Seronegative

"A Friend is someone who knows all about you and loves you anyway!!!"

- (sent by Heather Tallent

       

        There is a Seronegative Arthritis. This is RA without the Rheumatoid Factor and the antibodies that would usually point out RA.

        Hmmm…why can’t there be a Seronegative Lupus? I’m not angry or anything…just asking?

        If I have RA, and I am not sure if I do…it’s a mild RA…my joints are only mildly deformed so for the most part…there’s no problem.

        But my ankles hurt. Walking around is hard. I hate it so much: the pain.

        It seems like something is being discovered about Lupus, RA and Fibromyalgia every day. Crazy, isn’t it? These diseases are strange to most people. And sadly, they are not very well understood. When I was 10 years old I thought I had arthritis. My joints would swell badly in the summer heat.

        I never said anything because I didn’t want it to be that horrible disease. I wanted to be a normal 10 year old.

        But I wasn’t…and I would never be *normal*. Why? There’s no such as *normal*…that’s why.

        It makes me mad that I’m not *normal* I want to be popular and not be the weird person who everyone thinks is lying or annoying. I’m tired of being questioned about my illness. I try to avoid talking about it with people who don’t have the illness.

        I just want to be a normal girl.