Hi My name is Annette and i was diagnosed with RA 6 weeks ago. It feels like a rollercoaster at the moment as i was seeing a orth consultant for a year as he believed i had OA and wasnt listening to me. At the time i only had a badly swollen left ankle that was constantly hot, stiff and painfull. In Feb after asking for an extra appointment i was told that my xray had shown some erosions and that he now thought it may be inflammotary. he then referred me to a rheumy. THANK GOD. She is great took bloods and told me that my anti ccp was over 600, so i am now starting on 15mg of methotrexate and 5mg of folic acid. I have had 3 steroid injections in my ankle over the last 7months which havent helped.
I have been suffering with my shoulders which is making it impossible to sleep at night, physio thinks it is all connected.
Great to have this sight and people who understand.
Annette

Hello Annette, and a very warm welcome to the NRAS forum. There is a wealth of info and friendly advice to be found on here, and someone will always know what you are going through - the weeks after diagnosis are indeed a rollercoaster!

I hope the MTX kicks in soon and you feel some improvement - it can take up to 12 weeks to work, so it`s very much a waiting game.

I`m Kathleen, age 60, and live in Durham. I`m currently on humira, which is a biologic.

Do keep posting,
Kathleen C x

Thanks so much to all of you for your welcome, i have been trawling the internet trying to get answers and my rheummy nurse suggested NRAS website.

I am 41 married with 3 children well teenagers who can not accept that there is something wrong with me. You know the sort of thing "Why has mum gone to bed, why hasnt she gone to work?" Mind you how can i expect them to understand something that i dont. After all I have always been the one to take them out and walk the dogs etc.
My husband is having to cope and he is doing a great job bless him, though I do feel useless at times, and others I feel a little better and go mad about the house only to then spend the next few days in bed in agony. I guess I just have to take things slowly and figure out what i can do and what i should leave.
I will definately try the Tiger barm, anything to help and yes my hubby will have to rub that in as most of the time my arms feel like they ae stuck to my side as i cant move them.
Annette xx

Hi Annette

Sorry you have RA and even sorrier that it has taken so long for you to be given the correct diagnosis. You will start to feel better soon, once the mxt kicks in. It can take up to 12 weeks to start working but it was much less with me. I hope you start to improve soon. Be positive. I know that is very difficult to do and I don't always do it myself but it definitely helps. Good luck and keep posting.

Sheila x

Hi Annette
Welcome from me.. Im Ceri 43 and diagnosed 2 years ago, I have 3 children but only my 18 year old son still at home. Really hope the mtx starts to work for you. I suffer badly with my shoulders and its awful when you cant sleep. Have you had a steroid inj (in top of leg)? They usually help the pain in all the joints while the mtx starts to work..
Glad you found the site keep posting.
Love Ceri xx

Hi Annette,

Welcome to the forum, where we all understand exactly what you are going through!
I am 61, married, with a 22year old daughter. I have had RA for 10 years.
Looking forward to getting to know you,

Doreen xx

Hi Annette

Welcome to the forum. A great place to be for support and information; lots of folk, lots of knowledge and a wealth of tried and tested experiences! Glad you have found us and NRAS!

NRAS produce loads of literature about living with RA, treatments etc. Two you may find useful are 'Newly diagnosed' and 'Managing well - Living with RA', do order some if you haven't already done so.

I'm Lyn, married to Mike, we have four children (well I call them children but perhaps it's time to stop!), Abby 23, Ian and Jake 18, and Louis 16. All four in various stages of education! We live in Thornton Cleveleys in north west Lancashire. I was diagnosed with RA 23 years ago and have since run the gamut of medication (although more options are popping up now and again thankfully!) and had lots of surgical procedures along the way. Currently on Enbrel, Prednisolone, Methotrexate and Naproxen and a wagon load of pain killers! But heyho...

Pleased to hear that you have been started on methotrexate which is the gold standard drug used in the treatment of RA and has given many people excellent results. I hope it works well for you.

Look forward to getting to know you

Lyn x

Hi Annette,
Welcome from me to, I'm Sara, 45, happily married, living in Cornwall and diagnosed last November. The MTX is working for me but I still do a lot of moaning about it! This is the only place where you know that everybody understands, somebody has been there before and has that little snippet of information that nobody else tells you! Hope you get on with the MTX but keep posting to let us know how get on, we all love a good story.
Sara
x

Hi Annette

A big welcome from me too. I'm Maria, 54 married but no children, just 2 rabbits and a budgie!! I was diagnosed Feb 2008 after 9 months of increasing pain. At first they thought it ws RSI, tennis elbow, then when my knee started up I was sent to the orthopaedic dept, my gp assumed it was cartiledge. The consultant took one look at my hands and knee and promptly sent me for blood tests.... the rest, as they say, is history. By Christmas 2009 I could barely walk. I started on sulfasalazine and made great progress, but after about 18 months it wasn't working so well, and I was put on methotrexate as well. I'm pleased to say that I can now lead a relatively normal life, give or take the ocasional flare when I've overdone it. I 'top up' with anti inflammatories occasionally if I need them ,and use paracetamol for pain relief.

My left shoulder was really bad at first, and for ages I just coud not get comfortable in bed. Although I do have off days I can't remember what it felt like to be really bad.
However- I still haven't earned to pace myself and I don't think I ever will!!!

I count myself one of the fortunate ones, so far- touch wood- I've escaped with it being rather mild compard to many.

Here's hoping things will work out as well for you as they have for me- so far!!!

Maria x

Thank you all for being so kind and welcoming. I havent been on for a while as my wrists, hands and fingers have been weird. They feel as though the skin is too tight for me to move them properly. Each finger and thumb has had some form of stiffness and it seems to jump from one to another all the time lately. Unsure if this RA or my mind playing games. Ankle is always painful and stiff and shoulders are still keeping me up at night. Went for bloods this am and saw my rheumy nurse in the corridor and when she said hi i broke down. I have been suffering with depression for several years and am on fluxetine for that, I just feel that everything is going backwards at present. I know that I shouldnt moan, as i am new to all this, just having difficulty coming to terms with everything, and need normality. Work are also stressing me out as i have been on the sick since January and they seem to realise that at present i cant eevn walk around the house well never mind running around a large secondary school on first aid emergencies. My hubby doesnt think i should go back but then there is the financial implications. Just feeling like rubbish at the moment. Off my soap box now.
Annette xxx