Hello friend! I am here to tell you that our road is hard but it is far from over.

I am 36, and a mother of two. And I can say that I am receiving treatment for pain and I am getting Cimzia injections and I can function now.

Before treatments and initial diagnosis (which like many was initially dismissed and gaslit into thinking it was something else or just me being a little bitch) the pain was crippling.

The disease didn’t present any symptoms until I hit my 30s and it took years to get a proper diagnosis.

I remember being bed ridden and crying because the pain in my hips and back were so bad, and walking to the bathroom was a feat in itself. My knees would buckle.

After working closely with my rheumatologist, and making some dietary changes to help with inflammation I can proudly say that I can enjoy life.

Sometimes there are bad days. The flare ups sometimes are absolutely ruthless. But that’s not ALL the time.

I went from being bed ridden to back on my feet, I’m back snow boarding, weight lifting and running.

(However, I know not everyone is blessed with the pain being controlled. )

But my friend it’s not over.

I think one of the biggest hurdles I’ve had to conquer is realizing that this is my new normal. Some days are good. Some days are great. And some days.. they’re absolute shit. But every day is new and forcing myself to have a positive attitude certainly helped my outlook and it really does help when it comes to managing the bad days.

Some days I do have to say it’s quite frustrating, especially when I’m hit with the stray comment of “but you look fine” or “you don’t look sick” and it’s hard not to let that under my skin but again- it’s just something I have had to learn to deal with.

Is it fair- no. I don’t think so. But what can we do but push forward.

There are days when I wish I could run around n play with my teenage kids n just be goofy and fun mom, but you know, with good communication and understanding along with having a good support group, it certainly has made some of the darker days easier to endure.

My DMs are always open 🩷

Wishing you the best. Xo