On-going

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Not much to tell really, RA is only recently diagnosed, and for once caught early.
My "story" is how I got here:
I've been sick all my life, always had an "odd" immune system. Got sick all the time, a simple cold ould last 2+ weeks on average when everyone else was only sick a week. Bronchitis was common (usually a cold turned into it) and would last months before I could kick it.
Doctors didn't look into it much, dispite my mom's insistance that it wasn't normal. They always said I'd grow out of it.

Odd things would happen at young ages (7yrs old), my eyes gave me issues a lot. Always dry, always gritty, always red. Docs said allergies (but never did any testing, of course). Mouth dryness was also a problem, but they'd ignore that completely. Gum and water were my best friends (still are!).

Then I got migraines, bad ones, chronic (days long) without holding down food or water. Hospital visits were common. Saw a neuologist, put me on trycyclic antidrepressants to help (they did, but then any time I'd mention dry mouth they'd say it was the drugs, dispite I've had issues for years).

Then I got Bursitis! They tested me then, for simple things like JRA, but RF was always negative, so they just said idiopathic hip Burcitis. Gave me NSAIDs, said it'd come and go probably (after a year of coming, it did leave....but always returned, sometimes for days, sometimes weeks, then subside again).

As I got older, I got worse. I'd still get sick, I felt overwhealming fatigue dispite being a very active kid (when not ill). I developed Scoliosis in my teens, and had to have surgery at 18 to correct the curve to limit the pain it caused.

Was treated for depression for years, until they all gave up (My MOOD is fine, I'm stable, rational, realistic but optomistic, I'M JUST SO TIRED) on trying to fix my "lack of motivation" and "fatigue". Finally one said maybe it was Fibro (I didn't have chronic pain, it doesn't fit, but being desperate for help, I checked it out) and I asked a Rheumy about it.
Nothing helped though.

Recently, pain did start to happen, in my joints. It felt like I'd torn something in my shoulder, and made an appointment thinking I'd manage to injure myself doing nothing! But 3 days later, it vanished. But then it would happen in different places over the course of a couple months, but only for 2-3 days, then be fine!

Then my eyes acted up again (they're still dry, that's not new), they'd get so red and inflammed, my vision would blur, and eventually I'd get pink eye. This happened numerous times, the drops they'd give me would clear the pink eye, but not the inflammation, and a month later, pink eye would be back! They never thought to send me to an eye doctor though, must still be allergies!

Then my heart acted odd. I'd be ok sitting, but would stand and I could FEEL my heart race. This happened for a couple months of getting worse (to the point I'd be dizzy, and even sitting my heart would race) before I even mentioned it (What help would they give, it's probably nothing, right?). I was sent to a cardiologist ASAP as BP was 140/100 and my average resting (sitting) pulse was 120+.
After a lot of testing, they said I had POTS. It was confirmed by multiple cardiologists in the area, but they don't know much about treatment, shrugged, and now I'm waiting for a specialist (it's a VERY long wait-list...and drive!).

So I did my own research on causes. Autoimmune was one. Sjogren's the most likely for me. I fit. It made sense. I was furious, I've had those symptoms since childhood. I mentioned to my Rheumy, who said NAH, doubt it, kept treating me for Fibro.

Furious again, I demanded to see another Rheumy. On the first visit he noticed swelling in my joints that I had not. I also had Raynaud's which was easy to see (His office is freezing btw). Blood testing was mostly normal, until he did a CCP test, way high positive. But no sign of sjogrens dispite obvious symptoms. He did a biopsy and an eye test, both positive. Case settled. I'm seropositive RA (CCP), and have visably swollen joints (which are also red and angry, and for once, billateral), but with "normal" inflammation levels. He decided to ignore the normal bloodwork and focus on what we were SEEING, and what I was FEELING. I found a doctor I don't hate.

So now I'm on the road to fixing my issues. We've also found Low Vitamin D (new, we did that last less than a year ago, it was high), and pernicious Anemia (Way low B12, to the point where he was amazed I wasn't having much numbness issues).
The journey to find meds is beginning.