It can be difficult for people that don’t understand rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to presume it is a health condition that will eventually get better given enough time. It can be hard to grasp that an often invisible illness such as RA isn’t something you can get over in a few weeks. For treatment options and advice regarding the same, contact rheumatologist port charlotte fl.
Even today, after you have been given your diagnosis, many employers, family members and friends will ask how you are and say, shouldn’t you be better by now? Many people think of joint pain conditions as injuries that get better rather than lifelong health conditions.
RA is more than painful joints
While many people will associate arthritis with having painful joints, RA goes far beyond this. It can help to understand that RA is a systemic disease. This means it can affect more than just your joints, and one of the main symptoms is fatigue, which can drain the energy out of you.
Another symptom with RA is experiencing brain fog that can affect your memory and concentration levels. This can make it more difficult for you to complete tasks at work that you may have performed hundreds of times over in the past.
If you have a high-pressure or demanding job, it can help to talk to your employer about your diagnosis and explain how living with RA may affect your performance at work. An understanding employer should offer you the proper support in the workplace and be willing to work with you to find a solution. This may be switching to lighter duties or working reduced hours.
Managing your RA condition
Thankfully, these days we know much more about RA and effective long-term management strategies to help you continue to live an active life.
Don’t be scared to embrace the medical and holistic treatments that are open to you. Putting off seeking treatment can often make your symptoms and disease progression much worse.
When left untreated, the inflammation from rheumatoid arthritis can cause more severe damage to the joints and supporting cartilage and risk escalating other health conditions such as heart disease.
Keep up your treatment for better health
Dr Bhadauria and his dedicated team like to take a holistic approach when treating patients. He uses a multi-disciplinary approach that includes effective prescription medications combined with physiotherapy and positive diet and lifestyle changes.
Many of our patients start to feel so good, and their symptoms subside so much that they think it is OK to stop taking their medications. However, while it is tempting to stop your treatment when you start to see improvements in your health, those medications combined with your ongoing treatment plan keep your symptoms at bay.
With an autoimmune condition such as RA, your immune system will keep on attacking your body until it has no reason to do so. The combination of cutting-edge medications, diet and lifestyle changes is acting to stop the inflammation causing the problem, so once you stop these treatments, the pain will come back, and your condition will worsen.
The first step towards having an effective long term management plan for your RA is to book a consultation with Dr Bhadauria. You will be helped with a personally tailored treatment plan and support from our friendly team.
