"I don’t let my limitations define me - I learned to dance to my own rhythm. You can too."
"I don’t let my limitations define me - I learned to dance to my own rhythm. You can too."
J.G. Chayko
"I am not discouraged by the things I can no longer do – instead, I explore pastimes that my previous life didn’t allow me to nurture. I don’t let my limitations define me - I learned to dance to my own rhythm. You can too. "
J.G. Chayko
"I am not discouraged by the things I can no longer do – instead, I explore pastimes that my previous life didn’t allow me to nurture. I don’t let my limitations define me - I learned to dance to my own rhythm. You can too. "
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"The first step toward change is awareness. The second is acceptance."
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- Nathaniel Branden
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system which normally protects its health by attacking foreign substances like bacteria and viruses, mistakenly attacks the joints. This creates inflammation that causes the tissue that lines the inside of joints (the synovium) to thicken, resulting in swelling and pain in and around the joints. RA affects the joints of the hands, feet, wrists, elbows, knees, and ankles and generally, the joints affected are symmetrical. That means if one knee or hand is affected, usually the other one is, too. Common Symptoms include joint pain, joint swelling, fatigue, low grade, fever, malaise, morning stiffness, loss of appetite, and loss of weight. Currently, there is no permanent cure for RA, but treatments can improve symptoms and slow the progress of the disease.
Psoriatic Arthritis
A type of inflammatory arthritis that affects some people who have the skin condition psoriasis. The signs and symptoms of psoriatic arthritis often resemble those of rheumatoid arthritis. Common symptoms include morning stiffness, joint pain, and swelling. They can affect any part of body, from fingers to spine, and can range from relatively mild to severe.
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Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis, formerly known as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, is autoimmune arthritis in children under the age of 16. Common symptoms are persistent joint pain, swelling, and stiffness. At times, certain types of juvenile idiopathic arthritis can cause serious complications, such as growth problems, joint damage, and eye inflammation. Similar to RA, it occurs when the body's immune system attacks its own joints and tissues. The different types of Juvenile Arthritis are Systematic arthritis, Oligoarthritis, Polyarthritis, Psoriatic arthritis, Enthesitis-related arthritis.
Ankylosing Spondyloarthritis
Ankylosing spondylitis is a rare inflammatory arthritis type causing pain and stiffness in the spine. Also known as Bechterew disease in most cases starts in your lower back, and later spreads up to the neck or damages joints in other parts of your body. While "Ankylosis" means fused bones, "Spondylitis" means inflammation in spinal bones. This fusing makes the spine less flexible and can result in a hunched-forward posture. It usually begins with sacroiliac joints, where the spine connects to the pelvis, and can possibly affect the joints where your tendons and ligaments connect to bones. Early signs may include pain and stiffness in the lower back and hips, generally in the mornings or after periods of inactivity. Common symptoms are fatigue, and pain/stiffness in the lower back, neck, buttocks, shoulders, hips, and thighs.
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Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)
It is the most common form of Lupus. SLE is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks its own tissues, causing widespread inflammation and tissue damage in the affected organs. While symptoms vary from person to person, some of the common ones are severe fatigue, joint pain, joint swelling, headaches, rash on cheeks and nose, hair loss, anemia, blood clotting problems, fingers tingling during cold, among others.