Given her upbringing in Latin America, she has worked hard to develop patient information materials in Spanish and help disseminate these widely; her goal is to translate these documents into even more languages and circulate them around the globe. This is important because, as Dr. Ferrada can attest to herself, the symptoms and signs of RP can be unusual and the time to diagnosis may be long for patients without access to experienced rheumatologists who can recognize the condition.
Dr. Ferrada is also able to comprehend aspects of the disease that are hard to put into words. She understands that the fatigue associated with RP can be crippling. “It literally feels like someone has flipped a power switch to off, and you cannot move or get out of bed,” she explains.
There is also a mental fog that can be upsetting, particularly for individuals who are normally high functioning and require the energy and mental fortitude to complete their professional and personal activities of interest. “All rheumatologists should take these symptoms seriously,” Dr. Ferrada advises, “since fatigue and mental fog can have a huge impact on a person’s quality of life.”
When Dr. Ferrada sees a patient with RP in clinic, she is very open about her own diagnosis. She takes the time to review the patient’s history and also spends time talking patient-to-patient with them. She expresses the ways in which she empathizes with what they are going through while understanding that each person’s reaction to illness may be different.
In her own case, Dr. Ferrada has achieved significant success and renown in the world of rheumatology, in no small part due to her own formative experiences and family.
“My father is a trauma surgeon, and I think his attitude and personality have rubbed off on me and given me the ability to persevere,” she says.
She also is an incredibly grateful person, one who is appreciative of the opportunity to help patients with the condition that she herself has and for the chance to advance research on this disease.
Despite her ability to be highly motivated and active, Dr. Ferrada makes it clear to patients that no productivity standard exists that they must meet. She explains that what each person does in their own life is their own decision, and she tries to show patients they have options.
Ultimately, Dr. Ferrada seeks to help each individual patient with RP achieve success by whatever measure they feel is most appropriate.
