Diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis! Freaking out!

[Yasdnil]

So I've been hurting all over for months now and finally went to the Dr. on Monday and she called to tell me today that I have Rheumatoid Arthritis! I'm only 23! I have to go see a specialist (rheumatologist), next week to get started on all sorts of medications and find out how far progressed it is and discuss physical therapy.

 

I am getting so depressed not being able to move around like I'm used to! I was VERY active up until this got so bad.

 

I have so many questions about it! My parents seem pretty upset about it so I feel weird talking to them even though I know I shouldn't. My boyfriend seems pretty weirded out about it. We've been talking about getting married and starting a family for a while now, but how is this going to effect my ablilty to be pregnant and then to take care of the child later!!! I feel like it might be selfish of me to bring a child into this world that I can't give 100% to!

 

Does anyone know what the quality of life is for people diagnosed with this?

[This_Too_Shall_Pass]

I'm sorry to hear about the RA diagnosis Although getting RA at 23 is a bit uncommon, it usually hits either in childhood or somewhere in mid-to-late-30s. But there are always exceptions.

 

I am familiar with a few RA facts since a couple of people in my family have it.

I'll list a few points for you (I'm gonna be rambling ):

 

1) RA is an autoimmune disease, meaning that it's caused by your body's own cells "attacking" other cells. It's genetically transmitted, and therefore hereditary. Women are afflicted by it to a much larger extent than men.

 

2) The typical signs are swelling and inflammation of the joints, accompanied by stiffness and pain. Some people have a particular localized area with RA, i.e. knees, fingers, etc. For others, it can afflict different areas every time.

 

3) Since this is a chronic disease, you'll have remissions and relapses. Sometimes, a particular season, stress, etc can bring on a relapse.

 

4) How much it will affect your life depends on its severity. A lot of people get along fine with pain management medications, others have to take corticosteroids when they have an acute flare-up.

 

5) Also, your general health plays a major role. Try and have a healthy diet and excercise routine. Excercise is particularly important, for one thing, you don't want to gain weight and increase the stress on your joints, and besides, you need to keep your joints flexible.

 

6) It's much easier these days for RA patients because of all the new medications and ongoing research...some of the new meds are very effective. So take heart!!

 

You might want to join a support group in your area, or an online forum, etc. for RA. Try http://www.arthritis.com or the RA support on Yahoo groups.

 

Take care.

[truelyblue]

hey ,

my mum has was diagnosed with RA recently and has been seeing this doctor who is a naturopath,he worked on her spine and knees and though she is in pain the need for medicines is not there from 100% pain it has reduced to 30%pain.i would suggest tht you see a naturopath or an ayurvedic doctor as allopathy has no cure and the pain becomes worse over time....my mum was in such bad shape,she cud not sit on the the bed,very difficult to even go to the bathroom,but now she comes down the steps in the house at least once in the day and moves around and all these changes in abt 1 and half months and she is getting a bit better everyday.naturopathy is a slow process but it cures you almost 90% completely.........

 

if you discover any more information on RA kindly lemme know too it wud help my family too.

[whichwayisup]

I have so many questions about it! My parents seem pretty upset about it so I feel weird talking to them even though I know I shouldn't. My boyfriend seems pretty weirded out about it. We've been talking about getting married and starting a family for a while now, but how is this going to effect my ablilty to be pregnant and then to take care of the child later!!! I feel like it might be selfish of me to bring a child into this world that I can't give 100% to!

 

Does anyone know what the quality of life is for people diagnosed with this?

I have afew friends who have this, one manages quite well and continues to live life as she can. She knows there are some days when she's going to be in pain. What she has learned about is pain management. There are many different medications to help and also talking about it helps alot! Join support groups online, to talk to others who are going through or been thought it, will only help you more.

 

A girlfriend of mine had no problem having a baby, infact she was fine during her pregnancy! Her child is 2 years old and is healthy. My friend still has her rough days but again, with the medication (I'll ask her what she's taking) she's doing OK.

 

The mental part of this is crucial. I believe if you don't let it take over, it can be manageable and you still will live a normal life.

 

Hope this helps, keep posting.

[This_Too_Shall_Pass]

hey ,

my mum has was diagnosed with RA recently and has been seeing this doctor who is a naturopath,he worked on her spine and knees and though she is in pain the need for medicines is not there from 100% pain it has reduced to 30%pain.i would suggest tht you see a naturopath or an ayurvedic doctor as allopathy has no cure and the pain becomes worse over time....my mum was in such bad shape,she cud not sit on the the bed,very difficult to even go to the bathroom,but now she comes down the steps in the house at least once in the day and moves around and all these changes in abt 1 and half months and she is getting a bit better everyday.naturopathy is a slow process but it cures you almost 90% completely.........

 

if you discover any more information on RA kindly lemme know too it wud help my family too.

 

Um...I respectfully disagree, TrulyBlue. For one thing, there is no known cure for RA (or any other autoimmune disease, for that matter). Alternative medicine / naturopathy does not cure it either.

 

The basic point is, this disease has to be be managed. Some people rely on allopathy, some resort to alternative medicine as an adjunct therapy.

 

Now, although I admit I'm not much of a believer in naturopathy etc., I do believe that if somebody feels better by adding that to their "regular" meds, it's fine. Whatever floats your boat.

 

But I would definitely not advise stopping the pain meds. For one thing, you mentioned that your mum's been taking it for about 1.5 months, which is too short of a duration to say that the naturopathy worked. For all you know, she's in the remission phase. It's like ocean tides and ebbs, it comes and goes.

