Hello everyone out there in the internet world! My name is Lyda, what’s yours? I’ve been asked to come here to talk to you about how perfect my life is. Wow, that was a terrible lie. I can’t even keep a straight face saying that. My life is far from perfect. But I’d like to pretend it is. Or at least I think I do the best I can. At least I try . . . You get credit for trying, right?
I’m just a girl in her mid-twenties, trying to get through life as smoothly as possible while having fun along the way. I’ve been married for a little over two years and am proud to say that we have two adorable little . . . kitty children. I graduated college with a degree in Theatre Arts, so that should explain why I find myself so entertaining.
I was also diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis when I was 12 years old. That’s a surprising little fact to most people. I recently started writing about my life with RA in hopes that my story might be #1, amusing, and #2, helpful for reaching out to others like myself, who struggle with it on a daily basis.
Me at age 12 or 13 (I forget!).
I have to admit, it’s taken me quite a while to get where I am today. To get to a place where I can be open and honest about my experiences and to be able to share my history with the world. I’ve always been able to laugh at myself, so I’ve got that going for me
But really, talking about arthritis was never something I was fond of. Growing up I pretended I didn’t have it. I was in middle school when I was diagnosed, and we all remember what middle school was like . . . it’s awful. You’re changing, you’re figuring out who you are and what kind of person you want to be, boys are starting to look pretty dang cute, and the last thing you want to deal with is something people only associate with old people.
So none of my friends knew I had it. The closest ones knew that I had something, but they might not have known all about it. I wasn’t about to tell them, either. In high school I got a little better at it. At least a few friends knew what my trips to the Children’s Hospital in Seattle were for.
I had to grow up quickly because I had to learn to take care of myself, something most people don’t learn about until after college. I had to learn to listen to my body and figure out what it needs, which is something most people never learn how to do.
But as time went on and I began to understand my life and what the heck it is I want to do, I became more comfortable with it. My RA doesn’t define who I am, but it definitely has helped me become the person I am today. It affects every aspect of my life, whether I want it to and whether people notice or not. But I do not let it keep me from being who I want to be, which is what I feared it would do when I was that girl in middle school.
What I have learned from my many years of life (har har), is that what helps most is knowing that there are other people out there with RA living fantastic lives. And more than hearing about others’ experiences with pain and the struggles they’ve gone through, just simply knowing someone can live with it and stay upbeat and positive is an amazing gift.
Like I said before, I’m no where close to perfect. But I do make the most of what I’ve got! And I’m not here to be a motivational speaker, I’m just here to share a little piece of my life with you and hope that it might inspire you to keep your chin up and power through it! Okay, I sounded a little like a motivational speaker just then. It won’t happen again, I promise.
I’ll be telling stories about what living with RA is like for me, a young woman still trying to get my life together. I’ll talk about my experiences with different medicines, diets and lifestyle changes that I’ve gone through, struggling with pain and how I attempt (and many times fail) at managing it, etc.
But on top of that I’ll also talk about the other things in my life. Things that keep me positive and sane, like comfort food (oooh yeah), my hobbies, my little family and the numerous adventures and shenanigans that I go through for the sole purpose of entertaining you, my readers. It’s only just begun, my friends! Stay tuned.
Guest Blogger Bio
Name: Lyda C.
Homebase: Bellingham, WA
Blog: http://lydaclark.blogspot.com
Diagnosis: Rheumatoid Arthritis
