Update on My Rheumatoid Arthritis -- New Treatment, New Hope! 

My mom was diagnosed with RA when she was 30 - the year I was born. I have a lot of memories of sitting in the rheumatologist's waiting room as a kid for her treatments and lab work. I remember everyone had advice for her and none of it was based on science and the well-meaning people became an issue. While there's still no cure and it's an absolutely awful disease, I'm so glad that we've come so far in both the science, medicine, and psychology. Chronic illness often brings depression and my mom was from an era where that wasn't acknowledged or discussed and I really wish it had been. So keep talking, keep taking care of yourself, give yourself grace, and know that we give you grace, too. Do what you need to do for yourself and your family. Your openness is going to help so many people. Much love to you and your family.

Those of us with invisible chronic illnesses must support one another & continue to (do whatever it takes to) take care of ourselves above all else. Solidarity! Thanks for sharing your positive example.

I was diagnosed with RA at age 30 and I'm almost 50 now. It is such a painful and frustrating condition. I also work out when I can. Sometimes my body needs rest and I am learning to give her what she needs. Just like my hair, I've learned that I need to listen to her needs and give her grace on the days she is unable to (which isn't easy at ALL). I have also found that meditation and sound healing is very healing. I am praying for you and everyone who suffers with these autoimmune conditions. 💗

Courtney, I was dx with MS in 1995 and was told I’d be in a wc within 5 years. Guess what, I’m still walking! Stand strong and take the very best care of you that you can. Thank you for sharing ❤️

Courtney, Thank you for your vulnerability. My prayers are with you as you walk through this challenging season with RA. Sending you virtual hugs.

Courtney, I'm so sorry you have RA. I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder 10 years ago and totally understand what you mean. You're in my prayers.

Praying for you, Courtney 🙏🏼 ❤. RA is hellish! I know you have Him with you, all the time. Keep relying on Him and at the same time we all sure hope this gets A LOT better relief for you!

What a smart young woman you are! Thanks for shining thr light on thise of us who are teyijg to live our lives the best we can eith thr uncertainty of random pain and flares and fatigue on a day to day basis.

Courtney, Bless YOU! Thank you for sharing your story and being so honest. Mine mirrors yours in many aspects. I am just starting my journey on finding out what doctors can do about this disease. I have had it for over 20 years and just dealt with it as it gets worse and worse. I have had 2 frozen shoulders, and the worse case of Shingles my Doctor had ever seen while on this journey of chronic pain. I look forward and am hopeful to find some relief, because I still have so much to do in this life of mine. I too feel lost if I am not in control of every possible thing that could happen. And within the last 2 years I have turned back to Christ.....because it feels right and I am also learning much on that journey too. I thought everyone felt this pain and it was just what happened when one gets older. Mine started in my mid to late 30s and now at 57 is 24 hours of pain that never goes below a 4 on the 1-10 scale. My flares have recently changed from just attacking the joints to attacking the muscles, organs, and eyes. And yes in the last year I have shoulders that are in constant pain. but I just pushed thru while munching on Ibuprofen. If you find any thing that does help as you did this bath.....please share....you are appreciated and I am sorry that we share this condition. In my journey if I should find anything that works I will be sure to share with you. I remain hopeful because it is better than the alternative. Oh...I have to have orthotics in my shoes.....THANK GOD for them. Otherwise I wouldn't be walking today. And yes I have noticed how the stress pushes it over the edge....of course it would. Because with RA our bodies are already in an attack mode and when we put stress (the fight or flight mode of the adrenals) on top of the TCells going wild it is a recipe that lands me in bed and munching on 6 IBPFN just to be able to hobble to work. Thanks again! And thank you for having a good attitude....it is the best thing we can do!

My family and I have been dealing with autoimmune diseases and inflammation for years. Everyone in my family has thyroid diseases and coeliac disease... except for me. We began receiving treatments from a clinical nutritionist who said we all had WAY TOO MUCH inflammation in our bodies as well as copper toxicity. I nearly developed an autoimmune disease - due to inflammation - but caught it intimw due to the regimine our nutrionist had us on. In combination with the supplements, we removed *ALL* gluten from our diet as well nearly all dairy and sugar. We consumed large portions of protein and healthy fats. It really worked wonders for me. We also use all natural household and body/hair care products as much as possible. I have prayed that God will sustain you during this time and heal you if that is His will. Keep pursuing Him and rest in Him!

