FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM AUGUST 2, 2018 • HEALTH • THE QUEENS COURIER 53
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Reaching your personal goals with a chronic illness
Janet H., a wife and mother from
Alabama, had many things to celebrate in
her life - two beautiful children, a wonderful
husband, her dog Falco, and a rewarding
career. She was proud that even with
all of this, she was able to achieve her personal
goal of staying active. However, she
was diagnosed with a chronic disease the
week before her 40th birthday.
Janet enjoyed moderate exercise, so
when she began to have persistent joint
pain and swelling in her knees, she suspected
it was from an old injury. Aft er
initial visits with an orthopedic specialist,
she was referred to a rheumatologist who
diagnosed her with moderate to severe
rheumatoid arthritis (RA) - a chronic,
autoimmune disease of the joints.
“I remember thinking that if this is
what 40 is like, I don’t know if I can handle
50,” she says. “I wasn’t sure how RA
would aff ect my life.”
Unfortunately, this story is all too common,
as RA impacts approximately 1.6
million adults in the United States. Many
living with a chronic condition like RA
can feel that their life is put on hold
while trying to manage their symptoms,
doctor’s appointments, and the daily
demands of life. Working toward personal
goals can be put on the backburner, but
does it have to be?
With her rheumatologist, Janet was
motivated to fi nd a treatment plan that
could help relieve her RA symptoms
before being prescribed XELJANZ®
(tofacitinib) 5 mg twice daily tablets, an
oral medication for adults with moderate
to severe RA in which methotrexate
did not work well enough. Janet’s rheumatologist
reviewed the potential side
eff ects of XELJANZ and explained that
it is taken twice daily and has a BOXED
WARNING for serious infections and
malignancies.
Within three to six months, Janet felt
improvement in her RA symptoms and
found herself thinking about ways to
become more active. She spoke with her
rheumatologist and, together, they came
up with exercise goals including yoga
classes, cycling, and walking her dog with
her husband and children. She also says
one of her biggest milestones was walking
her daughter down the aisle and gaining
a new son-in-law.
Eventually, Janet even worked with her
rheumatologist to switch to a once-a-day
version of XELJANZ, called XELJANZ
XR extended release tablets.
Here are some of Janet’s tips to help
someone living with a chronic illness
work toward their personal goals:
Plan ahead: Living with a chronic condition
can put a pause on spontaneity.
Plan ahead when it comes to things like
travel or big life events to allow ample
time for adjustments and preparation.
Partner up: Find a signifi cant other,
friend or sibling who can join you on
your journey toward reaching your goals.
Sometimes living with a chronic condition
requires extra support from others,
so having a partner to plan with can help
make that support seamless.
Consult your doctor: Before considering
any new travel or physical activity,
make sure to consult your doctor. Discuss
your plans and how you and your doctor
can work together to help ensure you can
meet these goals.By following these tips,
Janet says that she has been able to better
manage her RA and have more time to
focus on her family, friends and herself.
“I hope my story can help other adults
who are living with moderate to severe
rheumatoid arthritis and inspire them to
Courtesy BPT; content supported and provided by Pfi zer
share their stories,” she says.
To learn more about XELJANZ/
XELJANZ XR, a treatment option for
moderately to severely active RA, visit
XELJANZ.com.
Courtesy BPT
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