Tag Archives: rheumatoid arthritis

Tennis Star Caroline Wozniacki Talks About Her RA

Caroline Wozniacki tells her story, from being the number one world tennis champion to facing a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis.

I wanted to write this blog to tell you all a little bit about my rheumatoid arthritis journey so far. I was diagnosed in 2018 (which was a total shock to me), and I’ve learned so much about it and other chronic inflammatory diseases, such as axial spondyloarthritis, psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis, since then. Continue reading Tennis Star Caroline Wozniacki Talks About Her RA

I Am Jessica, an Ankylosing Spondylitis and Rheumatoid Arthritis Patient, and Now a COVID-19 Survivor

My name is Jessica Thomas and I was diagnosed in 2018 with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). I tested positive for COVID-19 in August 2020, as did the rest of my immediate family, including my 16-year-old daughter, who has psoriatic arthritis. I believe it is very important to share my story with others who have rheumatic diseases and take immunosuppressant medications. 

Aug. 20, 2020, turned out to be an important day. I hadn’t felt great when I went to bed the night before, and I woke up that Thursday morning with a headache that stretched from my eyebrows to the middle of my back. It felt like a knife was under my right shoulder blade twisting into my lung. I assumed it was a horrible arthritis flare. COVID-19 didn’t even cross my mind. I had no fever or cough. 

Jessica Thomas, RA and AS patient who has long-haul COVID-19

I called in sick to work and was in bed all day. I could barely lift my head off the pillow, and I was exhausted. None of the pain medications I normally use for my arthritis could break the clenching pain. I took Tylenol, ibuprofen, gabapentin and diclofenac. (Additionally, I receive a biologic infusion every eight weeks. My daughter is also on a biologic medication.) 

When my family looks back, we each see this week differently. My daughter, Gabby Lepore, remembers her allergies bothering her. None of us had much of an appetite. We were tired, but we are a busy family so this wasn’t unusual 

As someone with an autoimmune disease, I am very in tune with the fact that one day I might feel terrible, but the next day I am fine. I was really expecting this horrible migraine to go away and that I would be back on my feet the next day. 

On Friday, Aug. 21, Gabby and my 12-year-old son, Anthony Lepore, were at their dad’s house. Gabby called me to say Anthony was not feeling well and had a lowgrade fever. He remembers feeling suddenly very hot and just wanting to sleep, but he has very little recollection of that weekend. Gabby continued to check his temperature, which was up to 104 that afternoon. 

My ex-husband left work and took the kids to the Illinois Department of Public Health free testing center. I wasn’t feeling great, but I was better than the day before, so I figured we were getting seasonal allergies or colds. At this point, my daughter and her father were largely asymptomatic.  

I felt much better over the weekend — tired, but nothing out of the ordinary for someone with autoimmune diseases. On Monday, my ex-husband called to inform me that they all received positive test results. I realized that I needed to get tested quickly. I went to four locations in my town and in Chicago — about 30 minutes away — before I finally found a drug store that would give me a test 

This was a Monday. I did not receive my results until Friday morning. I quarantined all week, but by the time the results came, I was very sick. 

My son, who had a really high fever and cough, bounced back in about a week. My husband and ex-husband had just mild, allergy-like symptoms. And my daughter felt run-down, but it wasn’t until about three weeks later, when she went back to playing ice hockey, that she had a really bad bout of asthma symptoms. Gabby woke up one night struggling to breathe and landed in the emergency room. She ultimately had to increase her asthma medication, but she recovered within a few weeks.

For me, the darkest days were days seven through 21. I never had a fever or cough, but I am convinced I had every other possible symptom. My head was in so much pain and it radiated around my skull and down my neck and back. Lifting my head would make me so dizzy that I vomited on a few occasions. I also suffered other horrible GI issues that kept me up at night and lying in the bathroom during the day. I passed out twice from pain.  

On two different occasions I had a gallbladder attack. I had had kidney stone in 2019 and that area suddenly ached again. My throat was sore and my head was tender to the touch and burned inside. My muscles ached, my joints hurt and I had horrible chills and night sweats. Around day seven, I lost my taste and smell. I often felt like a knife was stabbing under my right shoulder blade. I have since learned that could have been lungrelated, but thankfully I had ordered a pulse-oximeter to monitor my oxygen levels, and they remained normal.  

This was an incredibly difficult time because we all were sick. I had to take about six days off of work and returned by working half days because anything beyond that was unmanageable. My vision was impacted. I was exhausted. When one symptom eased up, another one came along and knocked me off my feet. I took a course of prednisone at one point that had absolutely no effect. 

My symptoms were heavily neurological. At six weeks, I was still having daily headaches that were really debilitating. I couldn’t sleep, had a lot of brain fog and still no sense of taste or smell. My doctor gave me Topamax, which initially helped the headaches but then they came back with a vengeance. I also had phantom smells — it constantly smelled like a burning building, which made it hard to breathe.  

