The young doctor and Rheumatoid Arthritis
Throughout his life, Chris Barnard struggled with Rheumatoid Arthritis. He was diagnosed with Arthritis in 1956, during his post-graduate training in Minneapolis, Minnesota. At first, Prof Barnard dismissed the pain he felt in his legs, rationalizing it as pain caused by a pair of skates that he had borrowed to go ice skating in. Eventually, once the pain started to affect his joints, Chris decided to consult a rheumatologist. After numerous examinations and blood tests, the specialists gently broke the news that Prof Barnard had been dreading: the diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis at age 30.
Rheumatoid Arthritis – The Immune system disease
What is Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disease that affects the whole body. The disease causes the body’s immune system to mistakenly attack the joints of the body. This causes inflammation, which in turn causes the tissue which lines the inside of the joints to thicken. This ultimately leads to swelling and pain in and around the joints-which is often felt throughout the limbs.
His day to day struggle with Rheumatoid Arthritis
Chris believed that for one to be good at their profession, they should have a hunger for work. By 1983, when Prof Barnard was forced to retire, the pain of his joints robbed him of that hunger, causing him to make excuses not to operate.
A great problem with RA is the damaging effects it has on cartilage, as well as the bone itself. By 1983, the pain had spread from his feet to his hands, neck, hips, shoulders, knees, wrists, and even tendons and muscles. He had to wear a special brace for his feet (metatarsal bars)- which avoided placing tension on the balls of his feet. Due to his public status, he was often badgered with cures for his arthritis. Some offered advice on how to avoid an “attack” while others sent him concoctions.
