Helen King is a longtime Arthritis Foundation volunteer who has made a significant impact locally (Eastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey) in the fight against arthritis — and is a new member of our national board of directors. Here, she talks about the Foundation’s pain management strategy.
By Helen King, King of Prussia, PA
Last spring, I was pleasantly surprised to be asked if I’d be interested in joining the Arthritis Foundation’s national board of directors. I was. And I was voted in by the full board this past summer. What an honor and privilege this is to me, after volunteering for the Foundation locally over the past few years.
I was diagnosed with acute onset, and aggressive, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in 2014. I didn’t expect this sudden diagnosis, and it felt like a death sentence at the time. I pictured myself being immobile, wheelchair bound and worse. I’ve also been diagnosed with osteoarthritis, degenerative disk disease and spinal stenosis. I underwent spinal surgery several years before my RA diagnosis. Perhaps that’s when my RA started developing. We’ll never know. Learning I had RA was a tough blow, and I didn’t know where to turn until I found the Arthritis Foundation.
加入关节炎基金会是我回馈社会的一种方式。在过去的几年里，我自愿成为白金大使，大声疾呼，帮助制定新的法律，使医疗保健更负担得起，更容易获得。我带领着我们当地的“步行治愈关节炎”团队，自2017年以来，我们已经为关节炎研究和资源筹集了大约30万美元。I’ve led local and nationalLive Yes! Connect Groupsto help bring our community closer together, especially during the pandemic.
That’s how it all started. And it’s why I’ve immersed myself in the arthritis community. This is a genuinely supportive family. It’s such a great support system of people you meet along the way as a volunteer. I know I’ve made an impact on people locally. And I’m just so grateful and humbled to now give back on the national level. I can bring even more of the patient perspective into the mix as the Foundation’s pain management strategy comes to life. That’s what I’m excited about.
From my view as a patient: I’m really glad that the Arthritis Foundation is puttinga special focus on pain managementover the next few years. Pain permeates everything, and it’s very individualized. If you’ve never lived in chronic pain, it’s kind of hard to understand how it can seep into every part of life. It impacts you socially, financially, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Living with chronic pain every day changes who you are.
Pain can affect your mental health and your ability to sleep well. It can lead to depression and anxiety. I think it’s great that the Arthritis Foundation’s strategy encompasses the mental health side of pain, which needs to be recognized and focused on. I don’t think most people, including experts in the medical community, realize the extent of depression and anxiety that can accompany chronic pain.
I’ve learned that managing your pain is a layered experience. It’s multi-faceted for me. Maybe just one thing won’t take away your pain. Yes, it’s diet. Yes, it’s exercise and sleeping better. Yes, it’s pharmacological if need be. Each layer can help. It’s a multi-layered scenario that arthritis patients need to know more about. I love the idea that you can focus on short-term goals throughVim, the Arthritis Foundation’s new app,我经常使用它来取得一些进展，一次一步。也许最好的是，如果你愿意，你可以和其他像你一样的人联系，分享技巧，互相鼓励。
Holistically, the Arthritis Foundation’s stake-in-the-groundpain management statementis a huge focus area going forward. When talking with so many different people with many forms of arthritis in recent years, I often hear them say the pain aspect is diminished or forgotten. That they’re not heard when they go to the doctor. That they’re not heard by policymakers and other decision makers.
重要的是要明白这是关节炎基金会的优先事项。它一直都在那里，但现在它正以更大的方式受到关注。关于关节炎运动的一切都必须牢记疼痛这一点。要知道，我的董事会成员和我都在支持你，因为基金会关注关节炎患者的头号抱怨:疼痛。我很荣幸能代表你成为全国委员会的新成员。我很感激有这个机会在更大的舞台上产生更大的影响。
Helen’s tips for living your best life with arthritis:
1.) Find your tribe
Seek people who can support you through your bad days and be there to celebrate with you on your good ones.
2.) Be proactive in your health care
Advocate for yourself. It’s not about your doctor telling you what to do, it’s about partnering and learning how to talk to your doctor to get the best outcome.
3.) Practice self-care
A lot of women are bad at putting themselves first. But it’s important to do something that feeds your soul. For me, it’s volunteering and giving back.
4.) Keep a positive attitude
We all have down days. By no means am I flying through this without getting depressed or gettingtiredof being in pain after 3 days of a flare. I just try not to get stuck there.