With RA 01:55
Tom, CT
Husband of Esther, living with RA for more than 20 years.- "Outsider" Looking In 00:28
- Relationship Challenges 00:24
- The Person Inside 00:19
- My Wife 00:50
Wanda, VA
Living with RA for more than 9 years- Managing RA 00:36
- Staying Motivated 00:28
- Inner Strength 00:36
- Staying Physically Fit 00:39
- What I Did When I Was Diagnosed 00:57
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Arlene, from New Jersey, living with RA for more than 10 years.
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Chantelle, from Massachusetts, living with RA for more than 10 years.
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Danielle, from Pennsylvania, living with RA for more than 10 years.
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Esther, from Connecticut, living with RA for more than 20 years.
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George, from Pennsylvania, living with RA for more than 30 years.
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Joyce, from Washington, DC, living with RA for more than 15 years.
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Kia, from Pennsylvania, living with RA for more than 10 years.
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Stephanie, from Virginia, living with RA for more than 10 years.
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Tom, from Connecticut, husband of Esther, who has been living with RA for more than 20 years.
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Wanda, from Virginia, living with RA for more than 9 years.
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Arlene, from New Jersey, living with RA for more than 10 years.
When Arlene was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), she made the decision to gain control of her disease. She believes her faith, inner strength and knowledge empowered her to prepare her for the unexpected. As challenges arise daily Arlene has learned to ask for help and modify her activities accordingly. Today, Arlene has a rewarding career in the finance industry and enjoys watching football in her spare time. To Arlene, knowledge is half the battle—she relies on her doctor as well as educational resources for the latest information to help manage her symptoms related to RA.
Staying Motivated
“Earlier when I was diagnosed, I mean I was 10 years younger, you know, life was different. Everything was different. I didn’t have knowledge. And now ten years later, I, I fight back. I don’t give up. I’m not gonna say I don’t have days when I, you know, lie down and roll over but it doesn’t last that long.
“If you’re honest and realistic with what your problem is, then when you’re going through those rough days, if you just take a moment and shift from self-wallowing to anything else outside of that, that it will pass, you move on to something else.
“You know, okay, I walk by and I hit my toe. Are you really gonna dwell on that pain for so long? You’re gonna go do the dishes and you’re gonna forget about that. You’re gonna move past it. And that’s what you have to do on those days where it’s presenting a bigger challenge, a bigger hurdle.
“Like today my joints hurt. It’s been hurting from Monday. But I knew I had to do this today. You know, my story can inspire someone else. It can help someone else on that day when they just needed that extra push to get over that hurdle.
“And I’m here. I’m not saying I’m not in pain but I’m pushing through it and I’m praying that later on today, when I focus on something else, when my focus is on something else, that pain is not gonna be a problem. It’s not a problem right now so why, why dwell on it, why wallow in it? It does absolutely nothing for me.
- Topic
- Advice
- Diagnosis
- Exercise
- Finding a Balance
- Nutrition
- Positive Thinking
- Priorities
- Relationships
- Support
- Your Doctor
- Personal Style
- Title
- Acceptance
- Accepting Your Kids’ Support
- Creative How-Tos
- Dispelling Myths
- Dispelling Myths
- Eating Healthfully
- Empowering Yourself
- Finding Support
- Finding Support
- Finding Support
- Finding Your Personal Style
- Finding the Support of a Partner
- Fulfilling Your Dreams
- Fulfilling Your Dreams
- Inner Strength
- Keep Moving
- Life Changes
- Listen to Your Body
- Living With RA
- Living With RA
- Living With RA
- Living With RA
- Living With RA
- Maintaining Relationships
- Making Healthy Choices
- Making Healthy Choices
- Making Time for Yourself
- Making Time for Yourself
- Making Your Job Work
- Managing RA
- My Relationship With My Doctor
- My Wife
- "Outsider" Looking In
- Planning Ahead
- Relationship Challenges
- Relationships After Diagnosis
- Remaining Hopeful
- Rising to the Challenge
- Sharing Advice About RA
- Sharing Advice About RA
- Sharing Advice About RA
- Staying Motivated
- Staying Motivated
- Staying Motivated
- Staying Motivated
- Staying Physically Fit
- Swimming Lessons
- Taking Care of Yourself
- Teaming Up With Your Doctor
- Teaming Up With Your Doctor
- Teaming Up With Your Doctor
- Teaming Up With Your Doctor
- The Person Inside
- Treating RA
- What I Did When I Was Diagnosed
- Work and Illness
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