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...
Is it okay to post that having RA is really starting to hit me and making me quite depressed? I was diagnosed this past December and was put on 10 mg of prednisone which worked quite well to stop the pain and stiffness. After a short struggle with the fog of methotrexate and the inability to continue on any prednisone due to the mania it cause I was put on Enbrel a month ago. I realize I need to give it more time to work but I just went back to work after a one month medical leave and in 3 days since I returned to work I went from feeling okay to having more pain, in more joints, than I ever had before. Swollen achy feet, toes and ankles. Painful knees, hips, elbows, wrists, hands, and even eyes have really struck a chord with my psyche that I'm ill and may have a much tougher road ahead than I ever expected. I came home from work yesterday and went to bed at 4:30 in the afternoon! Got up for a quick bite to eat and returned to bed for the rest of the night. Today I came home and just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry.
I need to get better than I am right now. If I can barely make it through 3 days of work how am I going to do 8 more years to retire at 60? With a little luck the Enbrel will make things better. Or maybe the stress of my career (teaching) will just make my condition that much more difficult to manage. Right now I just want to be home which is not a permanent option.
This is not how I imagined it would be when I was diagnosed. That may be due to the fact that I've gotten worse since my diagnosis. I probably don't have the right to complain. Most of you have battled RA for longer than I have. Most of you may have it even worse than the pain I'm feeling. I can't even imagine what you are going through. I truly feel terrible for what you are going through. I guess I just wanted to post to see how others felt when they were new to RA and if the battle gets easier or harder?
I'm not sure if there is anything anyone can say to cheer me up or help me through this tough time but I wanted to post here anyway. I feel connected to others going through the same as I am.
Greg
I need to get better than I am right now. If I can barely make it through 3 days of work how am I going to do 8 more years to retire at 60? With a little luck the Enbrel will make things better. Or maybe the stress of my career (teaching) will just make my condition that much more difficult to manage. Right now I just want to be home which is not a permanent option.
This is not how I imagined it would be when I was diagnosed. That may be due to the fact that I've gotten worse since my diagnosis. I probably don't have the right to complain. Most of you have battled RA for longer than I have. Most of you may have it even worse than the pain I'm feeling. I can't even imagine what you are going through. I truly feel terrible for what you are going through. I guess I just wanted to post to see how others felt when they were new to RA and if the battle gets easier or harder?
I'm not sure if there is anything anyone can say to cheer me up or help me through this tough time but I wanted to post here anyway. I feel connected to others going through the same as I am.
Greg
Was it someone on this board who, while taking (too much) prednisone, spent one year's Thanksgiving dinner telling off his in-laws, one-by-one? You do have to be a little careful with that stuff!