 

Besides, for a lot of people, the "nature cure" thing is a psychological comfort. And as WWIU mentions, the mental state plays a major role here. The wise thing to do for any disease is accepting that you have it, and taking it from there to improvement. Sure, allopathy has its side effects and all, but in the end, it's the quality of life that matters.

 

WWIU, I think the "new meds on the block" for RA are Rofecoxib / Celecoxib, they're supposedly easier on your kidneys.

[whichwayisup]

WWIU, I think the "new meds on the block" for RA are Rofecoxib / Celecoxib, they're supposedly easier on your kidneys.

 

The one she's on is enbrel. I don't think it's out in the States, in Canada it is though...Not fully tested but some people, including one of my friends is on it now. Last week was her first week on it. It's injected. She also has Fibro, so when she flares, the Arthritis is worse.

[HokeyReligions]

I was diagnosed with RA when I was 11 or 12 I think. I married, had kids, go to work every day and I deal with the pain. I can't walk far without needing to sit down, I can't get on my knees, and there are some things that I can do, but it takes me a long time. Stairs are difficult to manage sometimes.

 

Mine seems to be working from the bottom up -- my feet are painful and its difficult to wear pretty shoes -- can't find 'em to fit (but I also have very wide feet (EEEE width) and a high arch) I wore heels until I was in my 30's but then the RA was in my lower back. It's moving up to my shoulders and I'm just now starting to have some discomfort and swelling in my hands and fingers. My knees have noticable deformities, but so far my toes and fingers do not.

 

It hits people in different ways. I haven't had much problem outside of my joints, but some people can experience some serious health problems with this disease, although modern medicines and PT/OT help.

 

Don't freak out. Listen to your doctor -- maybe even see more than one doctor, and together you will find a treatment/therapy plan that will work for you. There will be good days and bad, but you can rise to the challenge.

[jen_jen_heartbroken]

This topic has been on my mind a lot lately. It seems for the past few months there is hardly a day that I don't wake up with swollen, red, painful hands and feet. It takes several hours in the morning for the pain to calm down after I take some Motrin. I do better throughout the day, but towards the evening the pain is back, although not as severe as in the morning. It seems strange that my hands and feet would hurt so bad after a full night of rest. In my hands the pain is worse around the joints in my first two fingers.

 

I've had a problem with my right knee for years ever since I had a skiing accident...had arthroscopic surgery on it. But lately both of my knees have been causing me quite a bit of pain, even when I'm not moving around.

 

A few weeks ago I looked up my symptoms on some medical websites and I seem to fit the profile of someone with RA. I've been uninsured for some time, and unemployed up until recently, so I've been reluctant to spend the money to go see my doctor. My insurance will kick in soon and I suppose the only way to find out what is wrong is to go to the doc and get that blood test they talk about.

 

I'm really scared. The over-the-counter meds are becoming less effective over time and I am worried that I'll need to take some of those prescription drugs with nasty side-effects in order to get through my day. Ever since I started my new job, I come home every day completely exhausted. I'm only 32, I hate feeling this old.

[whichwayisup]

Talk to your DR about this. Don't self diagnose on the Net...That can be very dangerous! Helpful at times, but if you don't know what is wrong with you, it will make you freak out! Trust me on this one! I know!

 

Get a full physcial done, blood work too. That way if there is something wrong, you'll know, with your doctor's help, how to face it and deal with it.

[This_Too_Shall_Pass]

Hey Jen,

 

Better get to your physician soon, especially if it's been a few months now!

I agree with WWIU, you can't self-diagnose from the internet.

 

Even if you do manage to get some idea of what your symptoms may be, there is absolutely no better way to treat it than letting your physician decide what's best for you.

 

Yeah, it could be a host of things other than RA (better and worse), try and get some kind of insurance at work now that you're employed.

 

On another note, I've seen that so often, people put off medical treatment because of "insurance issues", here in the US!! It's really, really ridiculous, on the one hand you have all the best medical research and stuff going on here, with pharmaceutical companies swallowing up a HUGE amount of federal funds and citizen taxes - and then you have people who can't get treatment because it's freakin' expensive since they're "not insured".

 

I mean, all other things are affordable and aplenty - even excessive and therefore wasted. Food, for example. People can eat 24/7 if they want, but can't afford medical treatment if they fall sick.

 

Just had to vent, so there.

[Yasdnil]

well, the past few days have been pretty hard, but I'm looking forward to talking to my rheumatologist tomorrow about what the plan of action is.

 

My job has been really understanding and supportive about everything, which is GREAT. My boyfriend has even started helping around the house more! It's such a big relief that I have so many people supporting me through this.

 

Thanks for all your comments and suggestions. I've started to change my eating habits a bit... I am REALLY picky so I don't think I got all the nutrients I needed. I just trying to stay positive about it and see what the Doc says!

 

Jen.....I had a very siimilar situation to yours. I hurt my knee...that's when all this started and I waited almost a year to go to the Dr. So now I have pain in my shoulders, elbows, wrists, knuckles, knees. If I would have gone to the Dr earlier maybe I could have avoided all of this. The Dr aslo said that an injury can trigger the RA. (probably what happened to me, and possibly you). I understand about the insurance thing and it being too expensive to pay out-of-pocket, but as soon as it kicks in...GO! Even if you're feeling fine (you could be in a remission phase).

[jen_jen_heartbroken]

Yas,

It's wonderful to hear that you're handling things so well, and that you have a support system in place for when you don't. Illness can be so very stressful, and it sounds like you are blessed with people who care, and shoulders to cry on. That is a good thing indeed.

 

Oh, I definitely plan on going when the insurance comes through. My stomach is so ripped up from all the motrin I have to take just to get going in the morning. I'm sure that's not good. There has to be something more effective and less damaging.

 

I will pray for you and for a good outcome at your appointment.