Good Morning Lovie,
I hope you're having a nice Memorial Day Weekend!
I saw that you are on now and wanted to let you know in case you
hav'nt seen, there is a newbie in PA that could really use some help.
Saw you were on and wanted to try and catch you before you left.
Have a good day, I'll catch up with you later.
Here is the post I've taken from the PA forum:
I will leave a welcome message in PA and let them know they've been
"moved".
Thanks Lovie and all,
Pam
Pam
Sorry Pam...I just went to check my email and just missed this...I hope I'm not too late;
Skyymax; welcome to our group...
Certainly sounds exactly like the first few months (probable more) of my bout with RA. I wouldn't waist my time at the ER. You can take up to 4 Ibuprofens fairly safely (MAKE SURE YOU EAT FIRST) for a short term...I've done it for years at my doctors advice. I prefer to do that verses spend more on precription NSAIDS (This is in combination with my other treatments; this is solely for pain). Make an appointment for first thing tomorrow. That's pretty much the advise you'll get in the ER anyway.
I hope this helps...I know how scary it can all be at first...but you'll waist time and money in the ER.
Hope we see more of you here Skyymax. Sure are glad to have you with us. Hope you are feeling better soon.
Oh; and Pam...I've had a wonderful weekend....and luckily for me it's extended through today!! I had a big birthday cookout for my husband; so needless to say I'm pretty tired and sore; but thrilled it went over so well.
Hope you've had a good one as well.
Thank you Pam and Lovie for welcoming me...it's hard for me to type due to the pain in my wrists fingers and hands so I had to wait till my Ibuprofen and tylenol kick'd in... I plan on making an appointment first thing in the morning.. should I see my General Practitioner or should I see my dermatologist? when were you diagnosed with RA? I was reasearching the internet about the disease...What tests are involved with determining RA? My dermatologist recommended putting me on biologics like enbrel..but I'm terrified of needles and injections... I took methotrexate for my psoriasis in the past but my body wasn't responding to the meds appropiately... i guess we'll see what happens! and thanks again for your warm welcomes!I'm so glad you're here
You need to see a Rheumatologist, I don't know if you have to get authorization from a primary care doc or not, but first thing tomorrow do whatever it takes to get yourself in to see a Rheumatologist.
I know Lovie is around and will see you here and have the greatest of advice she has dealt with this for a long time and is very helpful. I was only diagnosed recently and am still getting sorted out medication wise. You may want to start a new topic post here in RA and introduce yourself or just start a new topic and copy your original post if typing to painful. I think people might see my topic "good morning Lovie" and figure it's just a good morning. Anyway those are a few ideas.
Please let us know how it goes tomorrow, we are always close by.
Pam
Like Pam said; a Rheumatologist is the type of doctor you'll need to see. I saw my GP many times and got no where. Finally after I had a problem on my foot...terriable pain and swelling right in the joint of my big tow; my GP told me it was a problem in the bunion and eventually I'd probable need surgery. I decided to refer myself to a Rheumatologist because all of the other problems and now this thing on my foot just didn't make sence to me. By the time I got in to see the new Rheumatologist I was in really bad shape. (Often they'll be a wait to get in as a new paticent) The new RD took one look at my hands, shoulders (that could barely raise) knees, hips and yes...that foot and said I'm betting RA. She did blood work that came back negative; but said she wasn't surprised by that. They also did X-Rays that first visit as well. They showed some abnormalities that have slowly (Thanks to proper treatment) only slightly gotten worse in these 11 years. I'll try to find a list of criteria they use to dignose RA. I know I've seen one.
That first day I left the RD with a script for predisone and naperson (NSAID; I think this was the name of it) and sure enough the predisone snapped me right back to the land of the simi-normal. Honestly life has never exactly been the same; but I manage very well now and over the years I've learned to adjust my attitude to where I look at it all very differently than I did in the beginning. I really do feel like that has as much to do with my progress as anything.
Once my RD thought it was sasfe to weane off the Predisone we started Sulfersalazine in combination with the NSAID...we switched it around some here and there; added Plaquinel....and eventually changed to MTX. Now 2005 I'm on 22.5 MTX and Humira 40mg weekly. It's the best combination I've had yet.
Oh; I forgot to mention that once I started treatment for the RA; just as my RD predicted I have had no further problem with that "Bunion" on my foot. My RD knew as soon as she looked at it that first day that it was all related to RA and with treatment it would improve. My GP never thought of that because she is not trained to recognize these things.
Sorry this turned out to be so long.
Let us know how things are going for ya Sky; I rememeber all too well what those first months are like. We'll be here to support ya.
Lovie
Sky~I posted the criteria for the diagnosis just in case you missed it. Check the board. Hope it helps make things a little clearer for you.