I'm Jeni and this is my story...........

[Guest guest]

Hello everyone my name is Jeni. I live here in Oklahoma with my

husband and two kids and we have been married 7 year now. I am 25, my

husband is 27 and the kids are 3 and 5. When it comes to chats like

this I usually stay in the back ground read and learn, but in this

case I do need someone to understand, relate, let me vent and help

on what I should do now. I just been diagnosed with RA in February of

this year. My complications with RA started over a year ago but at

that time did not know that what is was. now that I know I have it, a

lot of things I was going through make since. I work for Ford

starting back in 2005 working to rebuild transmission and when I

first started I was fine. It was hard work but I liked it. About a

year into the job my hands would swell and I though it was just

because of the manual labor that I had to do. During this time I must

admit I did get in a lot of arguments with my husband all that time

because all I did was say I am tired all the time and he got tired of

me saying I was tired. But as time went by sometimes my hands would

swell and then my shoulder would hurt but never questioned it because

of the movement I had to on the job moving back and forth from

different stations. Then eventually was my hip and again did not

question it because we had to wear steal toe boots and were on

concrete floor 10 hours a day. These were all the symptoms that would

come and go and the excuses I made to go along with them. One night

in October of 2006 I woke up because I was tossing and turning

because my hip was hurting till the point I was crying and could not

walk. I went to emergency room that night and told them what was

going on and they took some x-rays. Eventually they gave me shot to

help the pain but before that the doctor asked me " well I know this

is an odd question but did you maybe pull something while trying to

have sex? " It was kind of funny to me but I told him no because my

husband works nights and he had just go off right before we went to

hospital. After the shot the pain did subside but I told my husband

it still hurt a little bit but it feels like my bone, I even told the

doctor that and what did he say " oh no your x-ray were fine, you'll

be okay, you probably pulled a muscle. Get some rest and you should

be okay. " I said fine to my self, took couple pain pills he subscribe

but also saved some of them in case I started to hurt again. About a

year and half into the job my hand started to swell pretty bad to the

point were I could not wear the latex gloves on the job, I was

limping because of my ankle and seem tired all the time. I told my

husband I had to find another job because this one was to hard on my

body. After working there for 2 years I found a job as a customer

service representative, I thought to myself this will help my body a

lot, all I got to do it sit all day and the only thing I should have

to worry about is gaining weight. My hands started to go down, my

finger were not long locking in the morning but my ankle was still

swollen and I though just give my body time you work that job for 2

years. As time progress I got better but I also got worse I guess you

could say because I was not hurting as bad but I was starting to have

that morning stiffness. Finally my husband came to me and said he

had some warts on his hands and needs to go to the doctor because

one of them was hurting him. I though to my self well Ill go to and

get my self check out. The doctor we go to goes to out church and

knows us well and I told her my symptoms and on the spot she knew and

told me that was arthritis. Did some blood work and x-rays and couple

days later she called me to confirm that it was RA. I cried a little

bit but it was just nice to know. The mobic she gave me helped and

could walk on dirt ground with out it feeling like I had a sprained

ankle. Morning stiffness was not as bad and I could do some things

better. As I did the research on RA that's when it really became

clear what I was in for. I cried and I still cry because I don't

think its fair for me to have to go through this let along any of

you. I feel like part of my life has been taken. I played softball

for over 10 years and one thing I had always told my self was that

when I have a kid I want to be able to play ball with them and

practice with them because I didn't have any one that could. I still

want to be able to. Pretty much most of my body is affected, ankle,

wrist, fingers, hips, knees, lower back, elbows which don't even

straighten all the was any more, shoulders, jaw and now my big toes.

I have trouble sleeping and getting to sleep. I take mobic twice a

day, hydroxycholorquine twice a day, folic acid and methotrexate once

a week which my RA doctor just raised from four to six Wednesday. She

told me I had damage to my right big toe, right middle finger knuckle

and knees. She also prescribed Humira and that's where I have run

into a problem. My insurance had denied payment for it. I don't know

what to do. Me and my husband have no one to guide us. Both of are

dads are no where around, my mom sits at home all day eating on food

stamps and his mom lives with us and has not job and gets SS

disability. Basically we are living through trial and error and in

hopes that our kids don't and we can educate them on money, buying

house, college, things like that. What should I do about my

insurance, I just cant accept no for an answer. I have a co-pay with

them. I feel a lot better, thank you everyone. (have I left any thing

out? LOL)

JENI