Dan Pero
March 7th, 2008
I write this having just returned from my quarterly check up. My rheumatoid arthritis is in remission and has been for over two years. Like I said, a miracle.
Almost eight years ago, when my son was a year old and my daughter just a few months old, I was diagnosed with this hideous disease. It hit quick, in a matter of weeks. Like a freight train. And it was bad.
I couldn’t raise my arms over my head. I spent every evening with ice packs on my shoulders to reduce the swelling. My fingers were so swollen they had no definition. Nodules had started to form on my wrists and knuckles. My left knee ached so much I often had to sleep with it propped on a stool. At times I slept on the floor because it was impossible to get comfortable on a mattress. Walking was like stepping on needles. Special shoes didn’t help. I was miserable. (more…)
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Lois Jenkins
December 21st, 2007
I love spending time with my family, especially my daughter and my grandchildren. Taking care of my family and looking after my own health are major parts of my life.
I suffer from high blood pressure, diabetes and chronic arthritis in my back due to multiple surgeries I have had on my back. My various conditions require me to take more than 12 different mediciations on a monthly basis. Things are even more complicated because some of my medications cannot be taken at the same time due to harmful effects from the combination of the drugs. When I lost my insurance I was unable to afford my medicines and was afraid to ask for help. To make matters worse, my mother passed away around the same time that I lost my coverage. It was truly a difficult period for me.Since I was without coverage, I had to rely on my personal finances to pay for my medications. With some of my prescriptions costing more than $300 a month, budgeting my finances became a major stress in my life. My finances were stretched extremely thin and the stress made me unable to function. (more…)
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Virginia “Ginny” Drummond
November 21st, 2007
How I’ve dealt with my health issues seems like a story filled with many chapters. I’m dealing with many different health issues right now, including emphysema, allergies and cholesterol problems. I also have arthritis, and WITHOUT MY MEDICINES I can tell you, I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO GET OUT OF BED… (more…)
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Heidi Benz
September 28th, 2007
My name is Heidi, and I live in northwest Mississippi. I have been disabled for 10 years now. My disability started with a car crash back in 1997. My car was hit head on by a speeding dump truck that did not have any brakes. Due to that accident, I under went three back surgeries, as well as surgery on both shoulders and both knees. During the treatment for my injuries, one of my doctors ran a bunch of blood tests and found out that I had Lupus. Lupus is an autoimmune disease that causes swelling and pain in my body. The pain I experience from Lupus is in addition to the pain I already encountered because I suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, as well as arthritis caused by my injuries. Then about six years ago I was told that I have Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy. Struggling with all these issues was difficult enough, and while seeing a psychiatrist for depression, he had me take this test that showed him I am Bipolar. (more…)
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Jami Spray
September 11th, 2007
I have been living with Rheumatoid Arthritis for 20 years. Coping with a chronic disease and its effects can be trying at times. The disease can be manageable with the help of the Lord as well as through doctors, medications, family and friends. But recently the threat of losing my medication caused me great concern and stress. You see, I was laid off and I lost my group health insurance as a result. Finding comparable yet affordable individual health insurance seemed to be impossible for someone like me with a pre-existing condition.Thank heavens I saw a commercial on TV giving a toll free number to call (1-800-4PPANOW) for prescription assistance for underinsured and uninsured people. I called, and in just a few moments I was relieved to find out there was help for me. (more…)
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Judy Fontenot
September 6th, 2007
I’ve had arthritis for 16 years. You know, in the winter, you go out one day to help cut firewood, and then you are stuck in the house for two days because you just can’t move because it just freezes your joints and freezes your body. I lost my husband in 2000, and it turned out I lost all my insurance and all my medicines, my prescriptions. It was hard. I was mad at the world. And I moved to Oklahoma, actually on September 11 of 2001, and I couldn’t have the surgeries or the medicines I needed. I could not afford it. And I also developed carpal tunnel syndrome, and some days it brings you really down because you can’t even pick the babies up. Then I got on the Partnership for Prescription Assistance, and I was so happy, when I got my medicines, I thought I could go dancing again. Well, I can’t really do that, but it helps a lot. It has helped me do some things with my grandkids. It has really, really helped, and I don’t know what I would do without my medicines. I take 11 different medicines every day, and they let me live the kind of normal life that I want.
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