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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medicmom5
medicmom5
Does anyone find the better days almost harder to accept mentally than the bad days? I am so confused! After seeing the Rheumy 6 years off and on and him finally diagnosing me with RA, my mind is in a whirlwind. On the days I feel relatively normal, then I doubt that the bad days were as bad as they were and feel like a wimp :-( Maybe it's because I was made to feel for so long that i "just have osteoarthritis" that I felt I had to prove something?

My next visit is in 4 months with that being a trial of Methotrexate and I am considering asking for a parking placard but feel guilty asking because not every day is one that would make it difficult for me to walk a longer distance. Then again, there are days that it is greatly appreciated. I have a temporary one right now as I just had bunion and neuroma surgery 1 month ago.
Christine26
Christine26
Hi Medicmom and welcome. What made the Rheumatologist after 6 years decide you finally had RA after all this time? If you think you need to have the parking placard by all means ask our Rheumatologist sign the form so you can use it when needed. I know we with RA tend o feel guilty using it because we get out of a car and look okay, but you feel as if you are going to collapse one day if you have to go a block. Also why do you have to wait for 4 more months before starting MTX? Is it because you just had surgery? I wish you much luck. Hope the surgeries heal quickly. Take good care of yourself and again welcome.
annettearizona
annettearizona
I agree-don't feel bad about using a parking placard...even if you feel ok-go ahead and use the parking spot because just that less walking may save you from starting to have problems.
And yes-it's to me like a reoccuring nightmare that suddenly the pain will bring you mentally back to reality that oh yeah...there are problems :(
medicmom5
medicmom5
I think it was the fact that I am seronegative that he hesitated but as I continue to describe my symptoms and the way my hands look he finally pulled the trigger. He is a really nice guy and we have a good rapport so not really sure what took so long. He likes to tell a lot of stories and I sometimes feel like he isn't really listening. Maybe the fact that at my visit last week I told him that I am so fatigued when driving home from work at night that I can almost talk myself into closing my eyes for a minute got his attention! I didn't make myself clear on the Methotrexate, I did start last week at 10 mg weekly, in 8 week I am to call with progress and he will increase to 15 mg if appropriate, will see him 8 weeks after that and go from there.
nonightshades
nonightshades
affirmative on the mental. i'm quite fortunate to be able to thus far control flares with diet and the mildest of inhibitors and very few anti-inflamms.....until i go a while without pain and then cheat my diet and hurt like Hades. and the mental is a daily issue, i wonder if the brain or the spinal cord has the same membrane (forget name) wrapping it as does out joints and therefore has some odd effect upon our brains/moods/thinking. It's something that i do devote a good amount of thought toward. being conscious of it does allow me to "catch it" before it overwhelms me. but, yes, i think it is part of the condition.
2scicrazed
2scicrazed
I still stand up every morning and wiggle everything. Just sure that something will hurt. And I've been in mostly pain free remission for almost 1.5 years now.

Think brain is rewired to expect the pain afters years of suffering it daily.

My family are all seronegatives as well. But 30% of RA patients are. Not uncommon.