Newbie recently diagnosed with RA | Arthritis Information

Hi everyone! Boy am I glad to have found these forums and also see a few fellow Kiwi's here too...yaaaaaah!!!!!

Had my RA practically turn up overnight, was very perplexing to wake in the night and not be able to walk to the toilet becasue of my knees. Then my hands and wrists went, then shoulders, then feet, jaw and neck pain, feet, etc etc. Anyways, a visit to my GP got me an urgent appointment with a specialist. 10 mgs Prednisone (

Just been to see Rheumy again and he has confirmed RA and put me on heaps of meds!!!! Geez, just when Im feeling OK and Im depressed about it I have to tell ya. I know Pred is not a 'nice' drug but right now Im loving it as it works and I need to be weaned off over 3 months. So now I have Salazopyrin, Hydroxycholoquine and Tenoxicam to start. As well as BP stuff, the Pred and a couple of other things. Anyone able to tell me of their experiences with these meds? I was offered Methoxtrate (sp??) but as I love my vino of an evening the specialist said I should leave that for now and only explore there if all else fails. lololol

I am so going to be harrassing you all with questions I just know it, so apologise well in advance! Off to trawl all the wonderful info here.

Cheers.....Lyn

Can only send you a big welcome from across the pond.
Can't help with the meds as I have not tried them.
Welcome Lyndee!

You have found a good place to ask questions- alot of helpful people here.

Unfortunately I haven't heard of the RA drugs you are taking.

My RA was an overnight type too- but I am on the Methotrexate and prednisone (currently tapering) I do miss my social drinking but being painfree has been a fair trade.

Good luck with good results from your drugs.

hi lyndee welcome to you.. salazopyrin done nothing for me
Hydroxycholoquine- plaquinil near blew my heart out i hope they
do better for you.. pred is my only med now.. mtx worked well for the first 4yrs
whith pred. but all my joints were still ruined Salazopyrin = sulfasalazine; hydroxychloroquine = plaquenil; tenoxicam = an NSAID not available in the USA.

Welcome to the party! Sorry you got the invite, but glad you're here!

Hey Lyndee -

You have to understand our Boney - he's a dear but his sense of humor...

Boney - don't scare the newbies...they cry so easily! Remember!

Plaq is a mild med and works as an anti-spirochette. Make sure you get a baseline vision test so they can measure if any problems develop.

Not familiar with the others you mention.

Hugs and welcome to the board.

Pip

OK, If you're on sulphasalazine - you need probiotics. The quickest and easiest is to pick up some at the local vitamin store. Get the most strains and the most 'live encapsulations' as possible in one pill. Start small with one pill a day. The good news is that even non-APers (people who use antibiotics for their RA) are reporting serious drops in pain levels within 2 weeks.

Hugs again,

Pip

pip this is what happend to me.. maybe due to going straight after
gold injections.. all i know is i had to carry a hand held heart monitor
after it happend.. this was my side effects.. because it happend to me
does not mean anyone else will have it.. maybemy whole drug regime.
buscapan done the same thing..

Boney

My bad, Boney - I thought you were joking. And now we really scared her.

Hugs to everybody,

Pip

hi LynDee Welcome!!

You've found a great group.. so many with such experiences and learning... there's usually someone who "knows" what you're talking about.

Welcome LynDee, sorry you had to find us, but there is a nut in here for every bolt :) The first year is about wrapping your head around what just happened and how your life has changed, but you need to be very well educated about your disease. Best of luck ~~ Cathy

Thank you all so much for your welcome and replies. What a neat place this is.

Just to add to my first post, I am a caterer and the fact my main tools ( hands!) are malfunctioning is severely affecting my business and I may have to consider selling. This is probably the thing that bothers me more than having RA. Has been my life for 35 years.

OK that was me feeling very sorry for myself and the pity party is over for now!

I have been researching Haemochromatosis as my sister is currently undergoing tests for this. I had no idea that arthritis can be a result of this condition. Some interesting reading if anyone would like the link, I would go find it again.

So I now wonder if iron levels are routinely checked before RA is diagnosed. Hmmmmm.

I am to be a pincushion every month ( like you all!) so will get GP to check mine as Haemo is hereditary.

Cheers....Lyn You have your priorities right and no doubt my cigs will take a hike soon. Sigh.......

I was so very ignorant about RA and the last week I have spent hours on the Net researching and getting so many opinions that it has been a little confusing. One thing I do understand now is that each person affected has different symptoms and treatments.

I googled all the meds I am to start and was horrified to learn one may turn my perspiration orange! ( hubster asked if he could peel me if that happens...lolol) another requires that I stay out of direct sunlight etc. Its damned scary stuff and I still havent had my prescription filled. It is Queens Birthday weekend here in New Zealand and I am not gonna be doing new drugs till its over.

Got the Jazz festival happening here and I intend to enjoy all the great sights and sounds before embarking on that trip. And I am scared of pills. Sheesh, until this hit me it was 2 years since I had a headache pill! Now I am meant to be on 16 a day with the newly prescribed ones, the BP ones and Pred.

Yep. Im blardy scared about this whole damned life sentence Ive been handed and I know meds can probably make it all livable but the head is having a real hard time taking that on board!

Sorry peeps....Ive lapsed into the pity party stuff again and I know I will get over this anger. Thanks for listening. xxx