I’m extremely proud to show you the 2nd installment of the Understanding Series. 

As some of you know, I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis about one and a half years ago. Through the process of being officially diagnosed it’s been crazy to see how quickly my joints have lost functionality, starting with my knees. I would (and still do) spend a significant portion of each week imagining what it would be like if my knees were somehow magically replaced and no longer hurt. What would I do? Where would I go? What things would I make sure to not take for granted anymore? 

This piece really came about because of that thought process. I knew I couldn’t be the only person living with RA who was having these thoughts and I also knew that there are so many more people out there who would never realize the kinds of things that we struggle with. After doing a lot of research and digging around on RA message boards it was clear that our community felt misunderstood in certain aspects and a list of what should be easy to accomplish activities that we all seem to struggle with appeared:

- Using stairs - Shaving legs - Washing hair/body - Getting dressed - Styling hair/makeup - Opening jars - Walking your pet - Opening doors - Wearing rings - Driving (steering wheel and using the pedals) - Using remote controls - Washing dishes - Getting into cars - Cooking - Sewing

The list unfortunately goes on so I tried to represent the activities that not only I related to but the majority of others related to as well. Hopefully you can see the point now - these are all things that I once did with ease but now have to ask for help with. By mid-day most of my energy is typically gone so I have to pick and choose carefully what tasks need to be accomplished while being careful not to overexert energy otherwise I could end up in bed for a week from a flare. 

This is my life now though and what I want people to understand most is that having an invisible illness like Rheumatoid Arthritis effects literally every single part of your life. When people make comments like “You don’t really look sick” , “How lucky you get to stay home all day!” or get mad when you have to bail on plans for the 5th time in a row, it hurts on an incredibly personal level. Just because you can’t see someone’s illness doesn’t mean they aren’t struggling to do things. If you have someone in your life who is currently going through something similar be sure to check in on them - it can often be too embarrassing or draining to ask for help so just let them know that you love them and ask if there is anything that you can do to help chores or otherwise. I can’t tell you just how much knowing your friends are there for you helps 💖