Rheumatoid Arthritis Unmasked: 10 Dangers of Rheumatoid Disease

Love her advocacy for a silent population. Tha k you for writing this book!

I want to say, first, that I applaud the author for wanting to bring attention to these issues, and educate both doctors and patients. Way too often doctors are misinformed or uninformed about anything outside the 'norm' they were taught in medical school (what they remember of it) - which may have been 20+ years in the past, and.... patients believe what they're told by their doctor. This book contains important information, and it includes some serious footnote-age, providing the receipts needed to backup all of the points made. So those are the 4 stars.I deduct 1 star for the following:.5 stars for the fact that although the majority of the book is about all the reasons why we should change RA to RD, it is supposed to be about the 10 dangers of RA/RD... I kept reading and reading, wanting more 'meat' about those 10 dangers but just kept getting more about why the name should be changed. By the end of the first chapter, the author was preaching to the choir. I already agreed - yes, the name should be changed, 100%. But I want to hear more about those 10 dangers..5 stars for not enough information about those 10 dangers. (Yeah, I kind of already said that. See how repetition dilutes the message?) How does CVD manifest in an RD patient? How about lung disease? What are the symptoms we can look for and use to pressure our primary care to refer us to a cardiologist or pulmonologist? There's mention that cancer is a problem for RD patients, but ---- there are a lot of kinds of cancer. Which ones? And are they related to immune-suppressant use? How do the skin rashes etc cause problems? It's the 10 dangers and how to ameliorate those dangers that I wanted.. I was sufficiently interested in the remainder of the book - and admiring of the authors work, passion, effort, and footnotes to give the 4 stars, but... I really want a book about those 10 dangers. Hopefully the author will publish that book at some point, because I'd love to read it.

It was a long time coming, but it is worth the wait! Kelly O’Neill Young has just hit a game-winning home run with her first book! And I LOVE it!I am a PRD (Person with Rheumatoid Disease) and a nurse. My mother died from RD-related conditions, as did another woman in our family. This is a vile disease, but even viler is that too many of the people who care for PRDs do not know or understand the intricacies of the disease. I “met” Kelly Young as I was searching for more information about my disease. I discovered my mother’s disease and another member of the family’s disease as well as my own. Kelly had found medical articles explaining just how awful “Rheumatoid Arthritis” is as it moves through the body affecting many other systems and organs.As a nurse, I was excited and stimulated to do some more in-depth study of my own. But Kelly anticipated me at every turn and made my research easier.The disease frequently is not diagnosed in a timely manner because not enough people know the early signs of Rheumatoid Disease (RD – formerly Rheumatoid Arthritis [RA]), nor do too many understand the need for early referral and treatment.With carefully documented facts, Ms. Young explains to both medical professionals and to PRDs and their families how RD starts and develops. Part of each chapter is a medical review with many references from refereed medical journals. The other part of each chapter explains in plain language for the layperson what the information means. She seamlessly joins both parts of the chapter so that the reader doesn't really notice the shift.Among other nuggets of information: “Investigation of the evidence reveals a dangerous and complicated disease that is not limited to joint inflammation (arthritis). (Young, Kelly O'Neill. Rheumatoid Arthritis Unmasked: 10 Dangers of Rheumatoid Disease (Kindle Locations 1179-1180). RA Patient Insights, LLC. Kindle Edition.)For those who want to know the realities of Rheumatoid Disease, those realities are noted and discussed. Pain, disability, and the life-threatening aspects of rheumatoid lung disease and rheumatoid heart involvement are all gone into in depth. Then there is cervical spine involvement that is present so frequently it has been suggested to use as a sign of Rheumatoid Disease if other signs are not present.The Mask must be removed to reveal the fact that “Rheumatoid Arthritis” is not just a disease of the joints, but is a disease the affects multiple systems of the body. Ms. Young makes it plain that Rheumatoid Disease is not the arthritis experienced by many as they grow older, but is a life-altering and life-threatening, multi-system disease. Hopefully, the Mask will be removed and RD will be diagnosed early and appropriate treatment begun so that those of us with RD can live a life with a semblance of normality. Rheumatoid Arthritis Unmasked: 10 Dangers of Rheumatoid Disease

... a helluva lot as it happens! This book concentrates on other so called 'co-morbidities' of rheumatoid disease which are actually symptoms and often undermined/side-lined by the insistence on calling it rheumatoid 'arthritis'. It is not medically connected to osteo arthritis nor confined to older people but an auto immune and systemic disease which can destroy multiple joints, cause chronic fatigue and pain and affect heart, lungs and eyes in people of all ages. Kelly's point is patients' other symptoms are often denied, ignored or trivialised by professionals and public as not matching up to a pre-determined and outdated set of criteria and diagnostics which concentrate on certain joints only. Defining it as 'arthritis' has a massive impact on early diagnosis, funding and public perceptions of the disease, amongst other things. I highly recommend this book to anyone who suffers from this disease and their loved ones: it is essential reading and vigorously researched. It may make you feel better the next time someone less informed tells you to 'use it or lose it'! I am fairly obviously, a recent sufferer myself so may be biased but found this book and her website invaluable armour against all the often well meaning but trite assumptions about rheumatoid disease. Highly recommended.

Some areas of the book where hard to read because of the medical content and terminology. Non the less, I read because this whole book was about me. I have Rheumatoid Disease. This book has taught me that what I am experiencing other people are experienced the same things too. I am not mad by thinking certain things are connected. Every thing made sense by the end of the book.I now have a better understanding of my disease, what I am experiencing at the moment and what I may experience in the future. I am far better equipped mentally to deal with it now. I have asked questions to my rheumatologist and to the nurses but often get vague answers that didn't correlate to the way I was feeling. I am far more able to pick up on things and deal with them before they cause problems now. I also understand why I need a healthier life style to ensure a longer life. I wish everyone would read this book especially my Rheumatology consultant then maybe they would give us more information and deal with the problems that are causing the most concern to us rather than pressing my already sore joints which I can deal with and ignoring my stomach problems which is causing me the greatest problems. Thank you RA Warrior

Strips away all doubts and confusion around the debilitating disease which RA is, opens your eyes to the significant effects this awful illness has on all of your body and not just your joints. A very honest and without doubt the most informative read currently available and the level and depth of research makes this book a must for not just us sufferers of this disease but to anyone related to and for friends of those with RA but for the medical profession too. RA should be redefined as RD, Rheumatoid Disease. Having read the book I feel far more empowered and aware of what other problems I am having and have experienced prior to joint problems. Quite simply the most informative book available and I feel mentally stronger to cope with my illness having read this fantastically written and researched book.

I find this book a very mixed up and difficult read so I’ve put it away. It was giving me a headache!!

Excellent and clear account of the disease and the difficulties of diagnosis.It is particularly good on the variable nature of this systemic disease and how many health professions only see it as a disease of the joints not an auto-immune disease affecting the whole body.