Human stories, why are they important?
Everyone has a story the world needs to hear.
Human stories have the power to change the world.
My story is not about arthritis or the cure thereof – it is a story about pain and what enlightenment it brought me.
To give perspective to my learnings from pain – I want to share my experiences of the past 57+ years.
I believe aiming upwards and forwards in every aspect of life has given me purpose and has been my alternative to demise.
Left: Jumping at the lone tree with the lone man in Damara land, Namibia 2018
1964-1984
During my childhood years, I was the family’s healthiest child. If there was chicken pox going ‘round I had a single blister; instead of being sick with the mumps for a week I had a fever for 2 hours; I never had a day off sick from school – I actually received a certificate at the end of primary school.
Running, cycling to school, horseback riding, and swimming – were all part of my “normal” daily life.
In 1984 I started my B Com accounting degree at TUKS, and something unusual happened – I contracted a glandular infection, though the cause couldn’t be identified, I was put on antibiotics when my temperature kept going up.
Six weeks after this ordeal I woke up one morning with a very painful right shoulder which I couldn’t move. It was literally pinned to my body. I wasn't able to lift it, not even to write and I was in the midst of my first year’s exam!
No painkiller; none of the physiotherapy or pain creams I tried, made any difference or brought relief. This was just the beginning of a nightmare of pain. The pain spread to my hands, feet, hips and knees.
The next three months I shuffled to my classes while doctors were baffled.
Then, I read an article on RA in COSMOPOLITAN magazine, and there were all my symptoms including the fact that younger people in the US are being diagnosed with this disease.
(Today over 300,000 young people under the age of 20 have Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)).
It took a simple but specific blood test to determine I had RA and I was set on a new life course at 19. The rheumatologist wasn’t very sympathetic and told me I should prepare myself for years in a wheelchair.
Identifying the problem didn’t give me hope – I was living with a feeling of hopelessness; I had constant pain and felt trapped in my circumstances.
What followed included visits to Chinese doctors, homeopaths, nutritionists, self-teaching (I have a library of hundreds of books on any aspect I thought might help), fasting for weeks on end, acupuncture, vitamin and mineral mega-dosage, vegan diets, cleansing diets, and psycho-therapy when finally, after three years, the RA went into remission.
This respite allowed me to complete my degree and start a career at our family business – Annique Rooibos Health and Skin Care.
1988-1992
The years of reading and studying and researching alternatives to mainstream medicine gave me an alternative perspective, and put me on a new path to assist in research, marketing and training on Annique products. During my 27-years at Annique I developed some significant formulations I am very proud of – products like Miracle Tissue Oil; ZeroAche and Zerotox; ResQue Mist and ResQue Crème; many slimming and diet products as well as unique herbal teas combined with Rooibos*.
*Order these and other beautiful, healthy and rejuvenating Rooibos products with my direct link:
In January 1993…
6-weeks after my daughter, Annalize was born the RA returned with a vengeance, and I endured for three months, to breastfeed. I could barely walk, and as my daughter grew, I struggled to hold her and couldn’t carry her around. So, I quit breastfeeding and took the painkillers.
And again started my journey to find an alternative solution to the pain, the disease, the condition.
Over the next two decades, I’ve gone for chelation drips, PRP (plasma rich platelet) drips, stem cell drips and agreed, under duress, to take cortisone and biologicals.
The one biological caused massive hair loss, breast cysts, and blood circulation problems – my toes were turning black after 12 months.
The stem cell drip was successful in repairing the damage the cortisone and biological did to my eyes, skin, liver, kidneys and cysts in my breasts, but the RA remains.
By 2015 the disfiguration of my hands and feet were far-reaching, and I had to consider surgery to replace
and repair the joints.
On this photo with my mother, it is noticeable how I am not able to use the left-hand for a proper hug.
I avoided surgery through the years because surgery was followed by a flare-up of the arthritis. The logical explanation for this is – if the body is assaulted in such a manner, the immune system goes into high alert to repair the wounds and damage caused. Unfortunately, this transpires into my immune system responding to include the cartilage of my joints, and it won’t stop until there’s no more cartilage left.
