Hi - I am a brand new member and have just been diagnosed with RA. I just took my first dose of Methotroxate (sp) - 7.5 per week.
I'm only 38 and I am really worried about maintaining my job and a normal life. Does anyone get relief from the medication or does this disease just get worse and worse?
Also - Do the side effects of the medications get any better? Is there any good news??
Welcome to the board and sorry that you have to be here.I am also pretty new to RA. I'm 44 and was quite active before getting slammed. I am happy to tell you that I recently resumed running and am up to 3.5 miles a run. Not at my old pace, but I'm trying to work back up to it.
I take methotrexate and enbrel and for the most part feel pretty darn good. So don't throw in the towel. RA isn't the end of the world or your happy life.
Linda
The outlook for people dx'd with RA now is much more promising than it has been in even just the past decade. I was dx'd 20 years ago after the birth of our 1st DD, went into a terrible flare after the birth of our 2nd DD and have been on MTX for 17 years. There are so many more medicenes available now, ones that will actually stop the RA from causing permanent damage. The drug companies have to tell you all the potential side effects, some are pretty scarey and they must have happened to somebody or they wouldn't be listed for that medicene, but that doesn't mean you will experience any of them and will hopefully benefit greatly from the right combination for you.Yeah, there's lots of good news. Rheumatoid arthritis is no longer a crippling disease. There are so many drugs out that give us good function and the best news is:
THE CURE IS COMING SOON
LEV
Hi, yes I think you can expect to do okay on the methotrexate. It takes 6 weeks to 'work' well, but it could be the answer for you. I hope so, Lynda
(until a weird, unusual super flare I'd done well on that amount of mtx, )
Lynda
Yep there is always good news.Wow - thanks to everyone who replied. I didn't expect such a quick response! I am thrilled there is a forum like this available and look forward to contributing in the future.
Thanks again - Karen
It is a great forum. Lots of great advise. Everyone has there bad days and good days. I can not start my RA meds until i get rid of an infection so i can not give you any advise on that. So i will be in the same boat as you shortly able to say i took my first dose. So these responses helped me also. Good luck!!!Welcome Karen -
Yes, there is good news! You are going to get really good at taking care of 'you' in the future. You are going to live to inprove your health. You are going to value your family more. You will find the right meds. You will become a 'researcher'. And Lev is right, the cure is coming. We just have to make a ruckus so they work on it.
Hugs,
Pip
Pip~
I feel like since I was diagnosed with RA, I have been on a mission to take care of myself. I believe that I will end up being healthier because of it! I am back to exercising more regularly (albeit, at the moment not as strong as I used to) and I am eating healthier. My thinking is that I have to be as healthy as pssoble to give the meds a chance to work AND to keep my body strong so the meds don't do damage to my liver etc. I believe it is in your mindset and if your body and mind work with the meds - you will feel better!
As for the meds...I take my second dosage on Saturday evening. I want to take them so that my 6 weeks gets closer so that I can start to feel better. I also want off the steriods...so, in the meantime I am working at everything I have control of.....exercise and diet. Thanks for the support!
Best,
Karen
Above all keep exercising. You may need to adjust your routine now and then but just keep moving. I have had RA for 14 years, been on lots of different meds and was on the usual rollercoaster most everyone on this board has experienced. I am now 42 years old, solely on Enbrel (if you don't count synthroid) and am MUCH healthier and more active than the average person WITHOUT RA. I chalk this up to disciplined exercise and Enbrel. The Enbrel has been GREAT!. Allowed me to get off of MTX and plaquenil (I felt a lot of fatigue on the MTX).
Hessalina~
Great news! So glad to hear that someone with RA feels so good and stays so active! What is Enbrel?
BTW, I love your picture....fantastic! Fun!!
-Karen
Hi Karen and welcome!!What Karen said is so true. In fact, there's an old saying (I think it's Chinese) about health. I'm paraphrasing because I don't know the exact wording:
No disease: short life,
One disease: long life.
In other words, it's better to have an illness than to have none because people often take better care of themselves overall if there's a threat to their health and don't take it for granted like we do when we're totally healthy. I'd like to think that can be extended beyond one illness for those of us who are further challenged, but the basic premise makes sense.
Welcome Karen!!!!!! Glad you found us!!!!!!
Alan
Hey Karen -
Here's a link to the MCR website talking about DMARD's (disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs). These are usually the first line of defense in these diseases.
http://www.rheumatology.org/public/factsheets/ra_new.asp
There is also a new class of drugs called the Biologics (Enbrel, Humira, etc.) that work by targeting a specific protein or enzyme to stop erosions.
The thing we need to figure out is what do we think is going on with our bodies? Is it an underlying infection in the white blood cells that the body is attempting to get rid of? Or has the body turned on itself and randomly started attacking joints and/or organs?
Those that buy into the 'infection connection' use antibiotics. Those that think the body is attacking itself use the Biologics/DMARD's to reduce the inflammation in the 'body gone wrong' scenario.
Hugs,
Pip
Thanks to EVERYONE for advice, support and insights! The information is fantastic!