My doctors were out of suggestions, so I finally went to the emergency room. Interestingly, nothing I told them seemed unusual. There aren’t any standard treatments for COVID-19, but the ER doctor prescribed treatments that have worked for some other patients, she said 

They put tubes up my nostrils and dripped lidocaine to numb the nerves and ease the headaches. The doctor took me off the Topamax and gave me a Toradol injection, and she also got me an appointment the next week with a neurologist, who put me on a different medication. (All the while, my daughter and I continued our medications for arthritis, which remained under control.) 

One hard part of catching a “novel virus” is that everything a doctor does is experimental. COVID-19 impacts everyone differently, so treatments vary greatly from patient to patient. An advantage of having a chronic illness is that it has given me experience advocating for myself and my family, which has helped in getting treatment for COVID-19 symptoms. But it’s not like you can call your doctor and get a medicine for it. The therapeutics we hear about in the news are saving lives of the sickest people in hospitals. Until I got help in the emergency room, I mostly relied on ibuprofen and other over-the-counter meds. 

It’s been more than three months since I tested positive and I still have limited taste and smellThe neurologist ordered an MRI that showed findings consistent with patients with chronic migraines — a new chronic illness for me. Thankfully, after what feels like a long road, the headaches and phantom smells have diminished, and I slowly feel as though I am returning to myself again. 

Visit our Care & Connect pages to learn how to best protect yourself and what to do if you suspect you have COVID-19. If you’ve tested positive for COVID-19, share your experiences with others in our Live Yes Community. 

Reminder to diet and exercise on small chalkboard with dumbbell

How Shedding Pounds Eases Arthritis Symptoms

You’ve heard this before, but it bears repeating: One of the best things you can do for arthritis is to lose excess weight. Research shows that while diet and exercise combined are most effective for dropping pounds, dieting alone helps more than exercise alone. No one’s saying it’s easy, but evidence shows it pays off. Here’s how it can help. Continue reading How Shedding Pounds Eases Arthritis Symptoms

arthritis severity factors

What Determines How Severe Your Arthritis May Become?

A diagnosis of inflammatory arthritis can leave you wondering what you’re in for: Will you face along, bumpy road with your disease, or will it respond well to minimal treatment? Although there is no crystal ball, research into different forms of inflammatory arthritis is identifying factors that predict the likelihood of more or less severe disease.

Knowing these factors enables your doctor to target treatment, says David Pisetsky, MD, PhD, professor of medicine and immunology at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. “With evidence of a worse prognosis, most rheumatologists will monitor patients more closely, try to get disease control more rapidly and adjust medications to achieve a [disease] activity score as low as possible,” he says. Plus, steps to taper treatment in those who achieve remission “would be more cautious and gradual,” he adds.

Here are prognostic factors your doctor may consider. Continue reading What Determines How Severe Your Arthritis May Become?

arthritis eye symptoms

Three Eye Symptoms You Shouldn’t Ignore if You Have Arthritis

Rheumatic diseases don’t just affect the joints; they can attack many different body parts, including the eyes. Save your vision by bringing any of the following symptoms to your doctor’s attention.

Dryness

Eyes that burn, itch or feel gritty could point to Sjögren’s syndrome, an autoimmune attack on the body’s moisture- producing glands. About half of people living with Sjögren’s also have another autoimmune disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or lupus.

Continue reading Three Eye Symptoms You Shouldn’t Ignore if You Have Arthritis

Healthy Choices: Massage Therapy a Part of a Lifestyle Makeover

Kathleen Stoddart Rheumatoid ArthritisWhen Kathleen Stoddart was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) two years ago, she knew there would be some things she couldn’t control. But, when she realized some things were within her control, she immediately got to work.

“When I was diagnosed with RA, one thing the doctor mentioned was smoking,” recalls Kathleen. “I had been a smoker for a long time. “I kept thinking that if there was any behavior I had that contributed to making my RA worse, I would do anything to change it. Within a month of my diagnosis, I quit smoking completely.”

Continue reading Healthy Choices: Massage Therapy a Part of a Lifestyle Makeover

Fish Oil for Arthritis

The Benefits of Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Arthritis

You’ve probably heard of omega-3 fatty acids, especially if you have an inflammatory type of arthritis. They help reduce inflammation throughout the body, and some studies have shown benefits for heart health, brain function and diabetes.

There are two major types of omega-3 fatty acids in our diets. One type is alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and the other type is eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The body partially converts ALA to EPA and DHA.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), fish oil (EPA and DHA) is the most commonly used dietary supplement in the United States. A study published in the Annals of Rheumatic Disease in 2013, found that when a high-dose fish oil supplement is added to so-called triple therapy for rheumatoid arthritis (methotrexate, sulfasalazine and hydroxychloroquine), patients achieved better outcomes: they were far less likely to “fail” treatment and twice as likely to reach remission than those who did not take a supplement.

Continue reading The Benefits of Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Arthritis