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(WZAW) -- Imagine not being able to hold your newborn baby or being thrown into a vicious cycle of unemployment through no fault of your own. Thats the reality for many of the 54-million Americans living with arthritis.

Arthritis is the number one cause of disability in the United States. The results of one the nations largest assessments of people with arthritis, called A Mandate for Action, reveals the devastating physical and emotional realities for those living with arthritis.

Some of the shocking revelations from the survey include:

- Physical Pain: 100% of patients registered pain so significant it effects their day-to-day lives, causing major lack of mobility and chronic fatigue. And not the kind of pain that can be easily managed, but significant pain that is disrupting sleep, causing isolation and leading to depression and anxiety.

- Life-Altering Emotional Effects: 72% reported having trouble doing all usual work including work from home.

- Gap in Quality Care: Only 57% of patients report being able to get the help they need during their healthcare appointments.

Comedian and TV host Matt Iseman lives with rheumatoid arthritis. He shared his story living with the chronic condition on NewsChannel 7 at 4, along with Cindy McDaniel, the senior vice president of consumer health for the Arthritis Foundation.

Its been almost 20 years that Ive been living with rheumatoid arthritis, but it was the first 18 months that were the most devastating, because thats when the disease started taking over my body, Iseman said.

Iseman went on to say that the pain started in his right index finger but eventually spread to the other joints in his hands, his feet, neck and back.

I was also fatigued. I was sleeping 10, 12 hours a day and still felt like I had no energy. I became a shell of myself," he added.

McDaniel said emotional pain can often equal the physical pain of the disease.

People become socially isolated, they become depressed, theres a lot of anxiety. Part of the assessment looks at these effects, she said.

Once Iseman got his diagnosis and on a treatment plan, he said he got his life back. Since then, hes been working with the Arthritis Foundation to be an advocate for the 50 million Americans live arthritis to get treatment and a better life.

For more information, visit http://www.Arthritis.org/Insights

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TV host and comedian Matt Iseman says he was a "shell of himself" living with arthritis - WSAW

This entry was posted on March 10, 2020 at 7:49 pm and is filed under Arthritis. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |