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unionville woman copes with arthritis unionville resident marion clark tells her story living with arthritis i have been living with rheumatoid arthritis forabout 25 years this disease usually strikes in the prime of life be tween the ages of 20 and 40 and more often afflicts women than men my first warning of the dis ease was painfully swollen wrists which made my career of teaching school difficult and exhausting with special care and extra rest my dis ease went into remission for a number of years the disease reappeared with a vengeance after my last son was born this time my wrists feet and knees were very swollen and the pain was excruciating life at this time was very difficult for my husband and myself with a young family that needed my help and attention many days i was unable to get out of bed and other days it was a painful and exhaust ing experience to get down the stajrs to make breakfast it was at this stage of my disease that my doctor sent a physiotherapist from the arthritis society into my home she instructed me on how to give myself hot wax treatments daily and exer cises to use with the treat ments she also made soft inserts for my shoes to make walking a little easier she suggested many different ways that i could make my household chores easier and made time in my schedule for much needed rest to combat the con stant fatigue that plagues arthritis victims this wonderful service was a godsend to me at a time when it would have been very difficult to get to a hospital for this type of help for anyone who thinks they may have arthritis my first suggestion is to act im mediately and see your family doctor an early diagnosis is the key to successfultreat- ment treatment that is now available can prevent or re duce disability but the dis ease cannot yet be eliminated completely the family doctor may re fer you to a rheumatologist who is familiar with the latest treatment available to help the 115 types of arthritis to date there is no cure for arthritis but research is mak ing it possible to find out more about its cause i hope that the future will hold a cure for the four million canadians who suffer from this painful dis ease the contribution from our campaign will be used to make people more aware of the help available to them and to generally educate the pub lic about arthritis for more information mar- kham office 4755678 ross or dorothy gilbert 2943568 thornhill leone kalm 889- 0516 or jack derry 8894582 unionville marion clark 477- 2459 diane baker 4471936 littleknown arthritis facts a correct diagnosis is the found ation of proper treatment and only a physician is trained to make that diagnosis an early diagnosis is the key to successful treat the earlier the diagnosis the better the final re sult will be treatment is now available that can prevent or reduce disability but most forms of arthritis cannot yet be eliminated completely be ware of any individual or orga nization that promises a cure or instant relief they may be more interested in your money than your problem known treatment measures are effective they are based on sound scientific research and have met international stan dards do not rely on the latest fad in the hope the disease will go away your success in fighting arthri tis will be determined by more than just the treatment your doc tor prescribes you arethe most important part of your own treat ment team become involved and follow your prescribed treatment program faithfully medications axe your responsi bility your doctor will prescribe them but it is up to you to make sure that you take them as advised never change your own dosage or take more or fewer of them without consulting your doctor never take anyone elses prescription no matter how well it is working for them never mix offtheshelf medications with prescription drugs without first talking to your doctor ask questions and learn as much as you can about your dis ease an informed patient usually suffers fewer fears and is less likely to try to cure the disease on his or her own using untested medicines and devices the warning signs pesistent pain and stiffness af ter getting up in the morning uncommon pain tenderness or swelling in any joint especially if it is accompanied by fatigue un explained weight loss or fever recurrent or persistent pain and stiffness in the neck lower back knees wrists or hands especially if there is no obvious reason any recurrence of these symp toms especially if they involve more than one joint or joints in different parts of the body weekender september 19 is p53 dont ignore symptoms of arthritis in canada almost 4 million peo ple have arthritis and 75000 of them are under the age of 14 people who experience an aching joint often delay seeking medical care and such behavior may actually be harmful symptoms of arthritis include persistent pain and stiffness on arising pain tenderness or swelling in one or more joints pain and stiffness in lower back knees or other joints tingling sensation in finger tips hands or feet unexplained weight loss fev er weakness or fatigue early diagnosis and prompt medical treatment can alleviate pain and prevent disabilities in four out of five patients september is arthritis month and the arthritis society is laun ching a major campaign to edu cate the public about this painful disabling disease garage bike sale sept 27 the markhamunionville chap ter of b nai brith women are hold ing their third annual garage and bike sale next sunday sept 27 from 9 am to 4 pm at 273 main st unionville proceeds from the sale will go towards the markham stouffville hospital fund the arthritis society wishes to thank these community minded organizations for their support 8515 mccowan rd at hwy 7 4715050 pctrckahada petro canada car wash 4780 hwy 7e markhamunionville 4772003 mcdonalds hwy 7 at mccowan rd markham ontario betters butty lit shop j 120 main st n markham store hours uom closed tutsoay i 005 00 wednesday 006o0 thursday t co8 00 f rioay fl oob 00 saturoay 7004 00 crothersbigv drugstore 100 wellington st west at galsworthy markham phone 2942800 hours monday to friday 9 am 10 pm saturday 9 am to 7 pm sun holidays 10 am 6 pm unionville big v drugstore 4721 highway 7 east at unionville bypass unionville phone 4794044 hours monday to friday 9 am 9 pm saturday 9 am to 7 pm sun 4 holidays 11am- 5 pm 8b insurance brokers 59 main st n markham 2940722 service to the community for over 40 years stouffville district credit union limited 96 main street west stouffville ontario l0h 1l0 6402811 the credit union btotfsto you and mjr iliw4h vn bqfiiiwn topgggmnntttg northtown texaco 241 main st markham 2943479 home of the free car wash per sasoline fillup uldjwjjjhlhmi stouffville stockyards ltd flea market farmer market every saturday sunday hwy 47 stouffville 6403813 spademans waste removal frwoiv ii li v 6401870 gsuffyjjjeg since 1936