Thank you for sharing. I have psoriatic arthritis and when I have a flare up I can’t even move some days. I’ve always had that “lazy” feeling because I’m only 30 and I look “fine”. I’m sorry you’re dealing with this!

God bless you Courtney. Thank you for sharing your battles and your wellness journey. Thank you for sharing your faith too. I will add you to my prayer list.

Courtney, thank you for putting yourself and your disease out there, especially for those who don't suffer from a chronic illness. I pray that this new treatment will be the one! Not sure what those of us with chronic conditions do without being able to rely on our God.

Diagnosed with RA and PsA in 2018. It’d been a heck of a ride. Thankfully my rituxan infusions keep me functioning

My mom’s RA was triggered by her Mirena IUD insertion. When she had it removed her symptoms were manageable again, thankfully! I was diagnosed with Crohn’s when I was 17, so I think the autoimmune gene is applicable in our family! Good luck with your treatment, I’ve been working on mine for many years!

Ugh. I’m so sorry you’re going through this, Courtney. I have a chronic illness as well and some days are just bad. Today is one of those days for me. My symptoms decided to flare up in the middle of the night. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us and for being a voice for people with invisible conditions. I hope you feel better than ever very soon!

I'm so sorry about your dog. I was just diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder after 3+ years of doctor visits. Hearing your story helps me to not feel so alone. Thanks for keeping us updated and for sharing your experiences.

😢Praying for a miracle for you. As a nurse I have witnessed them. Never give up and God bless you and your family. Keep doing your videos we all love you and admire your faith.🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Continuing to pray for your healing, and for your journey along the way. I have also found that stress is a huge trigger for my autoimmune condition, and i believe even correlated with the onset. Lots of love

I am so sad to hear that you and so many who have commented are struggling with R/A. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you. Thanks for sharing you struggles.

You are a blessing! Prayers for you, Courtney ❤❤

Praying for you, Courtney. I love this video.

Thank you for sharing this with us. Praying for you! ❤❤

Thank you for making this video! I hope you’re having success with your new treatment. I was diagnosed with seronegative RA in 2019, and it’s pretty severe as well, and I’m in my thirties. I’m on my 7the medication and I have had 2 months in the last I don’t know how many years where my markers were down, now they’re going back up. I have blood work every month, and feel you on the pin cushion syndrome. Stress is definitely the worst thing and will completely start a flare up if you can ever get out of one. I also have issues opening things and have tons of little gadgets that help. I actually found your videos by way of the curly girl transition , because for years my hair was shedding and thin and my medications were killing it. My new medicine helps, but also the care I’m giving my hair does as well. Completely love that you live out loud for the Lord in such a respectful way! This is a lot for someone you don’t know in SC, but you’ve got someone praying for you over here!

You are so inspiring. Great mindset.

My grandma, who I'm extremely close to, has RA. I grew up seeing what it will do to hands and joints. I'm so sorry you have to go through that. We love and appreciate you. ❤

You are such a beautiful human being. Huge hugs ♥️

Thank you so much for sharing your story ❤

Thank you for sharing this! I am in a flare up with my autoimmune thing today (overdid it at work yesterday) and watching this helped remind me we aren't alone. Sending prayers up for you!

Man I am so sorry you have to go through all this, your amazing attitude is so inspiring though ❤ love you sister, I'll keep you in my prayers! Also I am so sorry about your doggy, that is so hard. Sending hugs and prayers!

