I just really needed to get that off my chest. I feel like I have to put on a brave face for my hubby. When he read up on things, it scared him pretty badly... so I've kinda been keeping a lot of my own fears pent up inside.
I tried to talk to my sister about it the other day, and she sighed and said, "Court, it's JUST arthritis."
Thanks for lending an ear... or an eye, I guess I should say. Just for the record, Carolina girl, I was scared too. BUT I am already feeling SO much better after treatment that thoughts like that are few and far between. I know that some medication (namely the one I am on) will only work for a short time, before they will have to switch me, but there are so many treatment options out there now that I am now an optimist. You WILL get better and there will be a day soon where you can tie those balloon string with no problem. It gets better!
_popupControl();Your sister sounds like she doesn't understand! It's not JUST arthritis! I get that alot. I say "I have RA" and others are like "Oh, yeah, I have that too, in my knee a bit when the weather changes!" RA is not just arthritis!
Look, don't stress. If it is RA, there is a 37% chance you can go into drug-induced remission with DMARDS and an even higher chance that biologics will work, it is just a matter of being patient until something works for you. And you know, you might not be diagnosed right away. It took me 18 months to be diagnosed. So you might be called crazy for a while, who cares. You know something is wrong. Be a pain in the butt until you find out what it is!
It'll be ok tomorrow, no matter which way it goes. You'll rise to either :)Best wishes and I hope you can get some answers tomorrow, Carolina. Please let us know what the dr says. We are all pulling for ya! Be strong.
God Bless
Ditto to what Cindee said! We're here for ya.
And welcome to the boards!! *hugs*
Carolina, it's normal to feel scared in the beginning. It can be doubly frustrating when you go in and the Rheumy says all the tests are normal. Most good rheumys will go by the patientls visible symptoms. When I began this journey, someone here (can't rememeber who) suggested I keep a daily journal of my pain/stiffness/etc. and bring that to each appt. with a list of questions. It helps so much because it's easy to get side-tracked and this way the appt is smooth and efficient. My rheumy is happy i do it. Sometimes if I am organized, I will print off an extra copy of my meds and doses, which ones need refills and a copy of my questions, so he knows what he has to go over.
Good luck tomorrow!
Deb
OMG...you sound just like me. I'm still undiagnosed and I see my new RD next week.
I hope all goes well with your appointment. Keep us posted.
Good luck to you, I hope it goes well.hope your appointment goes well today. From my understanding, maybe maryblooms or someone else if they havent already ( i haven read all the posts yet) can confirm this...But I dont think they can ask you to leave the program if you do in fact have RA....
I know that it is all very scary at first but there are so many drugs out there right now that can really help you. And getting diagnosed early on is even better. Let us kow how the appointmnt goes and if something doesnt feel *right* with this dr dont hesitate to get another opinoin.
Good luck and gentle hugs!
I don't get to see my Rheumy until April 7th. I am anxious just like you. I think it is natural when things are new and especially while you are in a lot of pain. I am a lot more optimistic right now since I started prednisone and am not in excruciating pain then last week. :-) Can't wait to hear how the appointment goes. I took whoever suggestion that was when I started on this site and have been doing the symptom log for over a week now. I took it when I went to my PCP and he put me on the prednisone. Sometimes it is more than JUST symptoms, one day I started it out ARRRG, it is 7:30 am and I already hurt like it is 4pm. That doctor chuckled at my ARRG, hope my Rhuemy finds me as amusing. :-)
My past Rhuemy's have told me that its in my head quite a few times, I even had a doc tell me the pain was because I was double-jointed and not because of the JRA. ONLY time I heard that! lol, you know your body better then anyone else! I have faith and relax, it takes time. It took them 3 years to diagnose me. I hope it doesn't take that long, but it does take time. Don't lose hope though. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.......what did the doctor say?????
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