Did you know that Chemo is not just for Cancer? Yes, that’s right! I am on Chemotherapy, as are the vast majority of Rheumatoid Arthritis patients around the world. RA patients, these brave individuals who have “The Big RA,” regularly ingest or inject Chemo into their bodies, in hope of slowing the progression of the disease, reducing inflammation and pain, and preserving their life and mobility.
Read More: http://thrivewithra.wordpress.com/2011/09/30/i-dont-have-cancer…
I was just talking to a friend today about this, she was shocked that some of us are on chemo drugs. I explained to her that it’s just the way it is for us, no-one wants to take these drugs but for some of us its the toss-up between less pain, stiffness & inflammation on one hand and some very nasty side effects on the other.
When I started taking methotrexate, soon after I was finally diagnosed with RA, people were dumbfounded when I’d tell them that I was taking low long-term doses of chemotherapy. Thanks ThriveWithRA for writing this excellent post, I’m sure it will help to enlighten many people about the seriousness of our illness.
Thanks RA Guy for your support and PR on your sites and for your great comments on both your and my sites.
One thing I shared in the article — buried towards the end, so perhaps not everyone read that far — is that a big difference between the use of Chemo between Cancer and RA, is that in the case of Cancer, Chemo is actually an agent used to CURE the disease – not just “slow the progression,” as the Mayo Clinic qualifies its use in terms of RA. So, shorter-term usage, but in higher dosage for possibly CURING Cancer, and in contrast, long-term, possibly life-long usage at lower dosage for RA patients that will NOT cure RA, and possibly won’t even halt the progression of the disease. This is the case for all medicine used to treat RA — they may not work.
Our immune systems are fighting — fighting against our bodies/tissues/joint linings/organs, often times fighting against the meds that are supposed to help preserve our very lives. I suppose I needed to mentally join my body in “fighting mode” and help fight against misinformation and myths against RA!
Thanks again!
Thanks for this–I had to link it back to my post for today. I haven’t been blogging much lately, but always appreciate your info, links, and personal sharing.