Re: new to group (kinda long) - long reply!

[Guest guest]

Hi -

Welcome to the group - sorry you had to find us though. I've been

diagnosed with RA for almost 6 years now, and had weird joint pains

off and on for about a year and a half before then. I was actually

relieved to get the diagnosis, because it gave me something I could

then learn to control.

You're taking a good first step by educating yourself. RA isn't a

death sentence, and for many people it's well controlled with fairly

low amounts of medication. I think the folks you find in the on-

line groups tend to have more severe cases, or have challenges in

bringing things under control. Don't let anything you read scare

you! I have continued to work full time at a demanding job since RA

hit, and have only recently had to cut back my hours due to a flare

up.

Ibuprofen and Naprosen are both anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs), and

you shouldn't take both of them at the same time. You can, however,

take acetaminophen with an anti-inflammatory, so that combination

may help you feel better right now. If it is RA the best (and most

common these days) approach is to treat it agressively early on with

disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). If those don't get

things under control, there are also 4 'biologic agents' available -

these are newer (and much more expensive) types of therapies.

If I were you, I would follow up with your doctor and ask for a

referral to a rheumatologist. They are usually really busy, so it

can take awhile to get an appointment. Once the appointment is set,

ask your doc to send over your lab work so they have something to go

by. They'll probably take more (these docs seem to love to poke us)

to compare the levels of various things to your prior tests. While

you are waiting for the rheumy appointment, if you are still in pain

and having trouble, ask your doc for something stronger to help -

there are stronger anti-inflammatories available, as well as

prednisone (as Harold said, the drug we love to hate).

Continue to read up, ask us your questions, and remember that things

will get better. It's hard to imagine it when you are flaring and

things are out of control, but you won't always feel like this!

Take care, Beth

> Hello!

> I just recently joined this group (and a few others like it)

because

> I believe I have RA. I have not been officially diagnosed but

after a

> recent blood test, my doctor sent me a letter letting me know that

my

> RA is elevated and if my pain and stiffness persists, I might have

> RA. He gave me a website to check out and my symptoms are

consistent

> with RA.

> So.....now what?!

> I'm scared and I'm already imagining a hellish future for my

family

> and myself. If I'm this uncomfortable now at the age of 37 what's

it

> going to be like in 5 or 10 years?! *Ut oh, I'm whining. Sorry

about

> that. ; )

>

> I've had achy bones for probably about two years. Arthritis seems

to

> run in my family so I just dealt with it. BUT, a few weeks ago

during

> a chilly and rainy camping trip I kept waking with such pain that

I

> was sure someone had sneaked in and beat the heck out of me! Thats

> when I crawled to the doctor's office looking for an explaination.

>

> So, I've been trying Ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and Naproxen as

> advised by the doc but I still hurt, darn it! I just don't know

what

> to do now.

> Do I wait for a call from my primary physician? Do I make the next

> move? What should the next move be?

> Ahh, so many question!

> Well thanks so much for listening. After reading the archives I

see

> this group is caring and supportive- I'm glad to have found it!

>

>