hello darshin
hi-jacked yes, that's a good description. I am sorry you have been thrown into this world of ours but with your quick referral and diagnosis you have been given the best chance to deal with this disease. I am eve 58, diagnosed in august last year and currently taking 20mgs MTX per week, plus folic acid, omeprazole and occasional diclofenac. One thing I wished I had done early on would have been to make notes of how I felt around about the time of diagnosis, aches and pains etc as you sometimes forget how far you have come. I wish you all the best with your treatment and look forward to hearing how you are getting along.
.....eve

Hello Darshin

Welcome to the forum but sorry you had to have RA to join us. Yes you are right, this forum is a god send. I was diagnosed two years ago and without this forum I would not have been able to find the wealth of information, advice, comfort and laughs that I have during that time. Yes your diagnosis will take the wind out of your sails and you will go through a period of uncertainty and mourning for your old life. BUT there is life after RA, you just have to learn to live it differently and pace yourself, get good medication and support from your RA team.

Keep posting as there are not many males on this forum.

Take care

Jackie

Hi Darshin

Welcome to the forum where you will get so much support and advice. If you have any questions someone will always come up with some answers and good advice. I am Sue and have been diagnosed for 5 years. Happily married with 3 grown up children and 5 grandchildren
I am currently on Methotrexate 20mg Sulphasalazine and started Enbrel 4 months ago which has really given me a new lease of life.
It sound like you managed to get help very quickly which is good and I am pleased that the drugs seem to be making a difference.
Best Wishes

Sue

hi, when i was put on mtx all i got told by r/nurse was that it can effect my liver,i have been on 25mg from the start, that alone gave me a panick attack as i did like a small drink(now stopped), since then i have learned so much on here and its all from peoples own experience ,best answers you can have,i now have a new r/nurse who has given me so much more support,now i am much more positive, not everyone has the same results, personnally i still have my mane of hair but that could change as i now inject mtx but i can get about so hair not an issue.think positive it takes alot to get the head round it all, if you cant do something dont get it later it can take twice as long now to do what took 5min,i had to learn the pace myself thing, it can drive you nuts.hope you have a good r/a team on your side.

the team will work with you till the dose is right for you,i still have iffy days but heh ho on i go,keep up with the blood test very important,we all need a different level of meds keep working on it.

yes me i have to come off it sometimes

Hi Darshin.

Another woman I'm afraid (I think it's 3:1 female:male and also I'd read that RA was less likely in people with asian background - so you're incredibly unlucky). I'm nearly a year into this horrid disease and the biggest bit of advice I have is learn to pace yourself. I found that it did really help as what I was doing was running around like a maniac on good days pretending I was "normal", and then collapsing in a heap for 2 or 3 days afterwards. I now take a calmer approach to life and sometimes things just don't get done, but my energy levels are more stable and I can plan life much better rather than having to back out of things at last minute because I'm shattered. On MTX, my Doc said that her strategy was to slowly increase the weekly amount until the inflammation was under control, leave it at that level for a while and then try to reduce the amount if all remains stable. So I've gone from a starter dose of 10mg up to 17.5mg which we're hoping will now hold things in check without additional steroids etc etc (she will go up to 25mg if we have to, but if I get to that level and still not holding it then we'll try different drug regime). If MTX does hold it in check then plan is that I'll stay on this level for 6 months - year and then try to reduce a bit. It seems that so far I'm lucky in that I'm responding well to the drugs. But whatever happens I'd suggest that you need to make sure that your inflammation is controlled as soon as possible so you don't get long term joint damage, so go for the drug regime your body needs to do this. You'll probably also face the complete lack of understanding of RA from friends and colleagues (my aunt has arthritis in her thumb, are you better now, you look healthy etc) so do encourage them to read the NRAS information.

Polly

Well apart from tender wrists, and a water build up on right knee I do feel that MTX even at 10mg is working a little. I am so hoping so anyway..as it'd be great to see something happening at this lower dose level, I think. HCO Plaquenil hasn't done anything yet I don't think.

I have had two steriod injections since mid March and the first one wore off at 2.5 weeks. Now the 2nd one has been 3.5 weeks now so assumeits wore off and I'm hoping its the MTX helping.

Bye for now..
Darshin

Hi Darshin,

I am on 15mg MTX and this has worked extremely well for me, along with 200mg of Hydrox. I did not get better right away but each month made a difference, now I keep very well. Keep positive and focused you will get there.

Take care Lorna

Hi Dorothy

I am not offended I just wanted to say that no matter how unimportant something seems to someone else if it makes you depressed it is extremely important. It very often isn't the thing you are upset about that has lead to it but that is just what tips the balance. It goes far deeper than that.

One of the problems with emails and texts is that there is no intonation so you can't tell how a person feels.

No offence taken.

Love Sheila x

Hi Darshin,

I was on the triple therapy, up here in Scotland everyone starts on this. I was on Sulphasalazine too, the aim being to attack RA aggressively and knock it into remission. Which in my case it did, they stopped the Sulph about 2.5 years after starting it. I feel very fortunate to have responded so well to the drugs, others I know do not and my heart goes out to them. I am very positive about most things and always find a way to overcome difficulties and I truly believe it helps RA, a positive mind is as good as any drugs. ( Along side of course ) Do keep focused and try to be positive even when things are difficult, you WILL get there.

Thinking about you take care,

Lorna