Although I have rheumatoid arthritis and I know what can possibly happen to my body now or in the future, I’d still like to hide my head in the sand as much as anybody. However, I can’t do that. I have a responsibility to research topics and provide information for the community’s benefit as well as my own.
You may recall that even before I saw a rheumatologist and received the official diagnosis of RA, I was consulting a hand surgeon about getting steroid injections in my wrists and possibly facing carpal tunnel release surgery in the future. I was terrified and still shake inside when I think of anybody cutting open such a delicate area as a wrist, especially MY wrists.
My story didn’t end up with surgery, for which I am thankful, but it did end up with facing a life with RA. With the powerful drugs which are more commonly used nowadays with patients earlier in their disease course, fewer and fewer surgeries are necessary. A study released last year noted that the rate of surgeries in RA patients has declined dramatically in the past 25 years. That’s encouraging news!
Read this post in its entirety:
What Types of Surgery Are Used in Rheumatoid Arthritis?
My mom has RA and Lupus. She too was on Rituxan. She had to quit her infusions due to massive fungal infections.
ReplyDeleteNot sure what she will do now as she has been on several. (types of infusion) Her case is more complicated for many reasons. She also has a broken DNA strand. What it means, who knows. Anyway...
She had surgery on her wrist for "carpal tunnel" due to working in retail for 25+ years. They had to wrap her thumb internally with muscle is how I understand it.
I think if she could go back in time she would not have had the surgery.
Oh...and I'm sorry about you having the flu. =( It really takes a lot out of you...the fever.
ReplyDelete