Sunday, April 22, 2012

First Why I am Doing This....


My name is Dawn and I have been riding bikes for 30 years or better. Not to sound to corny but it is my blood.
One year ago I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis and it appeared my entire world changed or appeared to stop.
First let me give you alittle info on the disease itself. And yes it is a disease. RA is a auto immune disease not arthritis like your grandma gets. Your body attacks its own joints, organs ( lungs, heart etc) and even your eyes. Most people with RA do not live as long or become terribly disfigured and are in severe pain daily. The meds to slow RA down are also debilitating, making everyday living so hard.
I started this blog for me and also for others that have this disease and also have this love, this passion I have for motorcycling.
When I am not riding all I do is think of riding or when I will next ride and where I am going to ride. I dream of long trips on the harley and plan my vacations at work around warm weather so we ( my husband and I ) can just take off on the harley.
The RA is starting to slow me down and putting me in a great deal of pain. I have been told by many to stop riding already but I cannot and will not. My doctor wanted to put me on meds that may slow down some of the inflamation but one main side effect is I would not be able to go out in sun! I of course flipped and tried explaining this to my dr. but he told me to just take it. After long consideration I decided not to go this particular meds. As I still want to continue to ride and I have no idea how much longer I will have to ride. I will not stop riding now all because the side effects of the meds. I am not in no way telling anyone to do this!!
But for me..after thinking ....came to the conclusion that I can give up my passions and dreams and sit in a corner and pop pills or live my dream for as long as I can. Am I wrong? who knows.
My husband is building me a chopper and found a honda 750 automatic so I will not have shift or have clutch due to the RA in hands. Somedays I feel I will never be able to ride this bike but dammit I am going to try.
So this blog as silly as it may be is to do 2 things. Let me vent my frustrations and fears but also possibly help that person who feeling the same way I am with RA.

2 comments:

  1. Dawn, Are you still posting on your blog? I just happened across it today. I was doing some searches for just this kind of blog or page or group. I'm a 54 year old guy. My wife and I both ride. I returned to riding about 10 years ago and my wife has been riding for about 5 years. I was diagonosed 2 years ago with RA and thought the same as you - I'd have to give up riding. So far I have not had to do so, but, it is a little more difficult to ride than before. I tend to get tired faster on long rides and my hands tend to hurt, but, as you know it is so worth it. It helps me keep a certain amount of who I was before the RA in my life. I am on methotrexate and Humira. They help a lot. I am able to work on a daily basiss. RA proably causes me to miss maybe one day of work a month not including getting sick due to a comprimised immune system. I hope you keep up the blogging. We live in South Jersey just across the river from Philly.

    ReplyDelete
  2. My new husband is an avid rider, and I agreed to embrace my fear of motorcycles if he agreed to learn to ride horses (my passion). I've ridden with him a bit and not only am I over my fear, but really want to learn to ride myself. My new step daughter has offered to sell us her Sportster that needs some work, and I'm excited, but also a tad scared I won't be able to ride. I have r.a, with pretty bad deformities in my hands because I wasn't diagnosed early, and without insurance I haven't been treated in a couple years since my divorce. I ran across this and thought I'd ask how it is with the hands and feet, if the pain is bareable.

    ReplyDelete