![]() ![]() Out went her three daily glasses of milk and her fondness for pasta and cheesecake in came green smoothies and another juice that she said was the equivalent of eating 50 cherries. ![]() Her process was complicated by the tour's anti-doping rules preventing her from using prednisone, a steroid that's often the go-to drug for people with RA, especially to quell a flare.ĭoctors also had her tested for allergies and uncovered two biggies: gluten and dairy. Her first challenge was finding the right medication regimen. That's all you can do." Danielle Collins said there's a sense of community with fellow patients and their loved ones. I just try to focus on the things that I can control and focus on how I can make it better. My boyfriend said, 'I'm surprised you're handling it this way.' But I've always tried to keep a positive attitude with these things. "I was upset about it, but the show must go on. "The day after I got diagnosed, I went from the rheumatologist to the practice courts," she said. Upon learning that, like her grandmother, she has RA, Collins felt "really sad." Instead of relying on the doctor at each tour event, she wanted to see her team of specialists at home in Florida. Unsure what it all meant, she went to Toronto for the next tournament.Ī quick, painful exit made it clear she needed answers. In San Jose, her joint pain was more intense than ever, and accompanied by new symptoms: the redness and puffiness. She saw her family doctor to consider whether her recurring joint pain was more than a sports injury. She just didn't know yet that she had RA.īetween the Australian Open and the tournament in San Jose, Collins had an inkling that something might be wrong. She was suffering what RA patients call a "flare." "It was one of the worst feelings I've ever experienced physically." Instead, her momentum had slowed when she arrived in San Jose, California, for a tournament in late July.Īfter winning her opening match, she was hardly fit to take the court for the next round. She kept winning, steamrolling the world's second-ranked player on the way to the semifinals, her best performance in a Grand Slam tournament.Ĭollins soared to 23rd in the world, best of her career, and was confident more breakthroughs would follow. In January 2019, Collins lost her first set at the Australian Open. "I obviously learned how to deal with these injuries, just like any athlete." "It was kind of like, 'Oh, well, you have a wrist injury, a knee injury, you have this going on with your shoulder,'" she said. They became more frequent once she turned pro. She also felt a variety of aches and pains that, in retrospect, were often joint-related. In college, she suffered frequent respiratory infections. They also thought it might've been a false positive because her symptoms went away after she passed a kidney stone. However, there are more than 100 autoimmune diseases, and doctors never determined which she had. In high school, Collins tested positive for an autoimmune disease. Danielle Collins in action at the 2020 French Open. 1 killer, claiming more lives than all forms of cancer combined. We also use this spotlight to remind women that heart disease is their No. That attitude is especially timely as we open American Heart Month, when attention ramps up on awareness of heart disease, the No. Because knowing something is out of whack can lead to a diagnosis and a game plan for bouncing back, perhaps even better than before. For instance, everyone should monitor their health. While her message resonates best with RA patients, it also contains universal themes. Now, as she prepares to play next week in the Australian Open – the tournament where she first established herself among her sport's elite – Collins is sharing her story in hopes that others learn from it. The limited tennis schedule forced by the pandemic may have worked to her advantage as she further refined her plan. Since getting diagnosed in 2019, Collins has overhauled her diet, training and lifestyle. It's an inflammatory and autoimmune disease with no cure but many ways of managing it. Then a rheumatologist, who solved the mystery: Collins suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, or RA. So she decided to handle it differently, too. ![]() Not for someone six months removed from reaching the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament. "OK," she told herself, "this is not normal." ![]() Redness even flecked the whites of her eyes. The wrinkles on the outside of her fingers were bright red. She knew the feeling of the routine wear and tear of playing tennis, and she knew the agony of a serious injury. Like all professional athletes, she knew her body. Her condition diagnosed and controlled, Danielle Collins heads into 2021 healthier than ever. National Hypertension Control Initiative.Pets and Your Health / Healthy Bond for Life. ![]()
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