SUPA FEET

One of our members invites you to walk a mile in her shoes:
Q: Current Age?
A: 23

Q: Age of Onset or start of symptoms?
A: 5

Q: Age of Diagnosis?
A: 6

Q: Where are you located?
A: Madison, Wisconsin

Q: What is your profession?
A: Captioning Assistant. I help deaf and hard-of-hearing people use
the telephone

Q: What are your Medical Conditions or diagnoses?
A: Systemic Onset Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (aka Still’s Disease),
Psoriasis, Sjorgen’s Syndrome, Asthma, Uveitis, Gluten intolerance.
I’m also pretty sure I have Fibromyalgia but that hasn’t been
officially diagnosed yet.

Q: What are your hobbies?
A: Blogging, hiking (when I can), video games, learning and educating
others, helping people, reading, shopping, and spending time with
family and friends.

Q: What is one thing your doctor didn’t tell you about your Autoimmune
Arthritis that you wish they had?
A: Since I was so young, there really isn’t anything I can think of
here. I wish my previous rheumatologists had explained side effects in
more detail to me.

Q: If you could tell your past self something before diagnosis, what
would it be?
A: It’s not leukemia and you’re not going to die in six weeks. It’s
okay to be scared, but it isn’t cancer!

Q: What would you like to tell others newly diagnosed with Autoimmune Arthritis?
A: Learn all you can about your illness. Learn to be your own
advocate. Build up a support group, and use tools like the Spoon
Theory to educate others about what you go through. And don’t be
afraid to be scared. AA is scary. Just keep your fear in check and
don’t let it consume you.

Q: How would you describe your personal style?
A: Old Navy, Torrid, and Target make up 95% of my wardrobe. One day I
dress like a pin up model, the next I’m in sweats and t-shirts, and
the next I’m a punk rocker.

Q: What part of dealing with your Autoimmune Arthritis has made the
biggest impact on you?
A: It was mild (ha!) for a long time and has now run into full blown
butt-kicker-y. I just miss being able to do normal things like a
normal person. Also, my gluten thing drives the quarter Italian in me
absolutely crazy. We make GF bread, which is delicious, but have not
mastered bread sticks yet.

Q: Favorite quote?
A: Oh heavens, I have so many. I love just about everything that comes
out of the Dalai Lama’s mouth, and I’m a huge music and movie freak.
But I think the most appropriate quote comes from Lucille Ball, who
had RA at a young age herself. She always dreamed of being a dancer,
and spent years learning how to walk again to accomplish that goal.
She once said: “One of the things I learned the hard way was that it
doesn’t pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way
of life can restore your faith in yourself.” It’s one of the most true
things I’ve ever heard.

Q: What are three random things about yourself that others may not know?
A: I’m stubborn, like all good Tauruses, but I let people walk all
over me sometimes even though I might not seem like I have that kind
of personality. I can read and write in Arabic, one of the most
beautiful languages in the history of mankind. I studied world
religions in college, not because I was searching for a religion but
because I love the stories behind religions and the way they interpret
the world around us.

Thank you for taking a walk in my shoes!

Check here to see all the blogs in this series.

If you would like to be a featured blog entry for Walk A Mile In Our Shoes, please fill out the submission form below.  I will need a picture attachment of the footwear you are wearing and your answers to the items listed above in story. They will be anonymous, no names given, just your information and responses.