My Rheumatic Disease or rather the more familiar term, Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) has taken grip of me since October 2010 at age of 28. At the time of diagnosis, my GP told me that this disease is chronic and incurable. I was shocked, scared and devastated. I was further told RA is hardly even common in Asia (where I was born and currently living) and I may end up in wheelchair few years down the road. I broke down into tears and disbelief.
As with anyone suffering from RA, the RA journey thereafter is a roller-coaster ride. It is definitely not an easy ride – a ride full with emotions – highs and lows. This crippling monster has taken away a lot from my life – an incredible career in financial sector , the excitement from enjoying spinning (a form of indoor cycling sport), the freedom of driving and traveling alone, the thrills and fun of being a part of every activities that require my physical participation – and many more you can imagine. As it takes these away, it brings pains, disappointment, depression, fears, despair and guilt – all of these are the scariest aspect of RA – flood of negative emotions!
It took a while to look past these negative emotions and empowered myself with positive thoughts and a compelling future to muster the courage to begin fighting back again. Thanks to my supportive husband who has always been there for me. Being a strong follower of living healthy practices from renowned inspirational and motivational guru, Tony Robbins, he has convinced me that true health and recovery from degenerative disease is possible and the answer lies in the field of alternative medicines. I just have to dig hard for the answer myself!
I started to turn to the Web to learn more about this debilitating disease and begin my search for a cure! For the past years, I have taken an alternative approach to handle and cope with my RA; and the trials and errors are definitely not easy – and the monetary price that I have paid for experiments – had also cost me a great fortune. Nevertheless, they are not all wasted. I could not appreciate more than enough how much better I am feeling right now as compared to the state of my health when my RA was first diagnosed.
My perception of life has also changed since. I now cherish every little moment of my life with family and with life, as unpredictable as it can be, I want to share my knowledge, honest experiences and thoughts, inspirations, motivations as well as any bits and pieces about improving life with RA. Regardless if a ‘cure’ is even possible with RA, my goal of recovery is a total remission! And I strongly believe I am closer to this goal every day I live here-forth…
To wrap up, I complete the story on my RA journey and my quest to full recovery with my RA profile. Here goes.
MY PROFILE
Name
Diana Han
Age
31
Family
Married with 2 kids (aged 4 & 1)
Location
Brunei (a small country in Asia)
Length of RA diagnosis
2+ years (since 2010)
Medications & Treatments
(A) Conventional medications
Current meds:
None
Former meds:
Prednisone 5-10mg – daily basis
Safrosyn S (NSAID) 135mg – on as needed basis
(B) Alternative medicines/therapies
Current :
Nutritional Supplemention
Broad spectrum multivitamins & multiminerals
Probiotics
Krill oil/curcumin
Antioxidant – gluthathione & precursor – N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC)
Enzymes
L-Glutamine
Calcium & Magnesium
Glucosamine, Chondroitin & MSM complex
High dose Vitamin C
Organic broken cell wall Chollera or Cryptomondales
Parasite complex/grapefruit seed extract
Homeopathic remedies & detox
Fibers w/milk thistle & anti-oxidants
etc…
Therapies/Others
FIR sauna
Exercise
Water & alkalinity
Meridien tapping
Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Techniques (NAET)
Enema
etc…
Former:
Nutritional Supplemention
CoQ10
Agaricus Blazei Murrill medicinal mushroom
VCO
Therapies/Others
Amalgam removal
Juice Fasting
Epsom salt bath
Acupuncture
TCM – Fu Yang Guan
VCO oil pulling
Mobility Aids
None. But I wear hand splint on right wrist at night for protection.
Impairments, Deformity & any Visible Signs of RA
Occasional stiffness in the morning
Occasional flare up at any joints
Can go on most days without meds
Limited range of motion on both wrists
Slight swelling and nodules on left foot
Former creakiness on left knee
Protruding bone on both right and left wrists (not sure if these are indications of deformity)
Lastly, My thoughts on RA
A life with physical pain, lack of energy, chronic fatigue and stress is almost a given. It is about continuous learning. As the saying goes, knowledge is power. At the claws of the RA monster, we are at its mercy but with knowledge, we can change the way we respond to its ravage, the way we choose to fight back, and the way we convince ourselves and our loved ones that we will stay strong and persevere in this journey.
I am an advocate of alternative treatments for chronic diseases and a strong believer that a body can heal itself! (of course, except that a joint deformity cannot be reversed). If a cure never exist in this world, I aim for a total remission. There are a crazy lot of therapies out there yet to be explored on RA and our view of RA and its treatment needs to be expanded and open. Having said that, I end up building my own holistic treatment regime, doing trials and errors under self monitoring. Sure enough, some didn’t work out as desired while others resulted in many desirable effects, though not lasting but there are some which I swear by its effectiveness. I have worked very hard till this very point, and with each passing day, I am feeling stronger and steps closer to this goal. I can feel the synergy building up inside of me… Remission is near!
Do not let despair win over you. You have been exceptional and stronger each passing day. Let’s celebrate this and look further into a bright compelling future to fight this battle!
Contact Me
myradiary.diana@gmail.com