hi all
i was diagnosed with PA approximately 13 years ago. im 33 years old and currently pregnant with my 2nd child due december.
the PA affects both my hands and my right knee. i have virtually no use with my fingers, absolutely no grip etc. am curently taking no medication as im pregnant (my choice) but usually take Cyclosporin (normally used as an anti-rejection drug for transplant pateints). i find cyclosporin to have been the best drug ive taken. in the past ive had methotrexate and sulphasalazine.
i was meant to be having joint replacements in my right hand (then the left after the right was better from the op) but i fell pregnant so thats out of the window for now.
does anyone here have young children? how do you cope? im having trouble at the moment finding a double buggy that i can do the harness up on. the buggy i have for my daughter is perfect but the double version has a different harness!
anyway short intro from me. nice to find this place.
hi I have PA also . nice to have you join us . we all chat on on the RA board as there are more there . RA people have many of the same problems we have . it must be hard dealing with this and having small children . I am 41 and 2 of my kids have left home and i just have my 14 year old home now . my eldest daughter has two kids . one Patience jade 2 years and Kynan Jay 5 mths.hope to have you stay with us . AllyHi!
Welcome to the board... As Ally says most of us go on the RA board but feel free to post here about things specific to PA - we'll be here... I don't have any children so can't help you on that issue. I hope I won't offend you by saying I think it's a brave decision to get pregnant knowing you will have to give up your meds. Have you thought of trying different ways of relieving the pain while you're pregnant? I'm sure you've tried the heat/cold methods - have you ever tried acupuncture? I'm not sure if it's OK in pregnancy but it might be worth checking up on... I've had medical acupuncture to relieve the muscle pain that goes with the inflammation, you know when your muscles around a joint feel like they're burning? It really helped. I'm sure you've tried warm baths etc but have you had a paraffin wax treatment on your hands? It's bliss and leaves you skin soft too!
I have PA that affeccts my spine, chest, hips, knees, feet, hands, elbows, shoulders, jaw and the joints in my skull - thankfully not all at the same time! My back is the worst and back and neck pain are constant companions... I am bushed today after going to an outdoor concert last night (to see Travis in a forest), we took chairs and a picnic but I'm pretty wiped out and only just got up (it's lunchtime here).
Anyway, I hope things are going well for you.
KT