Hi Courtney, I’m new to your channel. I have very wavy hair so I’m always looking for ways to deal with it. I usually wear it straight, but some times I will allow it to be wavy. Humidity is my enemy. My hair gets even more wavy and frizzy. Thanks to the information that you share here, I now have options to try. My heart goes out to you Courtney. I can’t even imagine having to deal with RA and trying to be a wife and a mom to two little ones. I can absolutely relate to what you’re experiencing. I stated showing signs of my rheumatic condition when I was 15. It’s very uncommon for someone at that age to have my type of arthritis particularly a female. It wasn’t until I was almost 20 when a new rheumatologist came to Dallas (I’m a native Texan) and was aware of a blood test that would finally provide a diagnosis. But the fictitious did test me for all sorts of conditions … almost 20 tubes of blood was taken that day. Yuck! Until then, I saw a series of doctors including a neurologist who told my parents that being a teenage girl it’s just hormones or it was all in my head. I’m very lucky that my parents didn’t believe him and kept trying to get me help. After my diagnosis, I was put on various anti-inflammatory meds and disease modifying meds that would suppress my immune system hoping that my body would stop fighting its self which meant that quarterly blood tests were needed to ensure that I was still fairly healthy. I was pretty active as a teenager and even in my later years … I’m now in my mid 60s. Several years after I was diagnosed with my type of arthritis, my dad was diagnosed with RA as well as the same type of arthritis that I have so he got a double whammy. Bless his heart, I know how much pain he was in. We saw the same rheumatologist so we often went together which I think helped our doctor to document our similarities and our differences as we both got older. I would get cortisone shots in various places on occasion and so would my dad, but he was also get gold shots too which did seem to help him. Anyway, you’re absolutely right that stress has a big affect on our bodies. For me, the weather also affects me. Any time the barometric pressure changes regardless if it rains or not, I have a flare up. I have my quarterly appointment with my rheumatologist coming up next month and he had mentioned that I might want to see a functional medicine doctor. I was busy with other things and didn’t give it too much thought, but hearing what you’ve been going through perhaps a function medicine doctor could help me as well. Over the years, my doctors have tried just about every possible, I figure it can’t hurt to talk with a functional med doctor. I’m a Christian too and although I know I should, I don’t always turn to my Bible first when I’m in a lot of pain. I just want all of my heating pads turned on and if I have to … a pain reliever. I’m currently studying Revelation. ✝️. BTW, I also have a horse. Getting a horse was a life long dream of mine and didn’t happen until I was an adult. I just ride for pleasure. I got Jessie when he was four. He turned 19 this year. Other than a couple of really minor mishaps with him and I (which were my fault) I have not had any issues with him. He was “green broke” when I got him so I found a really good trainer that actually trained both of us. I hope to get back to riding some day soon. Riding my horse again is what keeps me going. 🤠 🐴 I pray that you’re feeling much better very soon. Please take care of yourself. Two things I’ve learned while dealing with my health issues, ask for help when I need (not easy for me to do) and when my body says “enough” I need to rest or truly suffer the consequences. Sending you a Texas size hug. God bless, Janet

You are in my prayers. 🙏🏻

Courtney, I am praying for you to have way more good days. God bless you.

Blessing dear. I believe in my heart you are helping people, this is important for others to hear.

Thank you for sharing about this, keep us posted!

Hi Courtney, I am so sorry to hear that. I hope you get better soon and I am so sorry about your dog. It breaks my heart how you are still so positive and smiling when we all know how much you are suffering. All the good wishes from Germany.

Wow. Thank you for telling us all this. That’s a lot you’ve gone through in 4 years. Plus babies. I hope for good results with the new Treatments. On another topic, your videos are done very well. The production is high level. There is a lot of attention to detail. Thank you for all you do.

Oh, Courtney! I totally get it. I have severe fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, and inflammatory arthritis. Chronic pain is a huge challenge. I pray that you find the treatment that works for you. ❤🙏🦋

Thank you for sharing your story. You are stronger than you realize and give us inspiration! I hope you can find some prayer warriors close to you. Praying for you to find relief, peace, and purpose in this journey ❤❤

Thank you for sharing your journey. You are such a trooper. ❤

I'm sad to hear this. I took a moment and lifted you up in prayer for healing and blessings. God bless and stay strong. ❤

Thank you for sharing your story. I was diagnosed with autoimmune disease myself and understand the struggle, especially with chronic inflammation. Praying for healing and strength 🙏 ❤

The strength that God has given you is wonderful and healing, Courtney! I’m going to be keeping you in my prayers that your RA can go into remission and for your recovery. God will guide you on your journey with Him. Thank you so much for sharing your story. 🙏🏼

You are beautiful, amazing and powerful! Sending you Grace and Peace.

