I was diagnosed with RA in 2006 after about 10 to 15 years of floating from Dr. to Dr. and them telling me it was depression or stress. No one checked me for RA. Just take these pills or those pills. Didn't work. One day at work I blacked out, they discovered lesions on my brain and sent me to a neurologist. The neurologist did all kinds of tests to determine what the lesions were, they are not MS lesions and were not caused by stroke. A few months later my BP skyrocketed, I had been feeling really bad. I called my neurologist and he said to call my PC. My PC was on vacation and told me to go to the Immediate Care Center, the immediate care center told me they couldn't help me and sent me back to the PC. After about 5 rounds of that I called my neurologist back and he phoned me in some BP meds and referred me to a new Internist. I love her. She is the one that was smart enough to test me for RA and send me to a Rheumatologist, who confirmed the diagnosis. I was started on MTX immediately, 3 months later I was started on Remicade and now I am back working full time. In February of 08 I switched from Remicade to Humira because it was more convenient for me. I don't have to take off from work. I also don't seem to have the side effects that I did from Remicade, although they weren't that bad, nothing I couldn't live with, but I was using up my PTO as fast as I earned it for doctor's appts, which left no off time for just me to do what I wanted, which is why I switched.

I am back to doing things I didn't think I would ever do again.

We still don't know what caused the lesions on my brain, but still following up with my neurologist.

I have a loving and supportive husband of almost 30 years (October 15th) and 3 wonderful step children, Rhonda, age 39, Gina, age 36 and Bill Jr., age 33, 4 grandsons and hopefully Bill Jr. will get married one day and give me a granddaughter. The girls say they are done.

We do Schnauzer Rescue, although I am slowing down a little because of my health. http://www.louisvilleschnauzerrescue.com. I also love to knit, crochet, sew, cook, garden, and actually enjoy cleaning house. I have slowed down on the gardening, because I just can't tolerate the heat well, so my yard looks really bad from about the middle of June until the middle of September, then I try to play catch up and of course you can't really catch up, so basically it looks terrible all of the time anymore. My one wish is to find someone to help me with the yard without locking me into a years contract of 200.00 or more per month.

Bill (my husband) was diagnosed with hepatitis C in 1994, in 1999 he started treatment and finished in 2001. He has had a zero viral load since. He does have some major heart problems and has yet to regain the energy level he once had, but the hepatologist said that was pretty normal. We are just blessed he is still alive.

I always try to remember there are people a whole lot worse of than I am when I start having a bad flare. I know it too will eventually pass.