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Rank: Advanced Member  Groups: Registered
Joined: 9/19/2010 Posts: 33
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hi, I am a new member, I am a RA sufferer and have thyroid problems too, I was diagnosed with both in january 2005, I look forward to talking with you all knowing you are in the same boat as I am......Mary Eileen
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Rank: Advanced Member  Groups: Registered
Joined: 1/29/2010 Posts: 264
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 Hi Mary Eileen, great that you've joined us, not so great you've got RA, but at least its something we all share here. I'm Sheila 56, have had RA about three years and was lucky to get diagnosed quickly so treatment started fairly early on. Live with partner Rob who's a dab hand at adapting things for me as long as its built out of wood! He also wood turns beautiful bowls as well. Pity he doesn't know what a toilet brush is for but then we can't have everything. Oddly enough my RA started after I'd given up a stressful job and went back to college to do something completely different, maybe it was the relaxing that started it but I'm more inclined to think it was hormone related bearing in mind my age. I'm currently on Methrotrexate, prednisolone, various bits for pain etc and Rituximab (still waiting for that to work) like many here I have up and down days. What meds are you on? How's life treating you at the moment? Hope to hear more from you soon. Best wishes Sheila
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Rank: Advanced Member  Groups: Registered
Joined: 2/18/2010 Posts: 1,098 Location: farningham kent
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Morning Mary Eileen
It is good that you have joined us, as you will have much support and understanding on here.
Hopefully your RA is now well controlled, its a good place to be when it is. I have had it for about 18 months now and awaiting to go onto infliximab as the dmards have not done their job.
Keep in touch, Julia x
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Rank: Advanced Member  Groups: Registered
Joined: 12/3/2009 Posts: 3,157 Location: Huddersfield
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Hi Mary Eileen,
Welcome to the forum! You'll get lots of friendly support and advice on here.
I am 60 and have had RA for almost 10 years. I take mtx and Humira.
Looking forward to getting to know you.
Love, Doreen xx
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Rank: Advanced Member  Groups: Registered
Joined: 3/8/2010 Posts: 914
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Hi Mary Eileen, I'm Lorna married to Ken for 28 years and we have 3 daughters the youngest being 16 and still at school. I have had RA for 3 years literally came on overnight triggered by a flu jag. I was very ill in the beginning but having been on the triple therapy I now keep so much better. Only thing being the tiredness if I do too much. So sorry you have joined our club but welcome to a wealth of experience from people who really know how you feel. I only joined this year too, at the start did not really want to know what was in front of me. Do ask away all you wish and keep posting we are all here to help. Lorna x 
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Rank: Advanced Member  Groups: Registered
Joined: 12/3/2009 Posts: 1,689 Location: Durham
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Hi Mary Eileen, Welcome to the forum - I`m glad you`ve found us but sorry that you have RA. I was diagnosed almost five years ago now, and currently take humira, plus various painkillers and other bots and bobs. Keep posting, Kathleen x
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Rank: Advanced Member  Groups: Registered
Joined: 8/25/2010 Posts: 1,289 Location: Buckinghamshire
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hi Mary Eileen,
welcome to the Forum,
i was diagnosed early June and still not under control yet ... currently upping my Methotrexate from 15mg to 20mg.
i'm 57 married with a grown up Daughter.
hope to hear more about you soon, what Drugs you are taking etc.
you will get a wealth of knowledge and understanding here, i'm still learning.
Suzanne
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Rank: Advanced Member  Groups: Registered
Joined: 9/5/2010 Posts: 364 Location: mid glamorgan
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Hi Mary Eileen
Welcome to the forum, Im Ceri diagnosed last year and still struggling but this site is wonderful for advice and support. Is your RA under control? What meds are you on? Keep posting xx
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Rank: Advanced Member  Groups: Registered
Joined: 12/4/2009 Posts: 312
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Hello Mary Eileen, Great to see you have joined us on the forum. I am Fiona, 53 and I have had R.A for 15 years or so. I will look out for your posts. Best wishes, Fiona
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 9/19/2010 Posts: 33
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Many thanks to you all for your warm welcome, sorry for the delay in getting back to you all, I've been sick with the flu but I'm over it now and am trying to catch up on everything. I have an appointment with the hospital in the morning and will probably get my hand slapped, I came off methotrexate in july as it was causing me more problems than the RA, I had been taking it since Aug 2008 but for some unknown reason my body rejected it and caused me no end of problems, then I moved area and had to start all the appointments at a new hospital all over again so I never got fresh meds and as I am allergic to anti-inflammatories I was just taking Paracetamol, 3 weeks ago my doctor sent me to the RA nurse because I was in so much pain and she gave me a steroid injection which calmed things down somewhat then started me on sulfasalazine (1 tablet each day 1st week, 2 tablets each day 2nd week, 3 tablets each day 3rd week and 4 tablets each day 4th week) and 3 weeks on because of the side effects I'm still only taking 1 tablet a day so i'm in trouble  Has anyone else taken sulfasalazine and if so how long does the nausea last. 
