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Submitted by PatientsEngage on 2 June 2014

Chennai-based R. Radha did not let rheumatoid arthritis (or negative comments) stop her from leading a full life as a wife, mother and grandmother. Here, she talks about the treatments, therapies and determination that helps her fight her condition.

My struggle with rheumatoid arthritis started when I was 22 years old. It was November 1956. Every day I used to wake up early in the morning to make coffee. But that morning, my entire body, especially the joints in my arms and legs ached. I reached the kitchen with great difficulty. That was the beginning.

Our family doctor said it was rheumatism based on the symptoms and asked if there was a family history. There wasn’t. He told my husband that he had been saddled with a wife who would be useless and gave me some tablets that brought no relief. I also had a course of Irgapyrin and oil-based injections on my forearm. These took 15 minutes to be administered. The next month was hell. I wasn’t even able to pull the bedsheet over my body at night and getting out of bed was a real challenge. But I was determined to overcome this and prove the doctor wrong.

My second daughter was born next September. I stopped taking Irgapyrin a month before delivery. I was feeling almost normal with only occasional bouts of pain. I was not taking any medicine and I managed to do the housework. 

A few years later, when I was 27, we moved to Tambaram. Life here was a bit harder. We had to walk at least 4km to get anything. The pain started again. On someone’s suggestions, I started seeing a homeopathic doctor to manage the pain. Perhaps it was the homeopathic medicine or the sylvan surroundings of Tambaran, the years flew by, almost pain-free. There was little time to be ill. I led almost a normal life. Our daughters grew up and were married. We had grandchildren.

I turned 50 the year my husband retired. The joint pains returned. I was consulting a retired homeopathic doctor, who gave me some medicines to take and oils to apply. He advised me to avoid vegetables like potatoes and raw banana. That was difficult to follow. But, I did get some relief.

By the time I was 57, my condition was worsening. My fingers were swollen and knotted and extremely painful. My wrists were swollen, too. All my ribs ached and when I bent down, I had a shooting pain in my lower back. I walked with difficulty. I had to take two injections daily. 

On my GP’s advice, I consulted a Sports specialist and physiotherapist. I had ultra sound shortwave diathermy for 10 days. The treatment took more than an hour every day and left me completely exhausted. This treatment continued for 2 years. It was also found that my lungs had only 30% capacity. My ribs were very stiff and painful, which affected the ability of the lungs to breathe. I was asked to blow a balloon daily! Deep breathing exercises helped. 

Ayurvedic treatment was suggested. A Malayali lady came home twice a week to give me a complete body massage. I also tried ‘piyaschal’, a special, one-week massage that took almost one and half hours for each session. Oil washeated along with herbs and medicinal leaves. A cloth filled with more herbs was dipped into the hot oil. Pressure was applied on the joints with the herb-filled cloth. After a year of this treatment I stopped the massage as it was extremely tiring. I was thankful that through all this, I was still able to move around. I was reasonably active. If the pain became too much, I took injections. 

After a lapse of 4 months, the doctor suggested physiotherapy at home. But I had become so tired of all these treatments that I decided not to have them at all. By then varicose veins on my feet had become worse and they looked as if they may burst at any time. I started wearing special socks, knee caps and full-sized stockings. The trouble with the stockings was that I required help pulling them up to my thighs and removing them. I required hot water for arthritis and ice for the varicose veins. Each bath was very painful.

Then someone suggested acupuncture for the joint pain. Two doctors came home and after a few sittings they said that the treatment was not being completely effective because of the varicose veins. That was the end of that.

 Then my daughter brought herbal massage oil from Munnar. The nurses apply the oil on my joints. A big band – 9 inches wide – was bought and wound tightly from my feet to my knees and fixed with clips. This brings relief but using them in summer is tough. Lots of powder has to be sprinkled on before bandaging. Thick black belts support my waist and back, and special pain-relief bandages from Singapore are applied on the painful spots. 

I try to avoid taking painkillers as far as possible. The doctors’ verdict is that I have to live with the pain and I am learning to be stoic about it. Over the years, my coping strategy has been to keep myself busy and active.

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