So sorry you have RA. I was diagnosed in 2005 after tears of not knowing what was going on. I hope you find some relief and a great treatment regimen soon. I have done several meds in my journey. Take care of yourself and listen to your body. Good luck on your journey.

Many prayers for ease and healing for you, sweet lady. Bless you for being brave and sharing your woes and your love for our Creator. God is good. 🙏💖

I just love you! I also cope with autoimmune disease and it stinks. Praying you get this flare under control again. I also just recently lost my dog and immediately had a flare. I knew it would happen so I was prepared with all of my comfort tools lol. Continue shining your light girl!!

Courtney, I am so sorry that you are going through this difficult season and this autoimmune disease. You are a such a joyful, sweet and giving soul and my heart goes out to you. I also have an autoimmune disease that really zaps my energy badly but it’s still nothing like what you are experiencing. I am also so sorry for the loss of your beloved furbaby. I have seen him sneak into several videos over the years and it has always made me smile. He was a beautiful boy. It’s so very hard. I am old enough to be your mom, and I have kids your age, but I love watching your videos and love your upbeat positive and faith-filled personality. You’ve taught me so much. I found out that I had wavy/curly hair and not just big, floofy, temperamental weird, bendy never stayed straight hair in 2020. After 50 years of blow drying to straight every single day, I had NO IDEA what to do or how to do anything with my new (real) hair. Your channel has been such a gift to me! I love checking in with you and seeing what you are using and trying and up to work your hair and your life. I am sending you great big hugs and a whole lot of prayers. I am trained in homeopathic medicine and other alternative medicine and sometimes when you get to the root cause you absolutely feel worse before you feel better. It’s called a Herxheimer reaction. Hang in there. Getting to the root cause is going to be so much healthier than suppressing and silencing the symptoms. I am sending you love, light, strength and healing. And so many prayers. Keep smiling! So many people out here are supporting you and loving you, including me. Big hugs!!!!🤗😘

I have been watching your channel for about two years now. Thank you for always sharing about your faith and being obedient to the holy spiritual. Although I don't have RA I have been in a very tough season throughout the last couple of years. This video was what I needed to hear tonight. I will be praying for healing for you.

I too have RA, but didn’t get it until I was in my 60’s. I feel fortunate that I lived most of my life without it. This is a tough disease and I pray you will get relief soon.

Hi Courtney! Thoughts and prayers being sent your way! I don’t have RA, but I’ve experienced other health issues that I won’t get into here, but the struggle is real!

I was recently diagnosed with lupus so I can empathize with some of the challenges you are going through. I’m so sorry and sending you prayers. Please don’t feel pressure to keep doing curly hair videos. I really appreciated your video on your RA and welcome seeing more videos on your journey if that is something you are considering.

Praying that you are helped by this new medical person. Chronic pain is very draining!

Thank you for sharing your story. I also have the worst type of RA and currently seeing how I can do without the biologic. I'm having similar symptoms to you. I'm also a Christian and totally understand the things you're talking about. Love your honesty. It's actually really helpful. Trusting in God for all of it x

Thank you for sharing your story. As someone 1) with chronic illness that limits mobility 2) who is a medical professional (pediatrician) I know that hearing about other people who are struggling, but still living their best lives can be a game changer. It may seem like splitting hairs, but most Family Physicians are a little sensitive about this (with good reason). In the US, we don't have "General Practioners" -- at least, not any more, and not anyone who accepts insurance. A GP completes medical school, does a year of internship in a hospital, then hangs out their shingle as a physician. In some states you can still get a license after your intern year, but I'm unaware of any insurance company that will reimburse a provider who hasn't completed a residency (a minimum of 3 years of training in a specific specialty such as Family Medicine, Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, OB/GYN (4 years), Surgery (5 years), etc. For the most part, when people talk about general practitioners, they are referring to Family Medicine physicians.

