Our first New Member of 2010

Hi all,

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and is getting back into the swing of things in the New Year!

We’ve been off to a busy start here in membership with 10 new members already. Our very first new member of the year was EleanorJ who kindly agreed to have a chat with me about her experiences of RA and how she came to join NRAS this year.

Eleanor’s rheumatoid arthritis started, as will be familiar to many of you I’m sure, as ‘just a few aches and pains’; easily dismissed as just a bit of inevitable osteoarthritis at the age of 51. But Eleanor quickly went from a few achy fingers and feet to feeling unable to get out of bed in just a month. A trip to the GP later and she was luckily rapidly referred to a consultant and diagnosed; starting treatment straight away. All the while she was still working, but finding it difficult to explain to colleagues and friends, and in a lot of pain.

After a nice long break over Christmas and starting to get the disease under control, Eleanor is looking forward to returning to work soon. She has taken up aqua-aerobics, and finds this and some physio exercises everyday really beneficial. Eleanor also keeps active with trips to the gym – a popular new years’ resolution with many of us I’m sure!

She is looking forward to having a good read of all the information on our website, and to chatting with other NRAS members on the forum; saying that the support of friends and others who understand what she’s going through is invaluable. So please say a big ‘hello’ if you spot EleanorJ on the forum!

Best wishes for the New Year,

Sarah, Membership Assistant

Remember to tune in for the NRAS Charity Broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 17th January at 7.55am