MS Speaks: How I found out arthritis is not an old-age disease
Like most young people, I took my health for granted in my late teens to my early 20s, eating carelessly and thinking I did not need to exercise if I had a normal weight.
I thought I had decades until I had to deal with health conditions I have seen the elders in my family go through, but I was terribly wrong.
At 24 years old, I learned that arthritis is not just an old-age disease, the hard way.
Sleeping curled up in pain every night
It all started in May 2023 when I began feeling persistent soreness in my elbows, wrist, and the base of my thumbs.
While the pain was still manageable, it was hard to perform certain tasks such as carrying heavy objects, doing planks during exercise, and even typing on my laptop for a prolonged period — something I had to do for work.
When I went on a trip, I had difficulty travelling with a small carry-on luggage, and even rolling it around was a literal pain.
I self-medicated with ointments and got massages, thinking these were simple muscle pains that would go away eventually.
However, a couple of months later, after a particularly stressful period in my life, the pain became unbearable.
My joints became so painful that I slept curled up in pain each night.
I knew pain relievers would cause me liver damage if overdone, but I found myself reaching for them more than I should.
When it became apparent that the pain would not just go away by using home remedies, I decided to see a specialist.
Discouraged by a misdiagnosis
Hospitals horrify me, partly due to bad memories of medical emergencies in the family, so I try to avoid going there as much as I can.
Besides, good quality care and medicine in the Philippines, where I then lived, can be expensive.
I knew the pain would not go away if I refused medical attention, but the thought of getting diagnosed was also scary — like having a name for my condition would somehow make it more permanent and indismissible.
By October 2023, after gathering up the courage, I decided to see an orthopaedist in a city an hour away.
To my disappointment, the doctor seemed hurried when it was time to see me.
Without running any tests, he concluded I had the warning signs of gout, prescribed me some pain relievers and uric acid medicine, then sent me away to his secretary to pay his clinic fee.
I did not even get to sit in his office for five minutes.
As I did not get the care I went in for, the experience discouraged me from seeking medical attention for several months.
The relief of getting diagnosed
Finally, in January 2024, I came around to the idea of getting diagnosed again, as the pain never went away.
This time, I decided to visit a rheumatologist at the same hospital, and waited two more long and painful months to secure an appointment.
I thought that if it did not work out this time, at least I could say I tried.
When that day came, however, I was relieved to find out that my doctor was one who took his time to assess my condition, asking me questions about my pain, when I felt it, and where.
When I told him I have psoriasis — a genetic autoimmune disease I was diagnosed with a year earlier, which I brushed off as a mere dermatological condition — he said it could have led to arthritis.
An X-ray and a blood test later, he confirmed I had arthritis at age 25.
If left untreated, it can cause irreparable damage to my joints and put me at risk of developing heart conditions.
It felt unfair to be sentenced to chronic pain so young — especially since I exercise regularly, rarely drink alcoholic and carbonated drinks, and do not smoke.
Meanwhile, those who push their body to their limits seem just fine.
I was also scared of the possibility that I would no longer get to enjoy the activities I loved, including travelling, and all the fun experiences that came with it.
At the same time, however, finally having a name for my condition also gave me a sense of relief that it could be managed.
How being diagnosed with arthritis changed my life
Being diagnosed with two autoimmune conditions at 25 means I am also on maintenance medicine at an age where my peers are going clubbing.
In fact, I am not sure whether to laugh or cry at having the same prescription medicine as my 84-year-old grandfather.
While the medication helps me maintain a good quality of life, they do have some side effects that make them less than ideal.
One of them, which is also used to treat cancer, lowers my immune system to keep it from attacking my body, making me more susceptible to catching viruses.
This means I have to mask up inside public transportation, or else I will catch someone’s cold.
Now, I also visit the specialist at least thrice a year to make sure that my meds are doing their job and that my body, especially my liver, is taking things well.
Living with chronic pain
For the past few months, I have also made lifestyle changes such as eating even more fibre-rich food and getting back to exercising regularly.
However, if I am being honest, I have yet to remove chicken, eggs, and seafood — all of which trigger my psoriasis — from my diet, as I still want to enjoy a variety of food.
Although my pain will likely never go away, the occasional flare-ups are nothing compared to what I used to experience.
I can now sleep better and do activities I enjoy without much pain, which is still a win for me.
Needless to say, I am no longer taking my health for granted, and whenever I can, I advise my peers to value their well-being and make positive lifestyle changes as early as they can.
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Featured image adapted from Kim Tan.