Thank you for sharing your story. I have vitiligo which nobody knows anything about and doctor thinks another autoimmune lurking but can’t pinpoint what. I feel great for months and then just crash out of nowhere. I understand your frustration. It’s also a breath of fresh air to see someone not afraid to be themselves and not afraid to share your faith. You are a beautiful bright light. My prayers are with you and hopefully someday soon will find a cure

Praying for you. I don’t have RA but do have a hyper mobility disorder that can cause those crazy days when you literally don’t know if you can even get out of bed. Thanks for your honesty and I am so grateful that you are transparent about being a Christian. We know where our strength comes from!

🩷🩷 big hugs little Momma. I will pray for you. Your witness of joy and endurance in such a fiery trial is amazing but you please ask for help when you need it ❤

Courtney thank you so much for sharing your story and I really hope that those going through this are able to see this because it's so important. You are amazing, living with a chronic auto immune condition is so hard, we all love you and your content, much love ❤️ x

I really wish more people talked about how amazing exercise for helping not just physically but mentally. I don't have a formal diagnosis yet but I had joint pain & inflammation since December. Strength training on the days I can makes so much difference for my spirit. Your arms are look amazing! ❤

Oh Courtney, I’m so sorry to hear you’re going through so much. I’ve dealt with lupus/RA/Sjögren’s for years. We flare and don’t know why. We also go into remission and can’t figure out what we did. I’ve found prayer prayer prayer gets me through. What I have realized is I wake with a quarter tank of gas and pain pain pain where others don’t. Grace for self on bad days and celebrating the good days is helping me. Hey, CONGRATULATIONS on doing this video today! Will be praying for your detoxing 🙏🏽

Hugs Courtney. It’s horrible having auto-immune and invisible conditions. The peak of the worst days makes you feel so useless, hopeless, angry, depressed, and all those feels. I know those days where you can’t even get dressed and then the days when you plow through a day getting every possible thing done in order to take advantage of a good day. Taking care of yourself is always the first priority, you cannot take care of anyone else if you don’t put yourself first. Sending you love and hope that the new treatment helps you move into a different zone. ❤❤

Sweet, sweet lady, I wish I really could hug you and as a fellow Texan, bring you some really good enchiladas and a margarita if you still drink any alcohol. Your body might be diseased, but your spirit is healthy. I know older people with RA and I have seen how they have suffered. I can’t imagine how incredibly hard you are fighting at such a young age and with small children to care for. I am very sorry that following a keto/carnivore diet didn’t improve things for you at all, but I think the exercising and maintaining as much muscle as you can is a very common sense tactic that surely will help long term. Keeping your faith and trusting our Lord has definitely got to be making a difference too!! Thank you so much for sharing this update and for your honesty in sharing the frustration and overwhelm you are feeling. I hope you and your doctors discover a wonderful breakthrough for you soon. I’ll be keeping you in my prayers. ❤

I have no words of wisdom to offer, so instead I'll say that you're not alone. I have psoriatic arthritis, and suffer in many of the same ways, so I'm right there with you. Stay strong and do whatever you have to do to take care of you. 🩷

Hugs right back at you Courtney. God bless.

My thoughts and prayers are with you Courtney. My mom had bad rheumatoid arthritis and she was in constant pain and she rode her exercise bike every day for many hours. I have fibromyalgia and exercise helps me as well and an epson baths. I’ll be sure to try the detox bath. Again, my thoughts and prayers are with you. 🌹♥️🙏

I'm so sorry to hear about the pain you are going through. Thanks you for being so vulnerable and sharing your story. I pray that your new functional medicine protocol will give you some relief and slow or reverse the progression. I'm so glad to hear about you drawing closer to God and reading his word. My sister and I are reading our way through the entire Bible, and I find myself looking forward to reading more and more each day. I know that you mentioned already trying the dietary route for treatment. Not sure what you've tried, but I just wanted to mention the Autoimmune Protocol Paleo diet and the Wahl's Protocol, just in case you hadn't tried either one. Wouldn't hurt to research them, if you haven't already. Thanks for continuing to make wonderful content, and I will keep you in my prayers!

