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Ok, so my name is Perla. I am a 23 year old student majoring in Communications and Criminal Justice. I live in San Antonio, Texas, and just two days ago, I got a call from my doctor's nurse who told me my blood test showed I have Rheumatoid Arthritis. So I looked it up and it sounds kinda scary. Really im not in a lot of pain right now. Mostly my knees sometimes, and even then its not too bad. But im still kinda scared. I dont know what this means for my future.
I have an appointment with a specialist on the 27th of this month. Hopefully ill find out all about RA then.

Welcome Perla,

Hi and Welcome Perla, It sounds as if RA was caught in the early stages and for you that means a higher chance of clinical remission (symptoms disappear and labs are negative).  You'll hear and read a lot about RA, become informed but not confused about treatment.  Talk with your doctor about all of the medication choices and yes, there are choices.  Keep us posted on your progress.  LindyPerla, welcome!  I remember when I was diagnosed.  I thought I was destined for a wheelchair and it was really scary.  Now here I am, about 2 years later, thanks to my meds I have no erosion in my joints.  I still do have occasional flares, but overall, not much has changed for me.  I know Rheumatoid Arthritis isn't what anyone wants to hear from their DR.  But it is far from the worst thing.  Especially having had caught it early like your doc did.Hi Perla Welcome to the board! Yes welcome Perla, I hope all goes well for you when you see your specialist. hi Perla Thank you so much everyone for the warm welcome. You guys have given me a lot of relief just in these few replies. Thank you so much, and I will definitely keep you guys posted. Looking forward to get to know all of you more.
Perla.
Hello, nice to meet you.

Cheers, Shug
Perla
The good and bad thing about RA is that everyone's journey with it is different. Like the others said gather as much information as you can, I hope you have a good Dr. and am wishing you the best.Sorry you had to find us, hope your journey is painless.

PhatsWelcome. Glad you're here....sorry you have to be. Keep your chin up....try to stay positive. It's not always easy but it's going to be in your best interest to look on the sunny side of things. Sometimes it takes some work to find the sunny side; but it's there. Hi Perla, so sad you have to be here, but you will find support from lots of well informed experienced sufferers, my tip for you is to keep a journal especially about your meds and any side effects, dates etc, you will find further down the line they ask you all these questions, best of luck, Janie. Welcome aboard, sorry you had to find us though - what happened that your doctor tested you for RA?yeah one day i ran to pick up my 3yr old nephew, cuz a dog scared him outside. so when i picked him up i was fine, but i laid down and couldnt get back up. thats really were it all started to happen. i went to the ER and they told me i had back spasms. they told me to follow up with my doctor. when i saw the assistant dr. she told me i had back strain. i took hydrocodone, skelaxin, and naproxen. i was ok for about 2 days, then i had to go see her again cuz my hands started hurting. she told me i had carpal tunnel syndrome and tendinitis. she sent me home. then about one week later, my hands, arms, feet, knees, and hip hurt. two days it was hard to get out of bed. but it got better after a few days. but i went back in to see my actual doctor, not the assistant anymore. he did blood tests, and just monday they told me i have rheumatoid arthritis.
and here i am, my appointment with the specialist isnt till April 27th.
Oh boy, good luck.  I hope it all works out.  Cathythank you cathy, i hope so too.  Perla~of course no one wants to get this diagnosis.  But since you did and assuming it's a correct diagnosis, be thankful that it was caught early.    The odds are much more in your favor to control it before you have any joint erosion.  I was diagnosed about two years ago after a sudden onset.  I started meds (mtx first and then enbrel) right away and aside of the occasional flare, I'm pretty much my normal self.    Nowadays RA isn't automatically a life sentence to a wheel chair as it was in the olden days.  So, yes.  It sucks that you have RA.  But it probably won't be all the horribleness that you are envisioning right now.yeah, you know at first, i didnt know if i should freak out or not. but as i read everything you guys post, i feel a lot better. i got scared because i was reading stuff online and someone said that RA could cause organ damage. but i only read that on one website. then someone told me it might happen because of the medication but probably not from RA itself. so yeah, i definitely dont feel horrified about it. im anxious to the see the specialist so he can tell me exactly how advanced it is, and just finally know whats wrong.  How long ago did you start feeling it?i had the back spasms back in February. the rest happened over the next few weeks.  Hi Perla, never give up hope on your journey, there are a few of us on here who have tried everything and for one reason or another we couldn't find an answer to our pain and fatigue, and now those of us on Rituxan are very excited, I certainly have improved beyond reason, and others are on other drugs that have worked, it really is a lottery.  As you are in the early stages I certainly would be looking at Antibiotic therapy, Pip has a thread going about it at present, I have tried it and it didn't work for me, but others have had great success, it really isn't a disease where one size fits all, best of luck from Janie. Sorry I'm late- welcome Hello Perla, welcome!  I hope you have found a good RD to work with on your RA.  Do your homework before you go in and that way you will get more out of your visits.  There is a ton of info on your drug choices, so be prepared!

Best to you and welcome!
Perla,

 

My GP called me when she got my test results back.  During our conversation, she told me if I was going to research RA to be sure to stick with reputable sites, like the Arthritis Foundation and the American College of Rheumatology.  She then went on to tell me that there are a lot of newer medications out to treat RA.  I didn't know what RA was and when I started researching, I got a little scared too.  It turns out that it hasn't been such a bad road for me.  At least, not considering all the horrible thoughts that went through my head. 

 

I hope you find a good Rheumatologist and one that you feel comfortable with.

 

Welcome to the board. 

 

Here's a link that may help you through that first rheumatology appointment:

http://www.arthritisinsight.com/medical/new/first.html
thank you for that link.
ive been reading about autoimmune disorders, RA, and possible medication for it, but im still kinda nervous. ive never been the sick kind of person so seeing a doctor freaks me out a little.


Sorry I'm late- welcome perlat40! Take care of yourself- it is scary but it's better to find out one way or another and if it is...start the treatment so you can feel better. Well the good thing is to catch it early and treat it. Your outcome for remission is better if treatment is started quickly.

Welcome to the forum and good luck.

better late than  never: Hi and welcome!

I hope everything goes your way at your rd appt. Make a list of questions to take with you so you don't draw a blank when you get there. Keep us posted. I hope you have a very mild form and can get feeling better reallly reallllllllllllly soooooon!

take care

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