Hey guys, I’ve not been working much lately because Ronja’s come down with Rheumatoid Arthritis a few weeks ago, and it’s gotten severe quite quickly. I’ve been looking after her because she’s got the joint mobility of a 90-year-old, and that’s no joke.

Basically Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disease that swells up and stiffens your joints, eventually leading to massive permanent damage. It’s mostly middle aged women who get it, but it’s not rare in younger people either. It’s incurable, but treatable, so regular medication will usually keep it under control, with only a few side effects if you’re lucky, and most patients will have mostly normal lives. If left untreated, you’ll end up with misshapen hands like the ones I posted yesterday.

Ronja’s starting her medication now, so she should be well enough to look after herself soon. The last few days have been incredibly painful for her, but her joints should loosen up in a day or two and our lives will hopefully be back to normal soon, except for the regular visits to the doctor.

So that’s about it. We’re interested to hear from you if you know anyone with RA.