*****Please feel free to use this stamp in your journal!*****

I was going to upload this yesterday for World Arthritis Day but I've been in a flare lately and I was too tired.

I'm 23 years old and have had Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) since I was about 19. The stamp is a bit sarcastic because there are a lot of misconceptions about arthritis floating around out there and these are the two that I encounter most often. Sorry, this is going to be long but I think it's worth the time to read it.

It's Not Just Aches and Pains: When people hear the word "arthritis" they usually think of Osteoarthritis, the most common form. Arthritis is actually a group of over 100 conditions, ranging from relatively mild forms like tendinitis ("tennis elbow") or bursitis to crippling systemic forms like Lupus, Akylosing Spondylitis or worst of all, RA, which I have. All forms of arthritis cause joint and musculoskeletal pain in varying severity.

RA is a systemic autoimmune disease. For some reason, which scientists have not yet determined, the body's own immune system begins to attack the healthy tissue it is supposed to be protecting. This causes inflammation in the lining of the joints, which can be extremely painful and makes joints all over the body very stiff, swollen and difficult to move. The disease can affect other parts of the body too, including the eyes, lungs and heart. RA also causes intense fatigue or lack of energy and weakness, a general "unwell" feeling and can even cause fever during flare-ups.

In addition to all of this, people with RA may suffer from complications like Anemia, Osteoporosis or serious adverse effects of the harsh medications that are used to treat the disease. These complications have even been shown to cause premature death in people with RA: RA in itself is not a fatal disease but life expectancy among people with RA is shorter than that of the general population.

As the disease progresses, inflammation in the lining of the joints causes increasing joint damage, deformity and disability combined with constant severe pain and profound fatigue. Severe joint damage can interfere with your ability to walk and make very simple activities of daily living very difficult, painful and exhausting - things most people take for granted like writing, dressing, cooking, basic household chores, even going to the bathroom. Many people with RA are unable to work.

We're not all old people: Arthritis is most often associated with aging and elderly people. In fact, the many different forms of Arthritis can affect anyone, regardless of age. Babies, toddlers and small children can suffer from some forms of Arthritis. Arthritis in general is most common in older people, especially Osteoarthritis, but that doesn't mean it is only an old person's disease. I'm 23 years old and people often respond with disbelief when they find out that I have RA. Even the doctors I saw when I was 19 and first started to experience symptoms of arthritis did not believe it was possible for me to have it.

This leads to the main reason why it is so important to spread awareness about arthritis and common misconceptions surrounding it. With RA especially it is very important to see a specialist and begin aggressive treatment as early as possible to slow the progress of the disease and prevent joint damage and disability. If treatment is started early, ideally within about 6 months, it is much easier to keep the disease under control and the prognosis is much better. There is no cure but the sooner you are diagnosed and can start managing RA, the better your quality of life will be. Permanent remission is not unheard of these days if the disease is treated early enough.

My own personal experience brings this message home. Unfortunately, I saw some doctors who did not recognize the initial symptoms of RA in someone of my age and did not treat the situation with the urgency "aches and pains" required. This, combined with long waiting lists for specialists here meant that I had the disease for 3 and a half years before I even saw a rheumatologist for the first time. A few doctors that I saw did not take me seriously at all because of my age and I was even told by one of them that any illness I had was purely psychosomatic. They did not bother to X-ray my joints and minimized the pain I was feeling. "It can't be that bad.... If you ignore it I'm sure it will feel better.... I'm sure you're just depressed...." I didn't press the issue as hard as I probably should have, I was so young and had too much faith in doctors who were all older and more educated than I was. I missed the early treatment boat by about 3 years and am now disabled. A few common misconceptions about Arthritis can seriously damage the future prospects of someone with this disease. This is what makes it absolutely crucial to increase public awareness of Arthritis and shatter mistaken beliefs about it.

For more information about Arthritis, please visit the Arthritis Society: [link]

Used ^zilla774's stamp template. The stock photo I used is a particularly disturbing x-ray of the hands of someone with advanced RA from sxc.hu: [link] It doesn't take a radiologist to see the kind of damage that RA causes with an example like that.