‘I was diagnosed with arthritis at age 11’

Vicky Wood opens up on her experience of living with rheumatoid arthritis:

What was thought to be just a bump which resulted in a swollen knee from the tender age of 11 is what changed the rest of my life.

This memory is still vivid in my mind. It was a sunny Sunday and we were out fishing with my family when I noticed my right knee was swollen, which progressed to uncomfortable stiffness.

Two weeks later the swelling had not subsided but instead, the left knee had started swelling and both my elbows started feeling stiff. Several tests were done to determine the cause of the swelling and stiffness. My doctor at the time, suspected joint cancer called arthralgia, which after various tests was ruled out.

The doctor couldn’t fully diagnose the issue, as the inflammation spread quickly through my joints. More tests were done and a few months later, after numerous doctor visits and many theories, there was no clear diagnosis except that I will definitely be wheelchair-bound by the time I’m 21. This was due to the quick progression of whatever it was I had.

With more theories than clear answers, my mom decided I should see a herbalist that put me on a new diet which included fresh orange juice with pulp. However, consuming countless litres of orange juice resulted in me having to go to theatre for an emergency appendectomy and a four-day hospital stay. It was during this time that my mother was introduced to a rheumatologist.

Arthritis was the one thing I had not been tested for due to my age. After the first consult, more blood tests and an arthroscopy later, I was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at age 11. Shortly after that, I started experiencing various challenges. I was constantly tired and battling with stiff, sore joints. I could not quite enjoy being an 11-year-old – I could not stay active and do what normal 11-year old children do as I was constantly in pain.

I went through a lot of emotions and I was not sure whether it was because of RA, the medication or just going through puberty. This was not something I was comfortable sharing with a 50- to 60-year-old male doctor in the ’80s, so I decided to stop the medication and try to ignore my symptoms.

For the next 30 years, I self-medicated taking between three to six strong pain pills a day. I learnt to cope with the pain, which I eventually became accustomed to. I learnt how to walk or waddle to ease the pain, discovered new sleep positions that helped ease the stiffness. Soon, apart from the pain and swelling in my knees, I started to lose mobility in my elbows – I had about 30% flex in my movement.

I thought I was managing the RA but it took me years to realise the RA was managing me. At 28 I fell pregnant with my daughter. I had no pain and very little stiffness. After my pregnancy, all the symptoms came back with a vengeance, so I learnt to self-manage the RA again.

Being constantly exhausted and then adding sleep deprivation to the mix was horrible. I was not being able to pick my baby up to comfort her or get her out of the bath, even simple tasks like twisting the bottle cap on or off were difficult.

I remember one day just bursting into tears because I could not sit on the floor and play with her. At the age of 35, I got pregnant and again the symptoms stayed at bay for the duration of my pregnancy. After giving birth to my son I went to see another doctor.

She put me on a new treatment plan. It took three months for me to gradually start seeing a difference. I had less stiffness in my joints and my mobility became easier, my dependency on people became less. Following the new treatment plan properly and going in for follow-up sessions regularly have helped tremendously.

Today, the range of movement in my arms are nearly back 100%. I have no pain or stiffness and I get a good night sleep without waking up in the middle of the night with pain and having to change positions. There is hardly any swelling in my knees.

I have a better range of movement. My quality of life has improved 100%. I am more active now than when I was in my early 20s. I still have RA but through this long journey of treatment, I finally feel in control again.