Stories From The Chronic Life

I knew that I would. I am always amazed at how good I feel this time of year. It isn't something that I jumps out at me. I may feel crappy all Winter and part of Spring, especially when the weather fluctuates. It's as if my body doesn't know what season to be.

Then one day I'll be doing something and I realize that my feet are walking better, my hands aren't as swollen, and I'm walking with a little pep in my step. When I take my dog for her walks, I don't feel the resistance in my ankles.

Mentally, I don't seem to be as cranky. I'm in a better mood all around.

I like this time of year. I don't feel so arthritic. I actually feel a little bit normal. It's good to have this. I can enjoy the summer a bit even if that means sitting in the yard rather than hikes in mountains.

Getting up in the morning and knowing that my body will be half way decent feels good. It's going to last for several weeks (until Autumn changes to Winter). I think I'll take a deep breath and just say "ahhhhhh..."

Normally, I don't write about this kind of stuff, however, I thought I'd pass this on. Genentech is doing clinical trials and needs folks with Rheumatoid Arthritis. I do not know anything about the study and am not affiliated with the organization. Please read the following and visit the website, then draw your own conclusions about participating. You may contact Stephanie at: holbroos@fleishman.com if you have any questions.

Here is the information:
My name is Stephanie Holbrook and I am contacting you on behalf of Genentech, a leading biotech company, with multiple products on the market for serious or life-threatening medical conditions. I wanted to inform you about three clinical trials that are taking place at more than 200 U.S. medical facilities, nationwide. Researchers are currently enrolling patients in three rheumatoid arthritis clinical trials for an investigational drug, rituximab. Those who are between 18 and 80 years old and suffer from active rheumatoid arthritis may qualify for one of these trials.

Please consider informing your audience about these three rheumatoid arthritis clinical trials, by featuring this information on Chronic Life. For more information on these trials, visit http://www.studyra.com. StudyRA.com provides information about each of the three individual trials, as well as inclusion and exclusion criteria used to help identify appropriate participants. Your audience members can see if they may qualify to participate by taking an online survey (http://t.pollg.com/o25863.htm ) to assess their eligibility for the trials or by calling 1-888-82-STUDY (78839) to talk to a representative. The survey only takes about 10 minutes to complete. Please feel free to feature any information from StudyRA.com on your site.

My list of medical woes is forever growing. My fingers are swollen. Two of them haven't bent in a week. My feet are perptually sore. I got kinks in places I didn't know I had. I can fall asleep at the drop of a hat. I could go on, but I won't.

I think that my situation is bad. Then I read about some of the people coming back from Iraq. I did not know this but there have been many, many, many more amputees than any other war. The reason is we've made major medical advances. We can save a person with surgery and medical devices. We have electronic prosthesis that emulate actual walking. We have drugs that ease the pain. A person who might have died of their wounds in World War II can be saved by new medical technology. Among these are people who are multiple amputees and burn victims. Once they are "saved" they then are subjected to a pain, adjusting to new limbs, physical therapy, and a completely different life. Some may never recover mentally.

When I think about the pain I endure or the difficulties I have holding onto object I can be thankful. At least I have all my limbs. They may not work all that great but they are all still attached to my body. That is something to be greatful for.