HOW I KEEP GOING.

“We don’t know what’s going on.” These were the words my rheumatologist told me last Tuesday. To most people, these words from a Doctor can be shattering. For me, it is something I expected. I have been dealing with a swollen right hand for five months now, and I figured maybe I should see my doctor. Like many people, I will wait until I’ve tried numerous efforts to make the issue I am experiencing go away, and that day came for me. Hearing “we don’t know” from a Doctor was not something new for me. Although what I experienced at this Doctor’s visit was a bit disappointing, it is something I expected. I have been seeing a rheumatologist since I was fifteen years old, and since then, my health has been up and down. During the climate of the world right now and the pandemic, COVID-19 has made feeling positive more challenging than regularly. As someone living through life with a chronic inflammatory disorder, every day is something new. But when this is coupled with the unknown of COVID-19, the dynamic of how one handles day to day life changes. However, one thing remains constant, you. According to an article by Carol Eustice “Coping With Rheumatoid Arthritis: Attitude Makes All the Difference,” having a positive attitude contributes to one health both physically and mentally. Whether this is your first time or many times around the sun, keeping the trust, hope, and faith in yourself and in the advancement of medicine, someone will figure it out, and by having that way of thinking will make everyday go just a bit better.