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...
Ok so no real question to speak of , just yah writing this seems like what I need to do .
I am a 47 year old disabled veteran of the US Army and Navy. I have lived with young onset Parkinson's disease for many years. In the service I have done things that would scare a sane man frozen . I have survived things that haunt my dreams to this day.
Tomorrow I see my gp and we get to begin this journey wherever it Leeds. Having sat with a very dear friend that has lived with ra for decades and her overwhelming confidence that that things on my knuckles and the red warm swollen joints are indeed ra. Having read the literature and truely assessed my pain level. I can now for the first time in my life I am overwhelmingly afraid . I read stories on here of people living with ra and it gives me comfort . at the end of the day I'm mortified . not so much if the pain ( although that offers me no joy in the thought of the pain ) but in my potential loss if my mobility and ability to do the things I love to do . I know that tomorrow nothing will change. My hands hips shoulders wrists toes and feet will still hurt Friday morning when I get up . I know I Will still have growths on many knuckles toes and softish lump on my elbow . I know that If I wear socks the pressure binding my toes together will render me In excruciating pain. Nothing will change. I guess what scares me is that tomorrow it all gets real. Or at least begins to. Lol Parkinson's for many years and bumps on my fingers scares me and makes me feel like I'm running out of time. Maybe that's because the bumps and such are already a bigger issue for me to deal with each day. Ok I think I'm done whinning for now. Thank you for your time. May we all have a far better day tomorrow than we are having today.
I am a 47 year old disabled veteran of the US Army and Navy. I have lived with young onset Parkinson's disease for many years. In the service I have done things that would scare a sane man frozen . I have survived things that haunt my dreams to this day.
Tomorrow I see my gp and we get to begin this journey wherever it Leeds. Having sat with a very dear friend that has lived with ra for decades and her overwhelming confidence that that things on my knuckles and the red warm swollen joints are indeed ra. Having read the literature and truely assessed my pain level. I can now for the first time in my life I am overwhelmingly afraid . I read stories on here of people living with ra and it gives me comfort . at the end of the day I'm mortified . not so much if the pain ( although that offers me no joy in the thought of the pain ) but in my potential loss if my mobility and ability to do the things I love to do . I know that tomorrow nothing will change. My hands hips shoulders wrists toes and feet will still hurt Friday morning when I get up . I know I Will still have growths on many knuckles toes and softish lump on my elbow . I know that If I wear socks the pressure binding my toes together will render me In excruciating pain. Nothing will change. I guess what scares me is that tomorrow it all gets real. Or at least begins to. Lol Parkinson's for many years and bumps on my fingers scares me and makes me feel like I'm running out of time. Maybe that's because the bumps and such are already a bigger issue for me to deal with each day. Ok I think I'm done whinning for now. Thank you for your time. May we all have a far better day tomorrow than we are having today.
You just have to take it minute by minute and day by day....try to find things that you enjoy and can do without hurting yourself more. Even more importantly, you still need to move. Have you ever looked into taking a stretching and breathing class? If you can find anything like that around you, it will do you wonders I'm sure. Welcome to the group and thank you for your service to our Country!
I was diagnosed with RA in June, 2012 - 4 years ago. At that time, my feet were the worst, could hardly walk in the morning for hours, or if I had sat in the car more than 30 minutes, pain again. My hands hurt, too, nothing like my feet though. I started on treatment, methotrexate, a few months later, there was zero improvement. Nothing. So, the Rheumatologist added a biologic. That is when I started to fee so much better. I was only stiff in the morning for a few minutes, at most. I can walk for an hour on a treadmill, no problem. I have gone sky diving (tandem, attached to someone who know what he was doing). Doing a bunch of gardening will have my hands reminding me who is boss. I can not play video games, cross stitch, or quilt. I can mow my lawn. I can shovel. I am now on Rituxen, a drug that is an infusion, in a cancer center, that takes 5 hours. If I start to feel sorry for myself, I look around at some of the people in really tough shape, who are smiling and laughing. I feel really bad when I see young adults in there.
I am not where I was before I was diagnosed, but over all, I am very lucky. My RA is under control, hopefully, yours will be, too.
I remember when my RA just caused a stiffness in the morning, but when it escalated, it did quickly, and caused so much damage, that I didn't recognize my life. I wish I would have gone to a Rheumatologist much sooner and listened to their explanation of RA and why the correct drugs are necessary.
That's what made RA scary to me, the treatments, and once I started to feel the deterioration of my joints, which limits my activity, I got really scared. I was in a lot of denial for years. It's definitely a life adapting disease. It impacts everything. That's why it's good to get a Rheumy quickly and follow his/her treatment, because it can lessen how scary RA becomes.
As you know there is a lot of collective wisdom on this board, diverse and wise. I hope you find the information helpful and the support encouraging
It's very possible that with the right rheumatologist [NOT a GP] and the right treatment you just might find yourself rid of pain and inflammation.
Think it can't be so?
Hmmmmm, think again. I'm living proof.
I am sorry you have all this to deal with but would also like to welcome you to the group. I am recently diagnosed with RA (6 Months) and the folks here have been vital to my emotional well being. Most members on here see a rheumatologist, however, I see a GP and not a rheumatologist because of where I live and the distances required to get to one. My GP stays up on the latest info and research and is willing to take the time to discuss a treatment plan with me. He is also willing to fight my insurance company to get them to pay for meds. I'm glad you joined the group and hope you will let us know what happens at your visit tomorrow. You are welcome to whine, we all have on occasion and this is a safe place to do it. Hugs and best wishes.
having sjogren's, along with RA - so without the dentist and all their magical tricks (implants, crowns, root canals, apicoectomies, and on and on and on and on) I would not have my own beautiful teeth - which I am positively joyous about. goddess love every dentist that has taken care of my mouth.
depot
You have to reject the fear or it will consume you so that there is no possibility to adjust to the potential changes brought by the disease.
Study up on diets and find one that helps you, TAKE YOUR MEDS when you get them and most importantly control the six inches between your ears because no one but you can do that. If you have RA, if it hits hard, you'll have radical changes to what you can do. Accept, adjust, welcome the humility it brings. You can do it!
I'm happy that yours is sending you on, not just saying that men don't have RA, or that you don't seem swollen, or any other of the bogus junk many of us have heard. Time to mobilize against the enemy!