I thought I had pins and needles – but I was terrified to learn my bones could turn to dust

WHEN Elle Wilson woke up with ‘pins and needles’ in her hand she thought she had slept on it, and just put it out of her mind.

It lasted for a few hours then went away, but a few weeks later, Elle, then 24, started to worry when her fingers began to go red and swell up, causing her pain.

Elle Wilson/Make The Headlines

Elle Wilson, 24, was struggling to get up and do everyday tasks because of the pain in her hands, wrists and feet[/caption]

Elle Wilson/Make The Headlines

Elle was diagnosed with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis – which she worried could turn her bones to dust[/caption]

The pain moved into her wrists and feet and lasted a few months, becoming more frequent. She said: “The pain became debilitating.

“I couldn’t do normal things around the house – and I even had to get my boyfriend Adam to help me in the bathroom.”

She struggled to put her coat on or squeeze a tube of toothpaste – but what she thought was maybe a minor injury was actually crippling seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Elle said: “When I was first diagnosed, I felt my whole world crumble. 

“I was riddled with anxiety and I feared for the future while experiencing the most unexplainable pain, so much so I couldn’t even lift my arms up or get out of bed.”

Seropositive RA is a condition Elle, now 27, from Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear, hadn’t even considered due to her age.

She put off seeing her GP until 2020 when the pain became unbearable and began affecting her ability to walk and talk..

Now she is raising awareness of the condition, which affects as many as eight in 100,000 people aged 18 to 34, as she doesn’t want others to suffer for as long as she did.

Elle said: “An immune system protects the body against viruses but for me and people with rheumatoid arthritis, our immune systems go into overdrive and it attacks itself.

“Medication needs to be aggressive and if you don’t have any treatment, it gets to the point where all your joints seize and are not able to work anymore. 

“If I wasn’t on medication and I kept letting it attack, it would eventually turn my bones to dust.

“I was completely scared to learn all of this because although I had loads of support around me from my loved ones, I felt like I was on my own.

“When I was diagnosed, my rheumatologist gave me a website to look at but it only had elderly people on it and I was 24. 

“I’m usually a private person, but once this happened, I decided to open up and have found comfort in the online community. 

“I have a bond and a connection with others going through it.

“I’ve met so many amazing people and I’ve had people reaching out to me to thank me for helping them. Now, I really do feel confident that I can battle arthritis.”

Elle first started experiencing pain in her fingers in December 2019, but it would go after a few hours, so she thought nothing of it.

But over the next few months, it got progressively worse, and Elle was unable to leave the house, which seriously affected her mental health.

Her fingers would swell to double their normal size and her wrists would hurt, but Elle still thought it might have been down to an injury or sleeping in a funny position.

BARELY STAND

Then, in January 2020, Elle was struggling to do everyday tasks, such as lifting a kettle, and she knew she needed to seek help from her GP.

She was working in a nursery but was struggling to do her day-to-day tasks as everything was painful. 

Elle said: “I was in tears and I said to my mum, if there was no cure I wouldn’t want to live because it was no life.

“It put everything into perspective and I really thought about what I wanted, but I also feared for my future.

“I had a phone call with my GP in March as it was lockdown. He said it could be an inflammatory arthritis and sent me for a blood test.

“Doctors knew something wasn’t right as my inflammatory markers were off and my rheumatoid was high.

“I was transferred to the rheumatologist at the hospital and waited for my appointment.”

But Elle’s condition took a drastic turn. She became so unwell she couldn’t walk, and struggled to talk due to the pain in her jaw – she used a crutch as a walking stick as she could barely stand.

The day she was due to see the rheumatologist two weeks later, she woke up with paralysis on her left side. 

Her arm was lifeless and she worried there was something wrong with her brain. 

Elle said: “I deteriorated so quickly. I couldn’t do anything. I had to have constant support when I was out of the house.

“I just didn’t have any way to explain to anyone what was going on and because I looked fine, it was really difficult for others to understand.

“Family, friends and my partner were really supportive, but we were all just at a loss at what to do because I was just getting so poorly and every day I was just getting worse.

“At my appointment, the rheumatologist immediately diagnosed me with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis and prescribed steroids and medication to help the pain.”

Elle was given lots of information about the condition which she felt was “overwhelming” and she felt as though she had gone “into shock”.

But she felt completely alone as had always thought arthritis was a condition only elderly people get.

When Elle’s boyfriend had to help her in the bathroom and she was at her lowest, she decided she wasn’t going to hide away, but wanted to talk about what she was going through.

So she started an Instagram page @rheumatoidarthritis_andme to share how she was feeling and to help others.

Elle said: “I don’t want anybody else to be diagnosed and then feel how I felt because it was the loneliest I’ve ever felt. 

“It’s by far been the best thing I’ve ever done. I have so many messages from others who are going through it too – we all support each other and it feels as though we’re not alone.”

Elle is now able to get around more easily and can sit, stand, walk and talk with “minimal pain”.

She has been prescribed strong medication including a biologic and methotrexate (a low dose chemo) and she injects her 40mg dosage every few weeks at home. 

She has experienced a lot of side effects, including weight loss, and she has to eat really carefully as she can get unwell easily due to her immune system being weak.

“I can’t put into words how different my life has been since I started taking the medication. 

“Although I still have my painful days, I am nowhere near where I was and I hope this gives those who are suffering hope that it does get better as I am living proof of this.”

Elle added: “If I could literally help people with RA as a full time job, I absolutely would. I’m so passionate about it and about raising awareness.

“I have always wanted to be transparent and my page is very authentic to show the severity of arthritis, how it affects my life and how it really doesn’t discriminate.” 

Elle Wilson/Make The Headlines

Blood tests revealed just how bad Elle’s arthritis is – her body essentially attacks itself[/caption]

Elle Wilson/Make The Headlines

Elle, now 27, is able to move around much better thanks to treatment and wants to help others with RA[/caption]