Guest guest Posted July 19, 2008 Report Share Posted July 19, 2008 It's been about three months since I was diagnosed with RA. My rheumatologist put me on 25 mg of Prednisone right away, which took all the pain away. When he got the blood work back with the positive RA test, he put me on 6 MTX pills. Every two weeks, I lower the prednisone 5 mg. So I am now on 5 mg and the pain is starting to come back. Knees and upper arms (not really shoulders, a little below that). I haven't had a problem with weight gain, but one reason is that when I am fatigued, I dont' have much of an appetite. I asked for a FLMA because I don't work at a job where I can go sit down if I get really tired, but I have to go back to work next Thursday and Friday. When I told him that I still feel ill from the MTX on Thursday, he suggested that I cut down to 4 pills. When I saw him last week, he added Arava -- one pill a day. (I take Mtx on Monday) I have had a few days that I have felt really good. Most day, I feel fatigued, weak - -have achy legs. I'm never clear if it's the RA or the drugs. He also gave me the option to go in and have a cortisone shot in my knees and possibly in my upper arms. He gave me a choice of every kind of treatment there is, but I have no idea what is right for me. That's when he decided to try Arava. Of course, when I go there, the pain is gone. So I write down what and where it is, so I can describe it. I've also gone through thyroid tests. My heartbeat is fast and the endocrinologist has given me a beta blocker (Atenolol) to slow it down. That has been better. I find out Thursday what the tests revealed. I know it is borderline hyperactive. One symptom I have forgotten to tell him about is my voice. It gets really hoarse sometimes. I've read that you can get RA in your larynx or my dentist said she has heard of reflux causing voice problems. It's a good thing I only work part time because I spend so much time going to doctors and having tests. I'm grateful that I was diagnosed with RA at an age when I can do some resting if I need to (64). Thanks for reading, dd **************Get fantasy football with free live scoring. Sign up for FanHouse Fantasy Football today. (http://www.fanhouse.com/fantasyaffair?ncid=aolspr00050000000020) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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