Comments on: Rheumatoid Arthritis Takes Toll On Young Adults

By: Joseph

Joseph — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 14:43:59 +0000

Interesting article, I was diagnosed at 11 and I’m 22 now. There’s almost no support for young adults out there (only on the Internet) and looking back I or my family were never informed of the exact details of the condition upon diagnosis. I’ve never met anyone my age with RA, only those considerably older then I and they have been few and far between.
The Internet was my, and I suspect many other young adults saviour in finding support and information. That includes blogs such as yours RA Guy & RAwarrior.

By: Kenneth Hardy

Kenneth Hardy — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 12:59:22 +0000

Like other diseases, RA is almost always overlooked when it comes to diagnosing it in young adults. There’s a myth that only the elderly get these types of diseases. I’m glad the main street media are sharing this with the public…

By: Lene

Lene — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 23:46:24 +0000

thanks a terrific link! Nice to see this issue get a bit of traction in the media

By: Gabriela - Living La Vida Normal

Gabriela - Living La Vida Normal — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 03:40:20 +0000

I was diagnosed at 27 and one of the most frustrating things for me has been the lack of support for young people with RA. People always assume that only old people get RA, that I should just suck it up and deal with it because I’m young. Yes, I’m young I’ll be 34 on Saturday but no one has lived in my body these past 7 years dealing with what I’ve been dealing with.

By: Laurie

Laurie — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 02:31:22 +0000

I have a strong family history of RA. I would volunteer to drive my grandpa to his doctor for his gold shots. I watched him shrink from over 6 feet tall to less than 5’6. When I started having pain in my late teens it was always attributed to something else.

I don’t have lots of deformities 30 years later, but now I have collateral damage from RA involving my eyes, lungs and heart. Besides the physical impact, there is damage to my psyche and my wallet. I try not to be bitter, but as I sit home sidelined for the last 5 months with lung and heart issues, I am glad that at least RA is starting to get some national exposure other than the “miracle drug” commercials on TV.