Story

I was a publican running a busy county inn in Northumberland England in July of 2001 i felt so worn out but had to keep going as it was the year of the foot and mouth and believe me things were tight, the countryside was at a stand still. my husband john went to work away from home to earn extra cash to help the business out, and so the work load was then my responsibility and with the help of the staff we coped and with the extra cash all should have been well . but no. the fact that i’d been making so many decisions and all the over work . my marriage broke down .in hind sight i suppose something had to give, and it ended up it was our marriage and the eventual sale of the business and of course my husbands infidelity did not help, and i shall not name a certain barmaid .But life has to go on and so, i had a good name in the food trade and soon found myself in a well paid job and a new home and after a while i did start to find some quality of life again.in 2002 about September i had visited my mother and she noticed the change in me when she asked what was the matter with me a said i feel so ill sometimes and I’m stiff in the mornings she then rang the national health help line, the advice was to rest. my mother put it all down to my marriage breaking up. but i took time from work and still did not feel well so i made an appointment to see my GP- he said i needed blood tests and when the results came i was diagnosed with sero negative RA and underactive thyroid .My world turned upside down .the fact that i could hardly climb the stairs by now did not cushion the blow. i felt suicidal and my sister had to stay with me as all i did was cry . i cried for me i cried for my marriage i cried for the business . the pain was so severe in my hands, my wrists were swollen and i could not drive any more. The GP prescribed Celebrex and i took 200mg in the morning and 200 in the evening and after about 1 month a started to feel well again this gave me hope once more and i changed my job to a small country inn cook. just like i’d been used to. i joined a walking group and mixed with people although i could not manage the longer walks it did to make me fit . in 2003 i met my new partner and we moved in together and i started another new job as catering manager in an old peoples home, i loved my job although it was hard work but i kept having attacks of breathlessness .so off to the GP’s again and she said Heather the work is getting to much for you I’d like you to take 6 months off. no way was my reply i had put my life into working ever since my marriage had broken down i said DR i need to work she said aright but do less shifts. then on the following Sunday i ended up in casualty my peak flow was 160. time to take notice of the Doctor! i felt so down hearted i had to give up yet another job and try to get my health back together, after about 4 weeks of not working i found myself in a flare up the arthritis had won . now i could not even reach the toilet at the top of the huge stair case in front of me, the pain was in my shoulders and arms ,feet,. and when i got to bed the pain then was in my hips and you feel so poorly ,and this continued for 18 months i gained 4 stone and tried plaquenil and then sulfazalazine THEN i started to look things up on the internet and HELLO the road back org was on my screen .i printed everything off as i could only sit for short periods colin my partner used to laugh at me , as i used to say its like the secret society when i had visited the hospital’ they tell you nothing, your doing well was all they could say Well I’m not so stupid as to believe that .as the way i see it is I’m bloody crippled and that’s a fact’ i used to be so frustrated. any way i sent off for the new arthritis breakthrough and off i went to the DR’s she listened to what i had to say and said why don’t we give it a try. i left all the paperwork with her and she has been a god send to me, it took 6 months for me to start to feel well and since then i haven’t looked back i still have the odd achy days but I’m now only on 2 sulfazalizine a day and the odd nurafen my lungs have cleared up and my breathing is fine and i walk again I’ve taken up art and i can once again concentrate and I FEEL GREAT thanks road back org Heather.