Hi Zoan, and welcome to the forum. Everyone here will know how you are feeling, and can empathise with your tiredness etc.
Sometimes the drugs take about 12 weeks to work, so it`s a shame if you have to wait until September for your next appointment - the treatment and frequency of consultations seems to vary enormously across the country. If you do not have access to a rheumy helpline, then I would try your GP. If the sulpha isn`t working, he can maybe press for an earlier appointment. A lot of new patients now are put on a combination of meds, rather than just one single med, to hit the RA hard, as it were.
Steroid injections are great when they help, but occasionally they don`t work. You don`t say whether or not you are taking NSAIDs - anti-inflammatory drugs, such as Naproxen, Diclofenac etc. They may help your stiffness. Sadly, fatigue plays a huge part in RA - no matter which drugs you take, you are likely to be hit by it, which will be tough if you have young children. As Rebecca says, you have to learn to pace yourself, and try to get some help from family and friends if you can.
From my own experience - I started on sulphasalazine, which didn`t work for me at all, then went on to methotrexate, then a few more drugs/combinations of drugs, until eventually I was put on humira ( anti-TNF ) which made a massive difference. The first 18 months were hard - I couldn`t pick up my grandsons, so life was very frustrating, and I was barely mobile. I`m very lucky with my GP, who was immensely supportive, and kept me sane while waiting for various meds to work.
Things do get better, but it is very much trial & error with these meds. Please try to get an earlier appointment, and let us know how you get on,
Kathleen x
