I love to be active, enjoy long morning walks and never miss my 30 minutes of yoga every evening. It helps me relax and unwind. I like doing certain chores around my house on my own. Once I had a fall and I developed a bruise on my knees, but it did not hurt much.

I was able to walk long distances without feeling tired. Then one day, I suddenly felt a slight pain in my left knee. I ignored it thinking it would disappear like how my previous pains went away after using pain relief balms. But it lasted for a long time. The mistake I made was taking it for granted and not checking with a doctor.

During this time I was also training to become a yin yoga teacher and was doing all the poses despite the pain. Yin yoga poses are held for about three to five minutes so that the therapeutic benefits of this form work on the body well. Little did I know that in my condition, I was not supposed to be doing these poses and it was putting extra pressure on my knees, making it worse.

I developed a vasculitis rash towards the end of December 2021 which subsided with a week of taking anti-allergy tablets and antibiotic ointment prescribed by my dermatologist. In February, the pain started increasing. I would walk just a little and it would start. Finally, I decided to visit a doctor. My instincts told me to visit a rheumatologist but since it was just a knee pain, I visited an orthopaedic, who after examining felt it could be a ligament tear and asked me to do an MRI scan.

My mum told me to visit another orthopaedic doctor, who asked me to do an X-ray. He told me it was a case of early arthritis and prescribed me pain killers (one month, twice a day) and Bon K vitamin supplements. He asked me to do certain exercises and not to squat or sit on the floor. He said that this happened because of the lack of exercise and advised me to continue walking and even use the treadmill. It was a little surprising considering that I used to keep myself very active.

I walked the best I could but after a point, the pain was restricting me from doing a lot of things. I was working hard on my diet to bring down my weight. I switched to chair and bed yoga that do not put pressure on the knees. After a month, I felt pins and needles poking me all over my body. I was put on a five-day course of anti-inflammatory pills but that did not help either. The pain was getting worse and I got my RA (rheumatoid arthritis), ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) and CRP (C-reactive protein) tests done. I was RA negative. My CRP was – 7.3, and ESR, 46.

The doctor prescribed RA anti-inflammatory medication once a day after dinner for one month. But the poking pains did not stop. I was advised to visit a neurologist, who said that it was not a neuropathic concern and the pains could be because of stress.

My restricted mobility was taking a toll on my mental health as well. That doctor prescribed  anti-anxiety pills for a month and asked me to see a rheumatologist. I couldn’t handle the side effects. I had watery motions every morning. I was left with no patience to visit another doctor as each visit was leaving me more frustrated.

That Easter, I visited my friend’s house. I climbed four floors and then danced with her kids. The next day I visited my aunt’s place and climbed a floor there too. The pain became worse and I decided to undergo physiotherapy at Sparsh Hospital, Bengaluru. After two sessions, I was a little better but the pain was still there. A friend of mine who is a GP asked me to visit a rheumatologist. So, taking another chance, I visited Dr Prashant Bafna at Sparsh Hospital.

After a thorough examination and hearing me out , Dr Bafna said it was not a case of arthritis but of anserine bursitis. He told me to take an oral medication for five days and get some rest, using a gel in the areas that hurt. Soon, I felt my pain reducing. Also, there was a difference in my mobility. But I was excited and I started moving more which caused me pain again.

Dr Bafna has helped me understand that I should not be impatient. He tells me to do my physical activities gradually and not be in a rush so that I can avoid a relapse. I am diligently following all his advice. I visit him once a week and he reviews my progress and mobility. I am a lot better now. My ESR was 41 on April 13 and 11 on May 16.

I feel stronger physically and also mentally. I have not taken a single anti-anxiety medication since then, and am feeling a lot more positive. My outlook has changed. I look at people and situations with a more mature and empathetic approach today, rather than getting overwhelmed with the concerns of life.

Kusum Jiandani is also the author of The Mindful Soul