2017-2018
In October 2017 I went on another undertaking to reacquire my mobility by first replacing the joints of my left hand. The procedure was successful, and I have regained the use of my hand.
The full story: Coming Soon
This was followed in January 2018 by surgery to both feet – and again, I am so thankful that I have my mobility back – a real miracle.
In July 2018 I received my right hand’s first step to improving by fusing the thumb and beginning with occupational therapy to straighten the ring finger.
After each surgery, the RA flared, but I beat it down with cortisone – ignoring it while it was in full flare-up and going for the next operation. I knew it was coming and I still went ahead – stopping now was no longer an option.
Unfortunately, the RA didn’t remain my only challenge – in 2017 I was diagnosed with Neutropenia.
During the past 3-decades, the suppression of my immune function in an attempt to control the RA resulted in Neutropenia.
This meant I have become very susceptible to infection, but my RA remains, regardless of my crippled immune function.
I’m not attempting to explain the mechanisms of RA or neutropenia or the immune system but to express my understanding of what helped me survive chronic pain on a day to day basis.
Here’s what I discovered during my journey with pain:
Maintain your momentum in all dimensions of life...
Your physical body is reliant on movement. We measure positive progression from when a baby first stands (up) and gives a few steps (forward) – it is one of the first and most important milestones of life.
If I wasn’t able to move in the mornings I just had to put one foot on the floor, then the next – then go downstairs for coffee! Today, I try to move every joint at least once a day. Every single toe, finger, vertebrae, etc. If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.
Expand YOUR radius. Don’t compare yourself to others, do what you can to improve your situation.
Maintain the momentum – it’s much easier to build on yesterday than having to restart every Monday morning.
Your intellectual well-being can expand or shrink depending on what you “feed” it – soap operas vs reading; news vs art; negative vs positive people. You only have to be a better you – no need for chess tournaments unless that’s your forte.
Your physical body is reliant on movement. We measure positive progression from when a baby first stands (up) and gives a few steps (forward) – it is one of the first and most important milestones of life.
If I wasn’t able to move in the mornings I just had to put one foot on the floor, then the next – then go downstairs for coffee! Today, I try to move every joint at least once a day. Every single toe, finger, vertebrae, etc. If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.
Expand YOUR radius. Don’t compare yourself to others, do what you can to improve your situation.
Maintain the momentum – it’s much easier to build on yesterday than having to restart every Monday morning.
Your intellectual well-being can expand or shrink depending on what you “feed” it – soap operas vs reading; news vs art; negative vs positive people. You only have to be a better you – no need for chess tournaments unless that’s your forte.
Keep learning – you need to be the expert on your own challenges.
Research new experiences – how about a visit to the library? Use GOOGLE sparingly or smartly – it can actually damage your IQ. About reading and research in a nutshell:
Read the references in Wikipedia and quote them;
Read actual books on the topics that interest you;
Go to page the later pages/least read pages of your Google search;
Challenge the experts who give you advice – get them to explain in ways you can understand – finances, banking, crypto (yes, it's a thing) and your healthcare, medication, treatments, etc.
Finally avoid negative, complaining, depressing and critical people – you can do only so much to save yourself, the world is not yours to liberate.
Social structure – one needs to interact in a meaningful and mindful manner with other people for mental and physical health – connect or die!
We are the people we surround ourselves with. Try this little experiment: write down the five people closest to you (apart from family) – then take their fitness level, income, IQ or weight and divide it by 5 – you are the average of the 5 people closest to you!
Build a social structure you can contribute towards and from which you can draw life-enhancing qualities.
Friends are about how they make YOU feel about YOURSELF and not how you feel about THEM.
I repeat…. avoid negative, complaining, depressing and critical people – and if you find you're that person, take some time out to regain your equilibrium before you destroy a valuable relationship.
It almost goes without saying that the spiritual life we lead suffuses all other aspects of being.
Practice an active spiritual life. It could be in the form of prayer; meditation; charity; devotion; love – it is a state of being and not an emotion or a dogma.
Dump regrets and grudges – they undermine the spirit and keeps it trapped in fear and hatred.
Your spirit will survive this life, yet it is dependent on the health of your mind and your body.
I know aiming upwards and forwards in every aspect of life has given me purpose and has been the alternative to demise.
Comments