Hi everyone,

I'm Heather and I'm new here, I was only diagnosed last week and my head is all over the place.

I look forward to chatting with you all.

Hi Heather

A big welcome to the forum and pleased you have found us as you will get so much support and advice when needed. It is very early days and as time goes by and the meds do their job life becomes easier. I have had RA for about 18 months and shortly to be starting anti tnf as the dmards have not done the job. Looking forward to hearing how things are going for you.

Take care Julia x

Hi,

Thank you all so much for your replies, it really is helpful knowing that there are people I can talk to who understand just how I'm feeling.

I look forward to getting to know you all.

Heather x

Hi Heather
Welcome to the club no-one wants to join!! However I am sure you will find the forum invaluable. It is so good to know you are not on your own and that others understand exactly what you are going through
I am 56 and I have been diagnosed for 4 years and am on sulphasalaxine and methotrexate and am just about to start enbrel.
Hope they soon manage to sort out your medication

Best wishes
Sue

Hi everyone,

Once again I would like to thank you all for your kindness and reassurance.

I am so glad I found this forum, I have found it so helpful.

Heather x x

Hi Heather, I am sure right now you are all over the place, i was too when i was diagnosed. Firstly it is very important that you bear in mind every person with R.A has a very different experience, especially when it comes to the medication. Secondly there is a huge link between how you feel mentally and the effect on you physically. So it really is important to avoid stress ( she says, wish i could) and look after yourself. I havent been a member long but have already had some fab advice from some lovely people, and its just nice to talk to people who are like minded. Take care of yourself. Kerrie.xx

Thank you for the advice. I'm sure I've been making myself feel worse, I think if I could have just swallowed the medication there and then in the consultants room I would have been ok, but having time to think about it I managed to work myself into a real state.

I have found this site really helpful since I discovered it on Monday, as you say it's nice to talk to like minded people.

Thanks again

Heather x x

Hello Heather

I know what you mean about banging your head against a brickwall with your GP.

I had been in pain for several weeks before I went to see my GP. I felt like a total hypochondriac sitting there telling him about the pain I had been in in various parts of my body, him sitting there with a big grin over his face didn't help either.

I had several years before seen a GP in an out of hours clinic at our hospital and RA had been mentioned to me, so when all of the pain started up again I kept asking my GP to test me for RA. All he did was look at my hands and tell me I hadn't got it. I was offered no pain relief at all from him and after a few visits to him in desperation I saw a consultant privately.

I went in told him how I had been and he listened to me and then said 'It sounds like you've got RA'. I had some blood test done and was DX with it. I remember feeling so relieved at the time, at last someone had listened to me and I had been given some drugs for it. It wasn't until I had been taking the drugs for several weeks before we got back connected to the internet that I found out all about what I was taking and just how serious RA can be. The tablets by this time had started to work, without any side effects, but heaven knows how I would of dealt with the diagnosis and drugs if I had known more about it at the time.

I went to an Arthritis awareness event a few months ago and the consultant was on about the three month window of starting patients on drugs and how important it is to treat it straight away. I can kick myself now because I should of at the questions and answers section told him that GP's should be made more aware of RA and how important it is to get it diagnosed quickly. I've read so many posts on here from people who have struggled to get in diagnosed early and have suffered because of it.

Just want to add Heather that even though things at the moment with me are not as good as they have been (MTX to be increased soon), things have never returned to how bad I was at first. Do have faith in the drugs, I know it's hard to accept at first that you have to take these drugs, but they do monitor you well to see how you are with them so you will be fine.

Love Paula x x

Thanks for your reply. I start on the methotrexate tomorrow, and though I'm still apprehensive I've had so much re-assurance from people on this site that I'm no longer the jibbering wreck I was at the beginning of the week!

Thanks again

Heather xx

Hi Helly

Thanks for your reply.

I'm 57yrs old, I have 3 daughters and 4 grandsons.

I'm taking the methotrexate this evening, I'll let you know how it goes.

Heather x x