Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem, autoimmune disorder. It is a disabling and painful condition which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. The disease is also systemic in that it often also affects many extra-articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and...
Of MTX that is!
Last month of injections just about killed me. I take 1 ML on Tuesday mornings and the norm is tired by 6 pm or so but still can function. Weds I am tired but functional. The last month have been getting worse and worse. On Weds. I could barely think straight or move. Once on the couch the exhaustion was unbearable. Then trying to work and talk to people...UGH. I was just overall ill feeling like never before. And that's how it's been last 5 or so injections.
The weekend before last I went riding and it was hot. I always wear spaghetti straps and cover myself with sunscreen. I wore a short sleeve loose cotton black T-shirt. I could feel sweat dripping down my back. I am not a sweater. I never sweat a lot. I don't even have to wear deodorant. Well, I came home with a nasty heat rash. I was itching and scratching and it just got worse. Mid-week I called my RA docs office and to my shock and surprise (it was Thursday) they got me in Monday when I mentioned how I felt and the rash.
Seen him yesterday and he told me to go buy Hydro cortisone and don't take my MTX today. Let my rash heal. Been on MTX since November and never had a rash so he knew it wasn't from that. It was the heat. We had a heat wave that weekend. He also told me to double my Folic acid and split my dose of MTX 12 hours apart and see how that works. I see him again in August. Plus I was dying to get my labs as I didn't go June 9th.....I didn't think to because I always went a week before my appointment. I drink red wine on the weekend so I always want to watch my liver. My labs were perfect. Good.
The only pain I get lately is my right middle finger (the damaged one) but I also been riding a lot more and I ride "direct rein" which means I hold each rein independently, not western one hand rein. He said be careful with the riding. I use to flex my fingers a lot while riding. I think I've stopped and was unaware.
But thought I would share that. It will feel good to not feel bad for 1 and half days.
Last month of injections just about killed me. I take 1 ML on Tuesday mornings and the norm is tired by 6 pm or so but still can function. Weds I am tired but functional. The last month have been getting worse and worse. On Weds. I could barely think straight or move. Once on the couch the exhaustion was unbearable. Then trying to work and talk to people...UGH. I was just overall ill feeling like never before. And that's how it's been last 5 or so injections.
The weekend before last I went riding and it was hot. I always wear spaghetti straps and cover myself with sunscreen. I wore a short sleeve loose cotton black T-shirt. I could feel sweat dripping down my back. I am not a sweater. I never sweat a lot. I don't even have to wear deodorant. Well, I came home with a nasty heat rash. I was itching and scratching and it just got worse. Mid-week I called my RA docs office and to my shock and surprise (it was Thursday) they got me in Monday when I mentioned how I felt and the rash.
Seen him yesterday and he told me to go buy Hydro cortisone and don't take my MTX today. Let my rash heal. Been on MTX since November and never had a rash so he knew it wasn't from that. It was the heat. We had a heat wave that weekend. He also told me to double my Folic acid and split my dose of MTX 12 hours apart and see how that works. I see him again in August. Plus I was dying to get my labs as I didn't go June 9th.....I didn't think to because I always went a week before my appointment. I drink red wine on the weekend so I always want to watch my liver. My labs were perfect. Good.
The only pain I get lately is my right middle finger (the damaged one) but I also been riding a lot more and I ride "direct rein" which means I hold each rein independently, not western one hand rein. He said be careful with the riding. I use to flex my fingers a lot while riding. I think I've stopped and was unaware.
But thought I would share that. It will feel good to not feel bad for 1 and half days.
With regards to the rash, don't discount developing an allergy. I was on Sulfasalazine for 6 months and had no problems. I started getting an itchy rash about 11 am, So I would take a Benedryl and it would clear up. This went on for 2 months, before I realized that I was allergic to Sulfasalazine, but I wasn't getting the reaction for 2 hours after I took it, because it was enteric coated. But I did have 6 months where I was allergic.
JMHO. You need to broach this topic next time you see your rheumatologist in August!
I have no idea if being allergic to MTX is a thing, but you should definitely keep an eye out for a pattern ...
Also sounds like you need to hold the reins in a manner that don't affect your fingers.
While it's true, as Marlene wrote, that it could take a while for an adverse reaction to occur, I doubt you're having one. The sunblock wears off in the wind, you burn, you develop a rash from the sweating. As for the finger, if I understood correctly, this is your own doing by the way you ride.