Newly Diagnosed ~ Introduction

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone!

My name is Connie and I am new to the group. I just

received my diagnosis yesterday and it was kind of a

mixed blessing. I was told that I probably had Lupus,

but the results of my blood tests and rheumatology

visit indicate that I have RA and not SLE.

I have MUCH pain in my feet and ankles and can't spend

more than about 1 hr on my feet without having to sit

and take pain meds. Needless to say thats a real pain

in the butt! My hands and wrists also give me

problems but not as severe. I also have pain and

tenderness in my knees and lower back. The back pain

gets quite severe at times, especially if I try to lay

on my back.

I have several other auto-immune diseases including

Myasthenia Gravis, Asthma, thyroid disease, and a

bleeding disorder that is autoimmune in nature.

I was on high dose prednisone for several years for

treatment of the myasthenia, but have been off totally

since late March. Yesterday I was restarted on the

prednisone (10mg daily for now) and started on 400mg

daily of Plaquinil. I've never taken this med before

and would appreciate if someone could share what to

expect with it. I have read so many things in the

past 18 hrs that my head is spinning.

I'm also interested in hearing how RA has affected

your ability to work. I am a respiratory therapist

and have already had to drastically reduce my work

schedule due to the myasthenia. I love my job and

would hate to have to leave it, but I don't know how

much more accomodating my employer is willing to be.

Thanks for being available and I look forward to

getting to know you all!

Connie- Michigan

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