Stricken at 23, still struggling at 49

[Guest guest]

Stricken at 23, still struggling at 49: Arthritis victim has 'message of

hope'

http://www.cnn.com/2001/HEALTH/conditions/08/31/arthritis.patient/index.html

(CNN) -- So far, Housel has undergone surgeries to replace nine of

her joints -- both shoulders, both wrists, both hips, both knees, and

her left elbow. She's had a " revision " done on her right hip. She's had

two cervical spine surgeries. And she just had a cataract (the result of

taking steroids to combat arthritis) removed from one eye.

At 49, she knows all too well the ravages of rheumatoid arthritis (RA),

which afflicts more than 2 million Americans. But with more surgeries on

the horizon, Housel keeps a positive attitude. " I do not call them

surgeries. I call them opportunities, " says Housel, who lives in

Chatham, Illinois, with her elderly mother and her sister's family. " The

surgeries have improved in a dramatic way the quality of my life. That's

the mindset that I go into surgery with. " Surgery is just a normal part

of my life, " she says.

Striking old, young

Housel is not the new poster victim for arthritis; she's merely an

accurate depiction for the illness. While most Americans stereotype RA

as something that targets senior citizens, the reality is that arthritis

can strike just about anyone. Housel was diagnosed when she was 23.

Within a few months, the pain was so debilitating that she couldn't get

out of bed or open her mouth. Treatment -- surgery and drugs -- has

helped, but Housel was forced out of work, on permanent disability, by

1990.

Today, she takes 13 different drugs a day (she's embarrassed by the high

number), and she spends most of her disability check on " the extras "

associated with caring for arthritis -- a $436 monthly insurance

payment, for example, and a $200-a-month co-pay on Enbrel, a promising

arthritis drug.

That just maintains her current status, too. In other words, Housel

knows that -- barring a medical miracle -- she has no chance of

rebounding from the disease. After nearly three decades of varying

treatment, the damage to her body is done. " It's really too late for me

in terms of intervening in a meaningful way with my disease, " she says.

Ambassador of hope

But that's not slowing her down. When she's not taking her daily walk,

or caring for her mother, Housel says she's spreading the word on how

people who contract RA can avoid her circumstances. Housel is part of a

13-person patient advisory council for the Arthritis Foundation; it

keeps her up to date on the latest studies. In the last half decade,

researchers have discovered that aggressive treatment of arthritis

within the first few years of diagnosis can prevent RA from worsening,

she says.

A complete recovery is not possible for her, but it's not too late for

new victims, she says. And, as may be expected from someone who turns

" surgeries " into " opportunities, " Housel sees the positive side to her

condition -- a " message of help and hope. "

" I am hoping that I will be a dinosaur, a dying breed, " she says.

" Intervention early on with these wonderful new drugs that are available

means that people are going to live a long-term life of high quality.

And that's absolutely thrilling to me. "