New to group and disease

[Guest guest]

Hi everybody. Sorry to have to meet you all this way, but so thankful

there's somebody out there who might understand what we all go thru!

My first symptoms started in June of 2003, and after losing

my " dream " job, my disability benefits from my job, and all my

insurance benefits all from being so sick with this stuff, I was

diagnosed this past November with RA, and possibly Lupus.

I have so many questions, and so much to learn. Right now, I am on

Plaquinel, Celebrex, and Hydrocodyone for the pain. I'm also on

Effexlor for the depression all this has caused, and I have to take

Ambian in order to even begin to sleep.

How do you all learn to even begin to cope? I've been so sick since

Oct, I would just as soon not get out of bed ever again, but it hurts

to much even for that. My worst problem is my feet. My toes have

spasms and swelling all day every day, and they bend my toes up in a

way they aren't suppossed to go. The more I walk, the worse it is.

The more I don't walk, the harder it is to walk when I do walk. The

RA is also affecting my knees, hips and wrists and fingers, but not

as bad as my feet.

I'm still in the crying, why me kind of stage. I feel as I've lost

everything that was important to me, and have no clue how to deal

with it all. The meds help since I no longer have all these knots

popping up all the time, but I've not had one good day since all this

began, and I'm about to lose my mind.

Thank God I have a wonderful husband, whose father also has RA. We

have alot of the same problems, so he's very understanding and

helpful. But my children are a very different story. They still want

the mother who did everything, and I simply can't. They are ages 10,

12, and 17, but they are taking care of me when I should be still

taking care of them, and they're angry about it.

I hate to be such aa complainer, but it's all so new, and I've yet to

learn how to cope with it all. I know the stress makes it all worse,

but how the heck can a person NOT be so stressed when so much has

happened in such a short period of time?

I've applied for disability, and they keep sending me more and more

papers, so I don't know about that yet. My last visit with my Rheumy

doc, he said it was mandatory I see a Podiatrist to have some special

shoes made, but until I find out about the disability, I'm kind of

stuck there, since my husband's insurance won't cover one dime of a

Podiatrist.

Ok, enough for now. So much for my having a positive attitude

today

Thanks for listening, and please, any advice you can give is much

appreciated!!!