Why AP?

I feel I need to elaborate on how I came to choose AP as my treatment. When I started having joint pain and swelling I wondered if it was "arthritis". I didn't know there were several types of arthritis. I knew basically nothing about it. I remembered a beautiful woman in church who had some kind of arthritis that had twisted her fingers and toes. I had hoped that wasn't what I had. I did a quick search of RA and thought, I don't think I have that. I prayed I didn't have that. So when the Rheumy told me he didn't think I had RA but Reiters Syndrome, I was walking on air. Reiters is temporary. Thank you God. That was before the blood work. The blood work said I did have RA. Xrays are good. A little osteo-arthritis in my right knee, but wrist and hand look good.

I wasn't too pleased with the blood results. Alright God, not good news, but I know I can do anything as long as I keep my faith in you. I took to my computer again and read as much about RA as I could. I got books about it. Then I started reading about the different drugs and drug cocktails used to treat the symptoms of RA. I read about their side effects. They were all toxic. We're not talking just a little nausea (which is bad enough) but serious issues with these drugs. Some may slow up the progression of the disease but none will stop it. People on the support group sites were sharing their trials with all these drugs. My heart was so heavy with grief for the young men and women and teens with RA. Each person's story, of any age, was so heartbreaking. There was so much pain and little to no relief. They were barely able to function. They were all going from one drug to the next trying to find the magic bullet. I will say they all are so brave and are to be admired for their courage in fighting this disease and working, going to school, taking care of children or living the retired life with their spouses. They don't give up, even when they feel they can't go another day.

I just felt so discouraged. I didn't want to poison my body and possibly induce other serious ailments. I didn't want to lose days or weeks of my life recovering from nasty side effects every time I took the med. I didn't want to go from one drug to another in hopes of finding one that worked or my body wouldn't reject. But then again, I didn't want to vegetate in bed or on the couch because I was in too much pain to move. I didn't want to lose the use of my hands, wrist, shoulders, or not be able to walk because of the pain in my knee. I was afraid if I didn't take the drugs and at least slow up the progression of it, I would lose joints altogether. I can't afford joint replacement. I felt like, if the RA doesn't put me in an early grave, the drugs will. A real Catch 22 situation.

God, what do I do? I'm so scared. This is the biggest trial of my life. Like I said before, I cried. I prayed a lot and still do. I just knew there had to be an alternative. I believe it was God who led me to The Roadback and AP. Having said that, there still was that fear of leaving the tried and true methods of treatment for something that isn't widely practiced. What if I'm not truly hearing from God? Well, He hooked me up with Leslie, who was researching AP too, and we discussed it a lot. In fact, we both go to the same AP doctor. It's not as scary to walk an unknown road when you have someone to walk it with you. As soon as I made the appointment, I had peace. It was the right thing to do. I still do believe it is the right thing to do. I believe this is the pathway God is using to my healing. I know He could heal me this instant if He wanted to, but for now, this is His plan and I praise Him for it.