Back to the court finally...

[Amy_Lee]

Today I finally decided to test if I could go back to the badminton court again. I am glad I did it though I did not complete the whole session. I tried not to overwork my hands and my legs at this very moment therefore I stopped after a short play. I never fail to test if I could go another step further for my improvement.

Though I still can feel the different in my body, but the commitment to exercise daily has brought me back to my almost very normal self now. I believe if I can do it, you can do it too. I always believe the future is in our own hands indeed.

[popsmith1874]

Hi I'm the same since I started a biological Benepali I can go to fitness classes most days and walk further and it's great to get my life back again

[Amy_Lee in reply to popsmith1874]

Dear popsmith1874,

It is indeed great to back to our normal life again. I have started to go for slow run alone these days during weekend in the park nearby. There are a lot of people going there in the morning and evening for different kind of exercises. After a short run, I just join the dancing exercise group to continue for more exercises. After that, I go straight to the market on the way home to get some breakfast and vegetable for the day.

[Beaches2]

That's great news. I went back to tennis after 18 months not being able to play....it was and still is fantastic. I was really nervous at first and still don't play as much as I used to but I'm happy with what I can now do. Hope you enjoy and we can both continue for a long time to come.

While I agree that to some extent the future is in our hands, I remember when I was really bad, there was nothing I could do myself to make it stop and there was no way I could play tennis or even lift the racket up.....although I kept up trying to maintain some level of fitness, it's been the drugs that have turned things around for me and for some, the drugs don't work so well.

[Amy_Lee in reply to Beaches2]

Beaches2,

I was so miserable too when I could not even get out of bed and I could not hold the chopsticks which I used to eat with. I was so lost and thought that if I had to live this way for the rest of my life, I would rather commit suicide. i am glad that I did not and I submitted myself to my rheumy, the occupantional therapists and the physiotherapists.

I was very obedient and followed instruction closely. Continue the painful exercise daily and today I am back to the badminton court though I could not play the whole session. It is indeed great to be able to do so.

You are right to say that some do not get as good response with the drugs as us. They just have to work closely with their rheumatologist to see what is best for them to move on. I am very sorry for them really. However, exercise is universal hence this must not be omitted if we want to be more mobile in our life again.

[Beaches2 in reply to Amy_Lee]

Yes I agree with you re exercise. I was so fit and sporty before all this and felt like my body had let me down. It shocked me just how quickly we can go from fit and strong to hardly being able to walk or get yourself dressed.

I was really worried after dmards and my first bio didn't work...you start to panic thinking maybe nothing will work for me. I pushed my rheumy team to try something else as quickly as possible and luckily it worked.

I always have a fear that the drug might stop working so think if I can be fit and strong now I am in a better position for any future problems.........hopefully this worry will reduce the longer I am well.....worry is no good for us either is it?

[Amy_Lee in reply to Beaches2]

Yes, it really worried me a lot too when I suddenly felt so sick and could not take care of myself all together.

One thing I have in mind, do you think RA mainly attacks very healthy people? This is in my mind always because I read here a lot of them just like me were very healthy people before the RA attacked.

I went for yoga classes 3 to 4 times a week and I went hiking regularly during weekend. I ate/eat very healthy food. Hardly any deep fried food for me. I did/do not take junk food too. I slept early and no smoking or drinking. I hardly fell sick at all those days. Even now, since I was diagnosed with RA 2 years ago, I only had flu once at the very beginning of the RA treatment. Since I am in good condition.

My daughter said that it was because I was too healthy hence my immune system had to do something to exercise themselves too. Hahahaha... What a great joke she had.

Yes, no point to worry about the drugs, just trust your own body and you will be fine until the end. This is what I have in mind.

[ShannonMFG]

We must be in control. Not the physicians. Not Pharm meds. Glad you're improving! Keep fighting!!

[Amy_Lee in reply to ShannonMFG]

It was a very tough journey after 2 years. I have put in a lot of effort to exercise every morning and I always test myself if I can do better. I am glad that I can run and jump now though yet to be as normal.

Yes, will continue to improve!!