Rheumatoid Arthritis: The Sneaky DiseaseFaster than a jet plane, more painful than hitting a brick wall, it's an ache, it's a pain. . . it's Rheumatoid Arthritis. In the beginning, it seems like something and like nothing. That's why this sneaky disease can be so hard to identify. Ok, so you wake up tired, stretch and fall back into the bed. Your muscles ache like you played defensive lineman in your sleep. Well, maybe the mattress needs turning, no big deal. Dragging your stiff body out of bed, maybe some coffee and a bagel will make a difference. You stare at the toaster, thinking that some breakfast is a good idea, but suddenly you don't care. The bagel hits the trash with last night's dinner scraped from your plate. Sleep didn't help your eyes, they are still burning. Your glands seem swollen too. Maybe it's the beginning of some "bug". Never mind, time to go to work, no time to get sick. It's easy to brush off these body signals as an off day. Why bother going to a doctor? And if you do, some of these problems are easily explained from working long hours, not getting enough rest and maybe poor eating habits. The wrist pain, hopefully that's not the start of carpal tunnel syndrome from so much computer entry to do. It all makes sense. Who would even think of Rheumatoid Arthritis? Separately the aches and pains from your morning seem simple. Connect the dots and you have classic symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis: Morning muscle aches and stiffness upon waking Loss of appetite Burning or itching eyes Swollen glands Reduced range of motion Joint pain in wrists, knees, elbows, fingers, toes or ankles Now you see why Rheumatoid Arthritis is a sneaky disease. It masquerades as other things that seem harmless and temporary. But Rheumatoid Arthritis is anything but harmless or temporary. You can expect these symptoms to last longer, get stronger and begin to seriously get in the way of your work and personal life. By that time, Rheumatoid Arthritis has a hold on you and you didn't see it coming. That's a sneaky disease. Then you begin to see more symptoms such as small, round bumps or nodules under your skin. Parts of your skin seem red or inflamed, like a bad sunburn. You have a low grade fever that does not seem to go away. Another thing that does not go away is pain in the joints. No longer morning stiffness, but all day stiffness makes walking around the grocery store or up the stairs to the office seem like hiking Mount Everest. If this sounds familiar, get to your doctor and ask to be evaluated for Rheumatoid Arthritis. This disease did not appear yesterday. Serious damage to joints can happen within two years from onset. Since it's hard to know exactly when this sneaky disease started its destructive path through your body, there's not a minute to waste. |