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Former Emmerdale star Adam Thomas has opened up about living with arthritis.
The actor revealed in August last year that he had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and has now opened up about potentially being on medication for the rest of his life, as well as how he manages the condition day to day.
Speaking during today’s episode of This Morning, the star explained to presents Ben Shepherd and Cat Deeley that before his diagnosis, he spent days in pain, but failed to get any answers as to why.
‘You have good days and bad days’, he explained.
‘You also get psoriasis, which is a skin condition. At the time, I had it all over my body and mainly my scalp, which is tough when you’re working in the television industry.’
‘I got the diagnosis just before I did Strictly. I thought the pain would go away and it just didn’t. Doing Strictly was very challenging indeed.’
As he went on to discuss finding the right medication for him, Adam also noted: ‘Everyone’s different and everyone’s bodies are different. What might work for some people, might not work for you.
‘The medication was tough and also the side effects. I was on some medication which was like a short dose of chemotherapy and, as you can imagine, the side effects to that were really challenging.’
Adam – who is known to soap fans for his role as Adam Barton in Emmerdale – previously said that he’d received a number of messages from fans asking how he was so decided to share a post on Instagram.
‘So a couple of weeks back I started my new medication Sulfasalazine,’ he began. ‘Whilst I was on it, it just got me thinking, am I really going to be on medication for the rest of my life?!! There has to be a better way…
‘Can I beat this without medication?…. so that’s what I’m going to do!! Well at least try too! I’ve decided to put my meds on hold for a while, as I explore trying to fight my autoimmune disease the natural way!’
Adam, who now plays Donte Charles in Waterloo Road, said he was ‘not too sure if this will work’ but felt he had ‘to give it a go’.
He continued: ‘I’ve been doing a lot of research into this (saw a few things on YouTube) and I know this disease has a lot to do with my diet or so am told… So that’s where I’m going to start!
What is rheumatoid arthritis?
Rheumatoid arthritis is a long-term condition that causes pain, swelling and stiffness in the joints. The condition usually affects the hands, feet and wrists.
Sometimes symptoms can ‘flare up’ and become worse, which can be difficult to predict.
With treatment it’s possible to decrease how much this happens and minimise or prevent long-term damage to the joints.
Other more general symptoms include tiredness and weight loss.
Diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis early on is important, as early treatment can help reduce the risk of joint damage.
It is an autoimmune disease, which means your immune system mistakenly attacks cells which line your joints, leading to pain, swelling and stiffness.
Over time it can affect not only joints and cartilage, but also bone.
While there is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis, early diagnosis and treatments can allow sufferers months or even years between flare-ups.
Medicine, physiotherapy, and occupational therapy help keep people mobile, and surgery may be required to help any joint problems that may develop.
Depending on the severity of your arthritis, people may be forced to adapt how they do every day tasks.
Complications include the potential of rheumatoid arthritis to lead to other conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome, inflammation of other parts of the body (eyes, lungs, heart), and an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
‘If all else fails then I will turn back to my meds, but for now this Is the route I’m going to take.’
He warned others, however: ‘This is my journey and I wouldn’t advise anyone to do the same but,I just have to give this a go, at least that way I left no stone unturned… I promise to keep you guys updated along the way.’
Back in October, Adam told his followers of how he was checking into hospital as his pain had got ‘a lot worse’ and he couldn’t ‘carry on like this’.
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He wrote on Instagram at the time: ‘I couldn’t even get dressed this morning on my own, couldn’t drive to work, I mean I can barely walk and my wrists and fingers feel like they’re broken that’s no exaggeration!
‘These last few days have been scary had a little cry to myself today it can just really get on top of you!! Am not saying this for a sob story or for sympathy just trying to bring awareness to this disease and what so many others are going through the good the bad the ugly…
‘I’m lucky I have a great support system and not many do so to anyone who is going through the same thing and is alone! I see you, I feel you!! It’s going to get better don’t give up x if you know anyone who’s suffering just give them a call and check in x.’
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