Facing Adversity (Living with R.A.)

At this point, despite the pain, my hands look fairly normal. I can detect the swelling in the joint at the base of my right index finger (the hand on your left) but most other people would not be able to notice it.

I am a very fortunate woman. My life has been nearly trouble free and full of wonderful things for which I'm always grateful. Recently; however, I was struck in the face with a grim reality when I tested positive in a blood screening for rheumatoid arthritis. My doctor's nurse tells me that just because I test positive, that doesn't necessarily mean I have the disease and that more tests will be conducted by a specialist. After doing some online research, though, my symptoms are so text book that I'd be surprised if it turned out that I don't have it.

I went to see the doctor about the aching and throbbing in my fingers and the very strange lumps visible under my skin in the palm of my right hand. These are very telltale symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and, of course, there are many others.

I'm not sure when the appointment will be made with the specialist, I just know that it could be as much as six weeks from now. So, in the meantime, I want to try to find natural remedies and see if I can't control many of the symptoms myself. 

I'm sharing all this so that if anyone else out there can offer suggestions or learn something from my experience, we can all benefit.