Hi..Just Diagnosed.. | Arthritis Information

Hello everyone, I was just diagnosed and finally feel relieved as to what has been wrong with me for several years. I still ride my bike almost daily and would like to learn some answers as to what I can expect down the road..AngelBaby

Hi. I am new to this too, but I just wanted to say hi to your post. Take care of yourself and eat right. Do your best to give yourself the care and rest you need. That is all I can say for now. I am in the beginning of my journey as well.

Thanks for replying, Im starting to wonder if anything else would cause my RH factor to be 73. Hopefully nothing scarier than this. I came across a website called Biolynk. If you have an RH factor of 2000 or more they will pay you 150 dollars per plasma donation. You can donate up to twice a week. Its very rare to have that high of a factor, they need the plasma to improve the testing. Its legitamate and I hope it will help someone here. Angelbaby

Hi and welcome. You sound like you are doing pretty good right now. What prompted the testing that you had done? I went through aches and pains for years before officially being diagnosed recently as well. It is a bitter sweet kind of thing. Being glad that there is something physically wrong and not just being a hypochondriac; but then comming to terms with the reality of the disease and the fact that it is a forever package.

I know you will enjoy this board. Lots of friendly and informative people here.

I like your name. I just joined the Y and plan to do some aquastenics. I know I sound good, but there are days I wake up feeling sprained in certain parts of my body. Im 42 and can't believe I have severe arthritis. I know it can happen to infants, but I have always been high energy. I have applied for disability to be on the safe side. Not to get personal, but has anyone else applied and if so where you turned down? What else has to be wrong. I also have rheumatoid lung disease. Thanks AngelBaby

ANGELBABY38786.4298958333Angel, There is a wealth of information on these boards. Ask and I bet you get answers. Everyone's experience with ra is unique so hard to make predictions. Welcome.
Hello and welcome! RA is old hat to me, DX in 1991 but probably had JRA. After all these years I can tell you that you can expect a lot of lab tests, getting to know your Rhaumatologist and his/her staff, automatically memorize their number and meet a lot of caring and wonderful people along the way, and yes, even in the waiting room.

You will most likely have bad days and good days, learn what meds work for you and which ones don't, have the opportunity to learn more about the disease and your body whether you ever wanted to or not, and experience some sleepless nights.

On the upside, you have been dx in a time in the medical arena where research has made leaps and bounds in finding new meds that work for some people but not in others. New lab tests have been developed just since I was dx that inform the Dr.'s even more about the disease and the wealth of information on the web is truly a pool full of useful knowledge.

You will also learn that the general public confuses and assumes RA is the type of Arthritis that is just plain arthritis involving bones, which is false. You will have to explain this time and time again more than likely. You will probably be told a gazillion times that you are too young to have this disease, and learn which number on the sed rate you feel most comfort at, it is not always when the sed rate is low.

With regrets I welcome you to this disability.I am so sorry it has engulfed yet another life. But there is hope and great meds out there that really do make a difference in your life, so don't ever give up even when you really want to. I typically really want to give up on Tuesdays...lol .... yeah it can get that bad some days and other days aren't as bad. You may even experience (for a brief unexpected moment) forgetting that you have RA. ((of course this may just be the fibro fog that comes with the disease)) but keep in mind that those can often be THE REALLY GOOD bone days! Sometimes you even forget you have RA for a week or two.Unlikely, but I heard of it happening.

You WILL find a wealth of info here and the people on this board are super and very supportive.

bb
Hi Angelbaby, I got diagnosed about a year and a half ago but like you and probably many of us, it took years to diagnose. Also, if you have one autoimmune disease you may eventually find out you have more than one. I was a lot sicker before the formal diagnosis. Now that I'm on agressive meds I'm less tired and not as stiff. I also am sleeping somewhat better. I don't think we can know what to expect. The disease is very variable, but there are new meds out there that are changing the outcome of the disease. My doc told me I'd be completely disabled in 5 to 10 years without the medicine I'm on. The newer biologics can work wonders but the long term effects are unknown. Enbrel has only been out for 8 years. Long term, our outcome should be a lot better than it would have been 10 years ago. I'm trying to figure out what's really important to me. Having something like RA makes you really prioritize. Good luck and keep in touch.
I just found out yesterday that the gym I belong to is offering water aerobics. I was supposed to go by there today and check it out but I was busy. Think I will go Monday. Maybe it will help.

I am not looking forward to putting on a swim suit and going out in public.
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