“I’m feeling as good as I’ve ever felt since being diagnosed": Keri’s journey to feeling well with rheumatoid arthritis

Keri, 35, is a part-time teacher from Northern Ireland. Being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis during her third year at university had a huge impact on her life, but she is now feeling good after finding the right medication.   

Keri tells us about her journey towards feeling well, the benefits of exercise, and how the Versus Arthritis community has helped her. 

“My body at the time felt like it wasn’t mine.” 

“I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in 2010. I was in my third year at university in England and was training to become a primary school teacher when I first noticed symptoms.  

My body at the time felt like it wasn’t mine. It was taken over by rheumatoid arthritis. I was in extreme pain and every joint in my body felt stiff and swollen, which limited my mobility.

I was able to carry out the academic aspects of my degree, such as writing essays, but I needed to complete a final teaching placement to finish my degree. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do so because I was too unwell, so I couldn’t graduate that year with the rest of my peers.  

It was a real struggle to manage daily life. It was hard seeing my peers graduate and get jobs. I felt stuck. My life was on hold.   

I ended up moving home to Northern Ireland and eventually graduated two years later after finishing my teaching placement in a school here. I had fantastic support from my lecturers, family, friends and rheumatology team. 

“I was able to start working again.” 

“In 2019, I began taking the biologic Tocilizumab via an intravenous (IV) infusion. I started to feel my condition improve.  

It’s done wonders and is working a lot better than any of the other drugs I’ve tried. I no longer need to take prescribed painkillers or steroids. Obviously, I’m not perfect and I’ll still get the odd flare-up or niggle, but I’m doing a lot better.  

I was able to start working again. [Now, I work] part-time in a tuition centre and have been doing so for nearly two years. In the future, I also hope to start supply teaching again. At times, I thought I would never be able to pursue teaching again, so it has been great to be back! Being able to use those skills again is wonderful. 

I’m also able to be more independent now, not having to rely on my family just as much to do things for me. Before, my family used to have to lift me up out of a chair and wash my hair. Things have improved.

“I realised that I could decrease my stiffness by getting up and moving and going on short walks.” 

"I went a year and a half at one point without my arms straightening properly, but now thankfully they do straighten (due to my medication and doing flexibility exercises).

I made myself move my arms and did some of the chair-based exercises that you can find on the Versus Arthritis website. I realised that I could decrease my stiffness by getting up and moving and going on short walks.  

Versus Arthritis helps you connect with others who have a similar condition. Being able to ask others for useful tips and tricks on what helps ease their pain is a great help. I find heat helps to ease the pain in my joints, whether it’s using hot water bottles or heat patches. 

“It was great to meet other people who understood what I was going through.”  

“Versus Arthritis has helped me loads. When I moved back to Northern Ireland, I attended a Versus Arthritis self-management course and started volunteering with the charity shortly after that. 

I’m still very involved with the charity, carrying out different volunteer roles. I was chair of a support group here in Northern Ireland for many years.

I’m now on the Volunteer Engagement Group and I am involved with the Patient Voice role, where we speak to healthcare professional students in local universities. It gives them an insight into what it’s like to live with arthritis and the impact it has."

We’re here to help  

More information about our Northern Ireland services, including local branches, community groups and self-management courses, can be found here.   

We also have lots of resources to help, you find an exercise routine that works for you. You can:   

• Try Let’s Move with Leon, a 12-week programme of 30-minute movement sessions designed to help you improve mobility, posture, balance, cardiovascular and respiratory fitness and strength. 
• Join our Let’s Move Facebook group, a space where people share their experiences of staying active when living with arthritis.  
• Sign up to our Let’s Move newsletter to receive advice and top tips on how to stay active with arthritis.