五年前，杰西卡去找她的医生咨询抗抑郁药的处方。“我不明白为什么我总是筋疲力尽，为什么下床这么难。”健康史和检查显示她没有抑郁;她患有风湿性关节炎(RA)。“一开始，我对这个诊断很纠结。我一直非常活跃——我喜欢打网球和远足，而且我有孩子。我的手也严重受损，我以写作为生。”
For Jessica, reclaiming her life was not about positive thinking, “It was about good medicine and good therapies [including acupuncture],” she says. “Anyone who tells you living well with RA is all about your attitude is delusional or a liar,” she says. “Sometimes I get really irritated that I have this disease. That doesn’t make me sicker – it makes me human.”
Sticking to her treatment plan has minimized the severity of her RA. “For me, biologics have been crucial. They helped get rid of the fatigue, which allowed me to regain my stamina and get back to my life,” says Jessica. “I see my rheumatologist regularly and I’m totally honest with him; I don’t pretend my pain is a 2 on a 1 to 10 level if it’s really a 6.”
Continue readingJessica Gottlieb’s Medication Success for Rheumatoid Arthritis
