Inflammatory Arthritis--What is it?

If you have ever known anybody with inflammatory arthritis, or if you're going through it yourself, you may have wondered what it is. Inflammatory arthritis is a form of rheumatoid arthritis, and for those who don't know, rheumatoid arthritis is caused by the immune system mistaking joint and connective tissue for a pathogen. However, inflammatory arthritis is a little more complicated than that.

As I said, inflammatory arthritis is a form of rheumatoid arthritis, however for several cases the cause is unknown. This is known as systemic inflammatory arthritis, which is what I was eventually diagnosed with. There are four possibilities that could cause inflammatory arthritis: Genetics, Bacterial Infection, Viral Infection, or the Environment. Out of these possibilities, it would be foolish to say that only one can cause the disease. That being said, anybody can get it at any time, regardless of their current health. Whatever the cause may be, the immune system targets joint and connective tissue cause mild to extreme joint discomfort and swelling. However, out of these four, I would choose Environmental/Bacterial for the cause of my discomfort.

Two months before my life changed, I took a trip to Tennessee to go caving in the Appalachian Caverns (wonderful place). I was fortunate enough to take the extreme caving option, so I was covered in cave mud and water (for any of you die hard caver's out there, I know that the "extreme" option there isn't your level of extreme). At times, the water was up to my chin and by the end of the day, I was absolutely covered in mud. A success in my book. Considering that the bacteria down there was mostly iron oxidizing bacteria, if the cause was bacterial, it would make sense for there two be a two month lag phase before any symptoms started to show.

So, now that I've briefly covered what systemic inflammatory arthritis is, I want to to a brief rundown of how it presents itself. Symptoms will vary from person to person in terms of variety of symptoms and severity. It can affect multiple joints

• Joints are warm to the touch
• Can feel the through clothing, sometimes inches away
• Mobility is limited
• Unable to bend joints fully
• IF YOU'RE JOINTS ARE CATCHING, CONSULT A DOCTOR
• You may have torn something
• Unable to chew (if in jaw)
• Fluid in joints
• This can present itself in different ways depending on the joint
• Weakness
• Unable to bear as much weight or use as much force as before
• Pain in the muscles near the affected area
• Pain
• Levels vary from mild to suicidal
• If the pain level is suicidal (enough pain to consider suicide as the only escape) consult your doctor for pain killers
• BE CAREFUL, they are addictive but very helpful for the pain
• Usually a dull, aching pain at rest
• Sharp, immediate pain when in use
• Can cause a multiple kinds of pain at different severities if in the spine
• Stiffness
• Depending on the severity, there may be joint stiffness
• Particularly in the morning or after extended periods of rest
• Takes time to get rid of the stiffness
• Fatigue
• Difficulty Concentrating
• Muscle Atrophy

The list goes on, but these are the mot common ones.

Now that I've touched on the symptoms, I want to explain the effects it can have on one's life.

Devastation

Inflammatory arthritis can be a destroyer of worlds. For those who have been blind sighted by this disease, their holistic health disintegrates. Mentally, Emotionally, perhaps not spiritually, physically, and socially their health disintegrates. Thoughts are turned inward and suicide is a daily consideration.

The victim is thrown into a world of despair, pain, fear, doubt, disbelief, and confusion. Their reality has been shattered and their new world is a world filled with uncertainty. As inflammatory arthritis is a chronic disease, this can worsen over time. It's like having the ability to even dream about the future taken away from you.

Over time, it can destroy a person.

Fortunately, this doesn't have to be the case. Even though there is no cure, it can be beaten. I will go into further detail in future posts. Your future is in your hands.

~~The Arthritis King~~