I developed autoimmune arthritis a few years after graduating and starting work.
My doctor suggested—and I believed—that my arthritis was triggered by work stress: “Consider working less to keep your arthritis under control.”
But now I’m building a startup. I need to work more, not less. This created a real problem.
The bigger issue wasn’t the joint deformity or pain—it was the immunosuppressant medications. With my immune system suppressed, I got sick easily and frequently, and recovery took longer.
Try building a startup when you’re frequently ill. Try traveling with a weakened immune system.
Years ago, I’d experienced an unexplained remission. My doctor checked my bloodwork, confirmed my remission and took me off the meds. With that in mind, I started paying closer attention to what made my symptoms better or worse.
After a while, I noticed something odd: working at Starbucks seemed to trigger especially strong flares. My rheumatologist restarted my meds immediately.
The final straw was that my renewed medications seemed to have lost their effectiveness. My arthritis kept flaring even as my immune system got weaker. Running out of options and frequently unable to work, I needed to try something different.
After some experimentation, I discovered something surprising — my symptoms went away once I stopped drinking coffee AND tea AND orange juice. I also noticed that not eating acidic foods (ketchup) and not having heartburns also improved my symptoms.
Once I eliminated these dietary suspects, my symptoms improved rapidly. My rheumatologist let me off the meds completely as my blood tests showed no inflammation. I’ve been in remission for a year now, with regular monitoring.
My immune system seems to have recovered — I’m no longer getting sick frequently. This has allowed me to work on my early-stage startup.
Here’s what I still find puzzling: I’m now working 24/7 with considerable stress, but my arthritis remains in remission. My doctor had originally suggested stress was a trigger.
In my case, it seems possible that it wasn’t the stress itself, but rather the lifestyle changes that came with transitioning from student to professional—specifically, starting to drink coffee and tea regularly. Of course, I can’t know this for certain.
Again: This is my individual experience with my specific case of arthritis. Your disease is different. Your treatment should be different. Work with your doctor.