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...

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becrox 10/05/2011

Just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Becky. I am a wife and a mother to a 1 and a 2 year old. I also work full time. I was diagnosed with RA when I was 19 years old. I had the initial bloodwork and x-rays done which confirmed it. Since than I have refused to even talk about it. I have had this mentality that I could make it go away on my own.

Sadly this is not the case and since having children it has reared its ugly head. I have pain everywhere but most especially in my hands/wrists/fingers and my shoulders/neck. Along with the neck pain came the migraines. And WOW those suck (I had NEVER had one before). Also I am extremely fatigued, stiff and sore most of the time. It is making it difficult to take care of my kiddies and to work.

I would love some tips/advice on where to go from here. Any stories that you may be able to share would be much appreciated.

deleted_user 10/05/2011

Hello Becky and welcome. I'm sorry your having so much trouble with RA. This is a great group of people. RA is very trying on one. The fatigue can really get you down. But to have 2 small kids on top of it wow my heart hoes out to you. It sounds like you are in a flare. You need to find a good Rheumy in your area and together work to get on the right meds for you. Til then ask you family doctor about prednisone. It can help with your pain and swelling til you see a specialist. My prayers are with you. Ann

MommaAshley 10/05/2011

Hello, Becky. I know what you are going thru. I am a newly diagnosed RA patient and also have two children and work full time. RA didnt affect me until after my second child was born, and then it still took me 2 years and multiple doctors to get a dagnosis. i am currently on plaquenil and so far it has helped a ltttle. I also take lyrica for fibro pain, not a whole lot of help there. I get very depressed over my health and am battling that. I feel like if my pain was reducec more, I would feel better. Hang in there and hope that you are able to find a doctor and treatment plan that works for you!!

deleted_user 10/05/2011

Hey Becky
Sorry you are going through this, but one thing I would make a point to check on is those migraines. Onset of headaches that are new and debilitating can be a sign of some other problem that should be ruled out. Your primary could steer you in this direction. One of the first things could be an eye exam to rule out any issues there then perhaps an MRI and so on. RA can cause inflammation in lots of places, so the headaches could in some way be related to your current onset of RA symptoms.

becrox 10/05/2011

Thank you everyone for your very kind replies. I will definately be making an appt with my doc about these new symptoms. As it stands I have not taken and medications or done anything to try to control this. But I think the time to really take a proactive approach and do something has hit me.

deleted_user 10/05/2011

hey becky,im pretty new to this.my entire life i have rode out countless injuries and illnesses without seeking medical care and most just ran its course.im not big on doctors and medicine,i think i picked that up from my dad.incredibly tough old school kinda guy.but i realized very quickly through research and other peoples real life experiences that i have to be as aggressive as the disease itself and gladly accepted treatment to try and slow its progression.you want to be running after your kids for years to come.if you dont have a appointment already, why dont you make one with a rheumotoligist sooner than later,they can be tough to get into.that way you can explore your options and make a informed decision for yourself.my pain and stiffness is very bothersome to me but the underlying joint damage is even more so.make a appointment today and you will feel better already.good luck and keep us updated.

deleted_user 10/05/2011

I also got migraines with RA. I later found out they were caused not by the neck and jaw pain, but because of the meds I was taking were damaging the stomach lining. I cannot take pain killers or oral drugs. Prednisone and oral mthx were esp. bad.

So welcome to the group, and hope we see you around lots, but sorry you have RA with small kids. I had my first flares when my daughter was 10 and she was a great help for me.

Anyway, if you don't take meds, you will start to get irreversible damage to your joints. I would advise you to see a rheumy and start on the mildest ones, if you don't like meds. Sadly, RA rarely goes away, unless you actually have Palindromic. I had it, but it didn't go away either, just morphed into RA. Hugs

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