I’m so sorry you have this health condition. I am in a similar place but with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome - also degenerative, also progressive, also chronic, also for the most part invisible. I love your spirit and energy and sometimes I just watch your videos less for the haircare than because your personality and approach to the camera and your chosen subject cheers me up. (Though I do have wavy-curly hair too!)

You're amazing, Courtney. I'm so sorry that you are dealing with this. A functional medicine doctor helped me massively in diagnosing and healing Lyme disease and mast cell issues where conventional medicine did not. Ultimately I know that God's hand was behind the care that I received and in my healing, and I am praying for your healing and encouragement as well. ❤

You are so brave. I cannot say more. ❤

Courtney - your authenticity and vulnerability are inspiring. I will be praying for you. I have not been called to walk through the same trial you have, but I did go through breast cancer at a fairly young age when my my son was just 6 years old. In that time I experienced God's steadfast love in a way I never had before. While I would never choose the path I was given, I would not trade the ministry that God gave me through the struggle. The God of the mountain is the God of the valley... there's not a place his mercy and grace won't find us again. (I love it when you wear the Graves into Gardens shirt). You have been blessed with a platform to encourage many. The seeds you sow will bear much fruit. Thank you for your sweet spirit and kindness. Looking forward to seeing how God works for your good and for His glory.

Courtney, this was so good (in every way). Thank you for getting deep and vulnerable with us. I love your practicing surrender. I also tell myself in challenging situations "it is well with my soul". God's got you in the palm of His hand. He knows exactly what you're going through. I'm thankful for you, and your faith. You have and continue to inspire me. Sending love & prayers.

Your faith is absolutely the best thing for you and I’m so glad it’s so strong and something you can really lean on. The surrendering is where it’s at. That said, let me throw in another thing you can try/look into. Nutrition Response Testing, usually done by a chiropractor. It sounds crazy but when doctors couldn’t help my chronic skin issues and sometimes made them worse, NRT was the one thing that helped, but it takes time. It seeks to address the root causes of things not just the symptoms so it can be a process to peel back all the layers. It’s costly and not for everyone because you have to go in with an open mind and sort of surrender to the process. I just thought I’d let you know about it. Thank you for sharing your story. You are in my prayers 🙏 Keep the faith!

“Rheumatoid arthritis is not your grandmother’s arthritis, unless she has rheumatoid arthritis, then it is”. I cannot stop laughing. I empathize with your rheumatoid arthritis, I have PsA, and I’ve also tried the diets, and also no reduction in inflammation. I am currently on biologic number eleventy billion, but this one works! I still have pain, but it’s so much better than it has been. I am so interested in the functional medicine approach. I look forward to hearing positive results from you soon. I hope it works for you.

i promise you, i never think you look crusty. it stinks when there's only so much you can control. its also pretty scary. im glad you have prayer to ground you and such a good team. thank you for being so vulnerable. take care.

Thank you for this video!

Thank you for sharing your story. God bless you Courtney. So happy to hear that you are spending time with the Lord, in the Word, every morning. It does make a difference on how the rest of our day goes & our mental health. I know if I miss a day in the Word, it does effect my mood, negatively. I usually do it in the morning, if I don't, I say, I'll do it later. But later never comes.

