New, grateful and cautious

[Guest guest]

Hi all

Sorry, this is long.

My name is Daleen and I am forty years old and last year round June started to have swollen wrists and fingers. My gp treated me with Cataflam and sent me to the rheumatologist, who diagnosed me with ra. Before I continue, I must say that I am nowhere in a lot of pain and am very grateful for it.

I only found out about the importance of aggressive treatment of ra after I went and did some reading on the internet. My gp did the right thing, but I fear I messed around with my medication a bit after the rheumatologist saw me. I was put onto cortisone and Cocksflam and was told to see him in three months. I found that the cortisone was the only thing keeping me from having stiffness and some swelling in my fingers and wrists, but thought that it would be better than the long term side effects of cortisone. I was using the cortisone every second day, but still had some stiffness, and my left fingers at that stage had lost some feeling. The rheumy then put me on trepilene 10 mg every night and methotrakcsate, once a week and the folic acid.

After a month I found that I got a sore tongue that would make my ear and throat ake as well. By then I still had some stiffness and decided to go back to 5 mg cortisone every day and stopped the methotracksate and folic acid. Everything went fine for a wile, but it is now our winter here in South Africa and I am experiencing soreness and stiffness in my wrists again. I don't know if I must now go back on the methotracksate or bare a little pain, can it cause permanent dammage to my joints? I can try the methotracksate again, but did not find that it helped before. I might not have used it long enough?

I know that no one on this list can take the place of the rheumy and only want to try and find some advice from people that have the same problem. I will go back to the rheumy, but as you all know, that is expensive and I want to try and limmit my visits to him.

If you are still reading, thanks, and thank you for any help.

Daleen

[Guest guest]

----- Original Message ----- From: Daleen Spalletta

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Sent: Friday, May 01, 2009 3:54 PM

Subject: New, grateful and cautious

Hi all

Sorry, this is long.

My name is Daleen and I am forty years old and last year round June started to have swollen wrists and fingers. My gp treated me with Cataflam and sent me to the rheumatologist, who diagnosed me with ra. Before I continue, I must say that I am nowhere in a lot of pain and am very grateful for it.

I only found out about the importance of aggressive treatment of ra after I went and did some reading on the internet. My gp did the right thing, but I fear I messed around with my medication a bit after the rheumatologist saw me. I was put onto cortisone and Cocksflam and was told to see him in three months. I found that the cortisone was the only thing keeping me from having stiffness and some swelling in my fingers and wrists, but thought that it would be better than the long term side effects of cortisone. I was using the cortisone every second day, but still had some stiffness, and my left fingers at that stage had lost some feeling. The rheumy then put me on trepilene 10 mg every night and methotrakcsate, once a week and the folic acid.

After a month I found that I got a sore tongue that would make my ear and throat ake as well. By then I still had some stiffness and decided to go back to 5 mg cortisone every day and stopped the methotracksate and folic acid. Everything went fine for a wile, but it is now our winter here in South Africa and I am experiencing soreness and stiffness in my wrists again. I don't know if I must now go back on the methotracksate or bare a little pain, can it cause permanent dammage to my joints? I can try the methotracksate again, but did not find that it helped before. I might not have used it long enough?

I know that no one on this list can take the place of the rheumy and only want to try and find some advice from people that have the same problem. I will go back to the rheumy, but as you all know, that is expensive and I want to try and limmit my visits to him.

If you are still reading, thanks, and thank you for any help.

Daleen