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Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Registered
Joined: 3/4/2010
Posts: 576
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Hi Mary Eileen - I haven't tried sulphasaz so I'm no help there I'm afraid. Just wanted to say hello and hope you appointment goes well and they can work something out that doesn't leave you feeling so bad. Let us know how you get on XX Ailsa
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Rank: Advanced Member  Groups: Registered
Joined: 12/3/2009 Posts: 838 Location: Nottinghamshire
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Hello Mary Eileen
Welcome to the forum.
I was diagnosed May 2008 and was put on SLZ, I have been very lucky and had no side effects at all. I added MTX 15mg to it about 5 months ago and have been fine with that as well. I've got to increase it to 20mg when I come back from my holidays next month (doctor did not want me to increase it if I was leaving the country, that's a bit frightening). So I will have to see if I can tolerate an increase, hope I can because I am not as good as I have been.
Let us know how you get on tomorrow.
Paula
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Rank: Advanced Member  Groups: Registered
Joined: 12/7/2009 Posts: 89
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Hi Mary Eileen, welcome. I'm on slz same dose, mtx,tram and a few other bit n'pieces too! Nausea didn't last long for me so hope you'll soon be feeling better. Take care, Kathleen xx
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 1/29/2010 Posts: 264
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Hi Mary Eileen,
With regard to the nausea it lasted about 6 weeks with me but I found it was worse in the middle of the afternoon, but if I had a slice of toast (not always easy when you feel sick) then it seemed to keep the nausea at bay. It did eventually go but I was taken off it after 8 months as it didn't seem to be doing any good.
Hope things improve for you
Best wishes
Sheila
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Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Registered
Joined: 12/21/2009
Posts: 106
Location: cornwall
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hi eileen
welcome to the forum
you will always find good advice and understanding on the forum
i've recently started--and finished---SLZ
i got on with it ok--except my blds became abnormal
i managed to get upto 2 tablets aday --i didn't have the nauea tho--and altho i couldn't continue i hadn't realised the good it was doing with regards the pain
until it was withdrawn--i know it has good effects if you can get passed the nausea
good luck
caz x
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 12/3/2009 Posts: 1,689 Location: Durham
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Hi Mary Eileen, I took SLZ for 6 months when I was first diagnosed, increasing the dose gradually. It didn`t really have much of an effect on me with regard to nausea, but it did nothing for my RA either, so I was taken off it. I always took it in the evening, after a meal. I live in Durham, so not so very far from you - which hospital do you attend? Take care, Kathleen x
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 9/19/2010 Posts: 33
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Thanks everyone for your posts, I saw the specialist yesterday and he was really over keen to try me on an anti-biotic, Minocycline which he said was used widely in the US as a treatment for RA, down side was it could turn patches of my skin grey (permanantly) and I could be open to repeated thrush infections, so I said no to that one, I could have weekly gold injections / blood tests at the hospital, but I dont know much about gold injections and what they do to you long term or stay on SLZ and take more (only managing 1 tablet a day at moment because of nausea) I have noticed I am more tired these last few weeks and reading other posts in drugs section its worrying to find out that SLZ causes depression and fatigue in some people, I used to be a glass half full type of person before RA now i'm a glass half empty type so I'm totally baffled with what I should take, I'm allergic to anti inflammatories so that knocks out all the drugs belonging to the Nsaids, I have tried Methotrexate tablets and injections and after 2 years my body rejected it so i'm totally confused Kathleen, I went to the Freeman hospital in Newcastle until I moved back to Northumberland and now go to Alnwick infirmary / Wansbeck hospital for my treatments. Hope you all have a good day, speak soon Eileen x
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 12/3/2009 Posts: 3,157 Location: Huddersfield
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Hi Eileen,
Of course I don't know your full history but it seems to me you've been offered a poor choice of drugs. As you have tried mtx and sulphasalazine you may be eligible for the anti-tnf drugs, did he mention these at all?
I can sympathise over the anti-inflammatories because I am allergic to them as well. What do you take for pain relief?
Could you ring your rheumy nurse and ask for an appointment with him/her to discuss your options with RA drugs?
Love, Doreen xx
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 9/19/2010 Posts: 33
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Hi Doreen,
It was the rheumy nurse who put me on SLZ 3 weeks ago and also gave me a shot in the backside too. What are anti TNF drugs? I dont take anything for the pain except paracetamol which doesn't work so the steroid injection was warmly welcomed. What do you take for pain relief?
Eileen x
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 12/3/2009 Posts: 3,157 Location: Huddersfield
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Hi Eileen,
If you only started the SLZ 3 weeks ago, there is plenty of time yet for it to be effective, it can take up to 6 months! That's the trouble with RA, everything takes so long!
Anti-tnf drugs are the next step if you fail on DMARDs (mtx, SLZ, etc). They are given by self injection or IV infusion, depending on which drug you have.
I take paracetamol or co-codamol 500/8 for pain, and have some strong codeine 30mg tabs which I take at night. Ask your GP for something stronger than paracetamol for when the pain is really bad.
Love, Doreen xx
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