As usual, I'm late to this video. You are so right about reading your Bible. I honestly try to do this nightly. Your detox bath mix sounds lovely. I, like a lot of your subscribers, have an autoimmune disease. I almost cried when you talked about losing your dog.. two years ago I ended up in the hospital from complications from my disease. I almost died from sepsis. The only thing I believe helped me was the power of prayer and my belief in God. I was sent home after about 7-8 days, missed 7 weeks of work. I thand God for my job and my coworkers. While I was home recovering, one morning I got up from a nap and went outside and found my little schnauzer had passed. She was laying there sleeping, or so I thought. I picked her up then realized she was gone. To say I was heartbroken is an understatement 😢. So I completely understand why you would be stressed over your dog. I'm tearing up now and she's been gone two years. Any way, back to the autoimmune stuff. That was in 2022. It took me till the end of 2023 to finally almost feel better. During this time, my hair was falling out by the handfuls, I lost 30 pounds in 6 weeks, not healthy. I only took meds my GI recommended. Slowly adding a multi, a hair vitamin, and just added a probiotic, and a high protein diet for about 10 months now. Fast forward to today: I have gained all my weight back plus some lol. My hair just stopped falling out, I don't remember when. I do a full body weight training twice a week. To say I'm grateful to God for guiding me back to feeling better is also an understatement. I, like you am a Christian and read my Bible a lot. I've had a couple of flairs, i can usually find the culprit from something I ate. I eat pretty much the same thing every day. I'm sorry for rambling and you probably won't see this. But i will pray for you. I'm blessed because at the moment I'm in remission, but I can't let my guard down. I pray that your medical team will help. Good luck and God bless 🦋🌹🙏

Courtney you are in my prayers! This new protocol will work !!! You are talking all about me !!!!! I have been in a biological medication that has changed my life for better. Do I still have bad days with pain? Yes !!!!! But the episodes will be further and further apart!!!! Your positivity is already a medicine so you are already 1/2 way through . You will get some relief ❤❤❤❤

Such a brave and honest video. It is human nature to want to seek out causality, and like you said, to want control. The flip side of that can be a way of blaming. It is not your fault you have RA. You cannot will yourself to wellness. Understanding of the mechanisms that underlie autoimmune diseases, and treatments are evolving all the time. Try not to future cast. Hold hope, keep faith. With time and experience, you will know even better how to nurture and support your body through flares. Some folks find they flare more in the heavier allergy seasons, like fall and spring, possibly because their system is already set on high alert. Some folks find recovery from viral illness is a big trigger (hello back to school ick). Also, there are a huge number of tools that can help you accomplish what you want, with less pain and joint stress. There are electric can openers/cap openers, or even things like lever door handles instead of knobs, ect. that can make functioning in the harder times easier. Use tools to save your energy for those sweet kiddo's. You are doing such a great job navigating something incredibly hard. Thank you for sharing.

Blessings to you, Courtney, as you navigate your condition. Certain this video was one you weren't really sure about sharing. Never know what others have going on, and your cup with such a young family is full. May God lay his hand on you each day as you are trusting Jesus to sustain and bolster you. 🙏❤

I was tested for it at 16 after sudden onset of horrible symptoms. I over the next 20 years my body continued to struggle until I finally found out I have severe levels on mold toxicity and chronic inflammatory response syndrome. Severe pain and seizure like movements. It stinks but I am starting to be able to tell I am I one the right track. I know we have different issues but I will be praying you find relief.

I’m really glad that you have a functional medicine doctor! I would love to try that route, but there aren’t any where I live. And the sensitivities I’ve developed over time mean that I’m scared to try new meds. I’m even allergic to the mint in toothpaste. It makes you feel very high maintenance.

Courtney, in addition to your commitment to sharing with & educating curly girls, I applaud your honesty and willingness to share your health challenges and faith. Your honest and genuine nature is so refreshing , uplifting and appreciated. In much gratitude. Prayers as you journey ahead and share with your viewers, Courtney. 📿🛐. God is walking with you in each moment, when weak or strong.

You have such a strong and good spirit! ❤️ I'm so sorry that you have to go through this, Courtney. Maybe you could listen to an audio Bible? Plug in the pods & do your thing? 😊 All my best to you.

