Thanks for the welcome!

[Guest guest]

a,

Thanks for the welcome to the group. It's comforting to know

there's someone else out there around my age who has been dealing

with RA for so long, though I don't wish it on anyone!

The Reader's Digest version of my story: I was diagnosed

with " arthralgias " at the age of 23 (I'm now 46), 3 mos. after I had

my son. Shortly thereafter I was diagnosed with non-A non-B

Hepatitis (this was 1979), and consequently diagnosed with hepatitis

induced rheumatoid arthritis.

I have tried the gamut of NSAID's, plus Plaquenil, etc. I have been

on 5mg of Prednisone and 20 Mg of Feldene per day for years now. At

one time I was on Gold (Solgynol)injections and they seemed to

really help, but my current physician doesn't want to go that

route. I'm also supposed to be on Methotrexate but haven't been

taking it due to financial constraints. I recently went back to

work and have medical insurance now, but have been out on short term

disability (I work for an insurance co. that offers this benefit)

due to the RA, so the future of my insurance and employment is

unclear.

My rheumatologist was prescribing Vicodin for the past 2+ years. It

helped a lot but I was up to 6+ per day and he's not willing to

refill my prescription anymore so I guess I'm going " cold turkey " .

I'm taking about 1000 mg of Tylenol several times a day just to take

the edge off, but I'm still in chronic pain. I'll see him again on

Monday, so we'll see if he's willing to continue to prescribe

Vicodin or put me on something else.

Other information: I had a surgical ankle fusion in 1990. If I had

known that it wouldn't help and I would still have difficulty

walking, swelling, and pain I never would have done it. My right

hand (and of course I'm right handed)is starting to get " gnarly " and

deformed... my ring finger and pinky so far. I have very limited

range of motion in my wrists, and a lot of pain in my left knee and

shoulder. I also seem to be developing what some of you seem to

call a " nodule " on my right elbow.

Due to all of this I am severly depressed, and have been on 10 mg

Paxil for a little over a month. I still cry at the drop of a hat,

so the Dr. is upping the dose to 20 mg. I also experience chronic

fatigue, yet I have insomnia. I suppose I could be going through

peri-menopause too on top of everything else!

I am single, rent a room with a family in a lovely area of So.

California (can't afford to rent my own apt...a studio in this area

is around $800+ mo), and have no financial " cushion " to fall back

on. I either have to go back to work in severe pain or pray I can

get back on disability long term. I don't date or even put

myself " out there " because I figure no one's going to want someone

with a chronic disease like this.

Thanks for letting me vent. I guess I feel like I'm whining, but I

have read the groups' posts and this seems like a safe place to

share.

If anyone lives nearby (I live in Orange County, CA) and would like

to chat on the phone or whatever, it would be great to find a friend.

ALSO... I notice on the egroups there is a CHAT option. Does the

group ever schedule chats? I would enjoy participating in something

like that. But the couple of times I've clicked on it, there's no

one in there.

Thanks again.