Wow!! So sorry Courtney. I wish you the best ❤ Consider sharing your story with This Podcast Will Kill You- they’re wonderful people and will educate people about this condition so well 😊

Thank you for sharing your heart. I just found your channel recently because I have naturally curly hair and I really enjoy the information you provide, as well as your sweet personality. I am also a Christian and I will definitely be praying for you as you navigate through this RA journey. God makes NO mistakes, and I encourage you to keep giving Him the glory. ❤

Hi Courtney, I was diagnosed with RA in the spring of 2021. Definitely believe that having Covid in late 2020 along with the shutdown and teaching online were triggers. There’s a shortage of rheumatologists in my area, and next no FM practitioners. The only thing I found that helps with the daily pain from my joints, especially my wrists,is called Ligaplex II. I’m not living a unicorn life, but it’s pretty good right now. Stress and poor sleep are my triggers, every time. Hang in there! ❤

I had stage three breast cancer. They had me on an estrogen blocker. It can cause pain in my joints. It was very painful. They changed it to another blocker. Not feeling that pain like I did so far. I pray that your treatment will work great on you. I pray that you will feel better as time goes on. God is Great.

Thank you for sharing Courtney. You are such a blessing! I pray that the Lord would draw you close, bring you peace, strength ,and joy in the midst of your ongoing battles. I pray that He would bless you and your doctors with wisdom and discernment in finding the right treatment plans. In Jesus' name, Amen. I don't have RA, but I deal with chronic medical issues that aren't obvious to, so I can empathize with you. You rock. ❤

We got you, we have to row the boat together. Blessings

I know how this feels. I had ulcerative colitis as a child and at one point I spent time in the hospital alongside my bff who had severe RA since birth. Now I have a permanent ostomy. I developed MS in my late 20's too. Unfortunately my family is not there for me so I truly need my faith or I'd have no purpose. Therapy also changed my self view too.

I'm glad you do your own research. So many people don't. I'm like you, I'm all in whatever it is. My husband has crippling arthritis. You've helped me have more compassion on him. We are Christians as well. I just got some of your shirts yesterday! I'm alot older than you. ALOT! Like twice as old. Boy that's hard to admit because when I watch you I'm thinking of myself as a peer (funny how you don't grow old in your mind, lol.) Anyway I support and applaud all you're doing and your attitude. And I am going to add you to my prayers. He knows your pain.... Much like Joni Erickson. No one knows why some suffer more but He uses those people in a mighty way. Think how many people have been touched by your Godly attitude and even the shirts. And He is using your candor about your condition and your faith in God to get you through. You will for sure, hear one day... "well done!" 🙏🙏🙏🙏❤️❤️❤️❤️

I'll keep you in my prayers.

Hi Courtney, I LOVE your gas tank analogy, from a past video. I don't think you could explain it better, too those not living with these invisible dx. Could you by chance make it into a short as a go to explanation for us on the autoimmune & RA teams? Ever since i heard that in July I've used it SO many times. THANK YOU & Bless you

Oh my gosh!! What!? I have been so sick for years and am now being treated for a mold exposure as well, thought to be hanging out in my sinuses. My naturopath put me on Itraconazole and I've had to "take breaks" for months because it is so hard. I have random pain, dizziness, brain fog and literally have been worried for years that it wasn't a matter of if I got an autoimmune disease, but when. Bad genes they told me. I truly hope that this new pursuit is helpful for you. It is a long journey trying to get better, that's for sure.

The more researchers learn about the immune system and its link to the GI tract, I suspect the more treatments will come online. I got an autoimmune disease at the age of 39, anecdotally caused by stress, but one removed thyroid gland later, I am much better. Best of luck to you and everyone else dealing with an autoimmune disease, and let's hope for updated research to help everyone.

I'm sorry you are going through this with RA. I have psoriatic arthritis and several other auto immune disorders. I have been watching your videos because I decided to embrace my wavy maybe curly hair. A light bulb came on. I had very oily hair in my younger years and for many years I've been getting my hair squeaky clean everyday. After many years I now have very dry hair. I only ever dyed my hair once about a year ago and only washed and "fry dried". It's going to take time but I do think deep conditioning is what my hair is craving. I will be praying for you.

I’m so sorry to hear of your diagnosis. I would visit a functional medicine doctor for any chronic issue just in case they can explore healing and root causes where medical doctors haven’t. Sometimes there is so much you can do when doctors say nothing can be done if you find the right alternative medical person to explore that with.

Thank you for sharing your faith in Jesus. I was diagnosed with RA last year. Currently on Celebrix and Prednisone which keeps me moving..lol I am trusting God to manifest my healing too.