Here goes.....

This is my first journal entry, as I am struggling a great deal at the moment and while I have loads of supportive people around me, none of them have an understanding of how horrid this disease is for me. I was diagnosed at 28, after my first son was born, and at 39 (turning 40 this year - yikes!), I can say that the journey has been all over the map for me. After starting with just prednisone and the old pain medication Vioxx (which was determined to cause stroke and removed from the market), I made it through another pregnancy before starting the medication game. After my second child was born, I was put on Humira. My rheumy did not start me with MTX because I was unsure as to whether I would have another child at that point in time. Humira took about 6 months at an increased dose (weekly instead of bi-weekly) to work for me, but then it changed my life. RA symptoms were completely non-existant - no pain meds, no prednisone, no combination therapy, and for about 5 years my life was wonderful! As with all good things, sadly, this came to an end with a sudden allergic reaction out of the clear blue. I was annoyed, but since I hadn't tried anything else at that point, I was not concerned and thought they would quickly find another medication to get me back on track. Unfortunately, after many more medication tries, I am still searching and have been for the past 5 years. I've had better moments and even months, but nothing seems to last for any length of time. I have a new rheumatologist that I love, and am hoping every day that the next great thing will come my way. I hate taking prednisone, and have found that even it is not as beneficial as it used to be. My profession is a physical one - that I have immensely struggled with on so many levels while trying to control this disease. I have no idea who will see this (lol) as I just joined this community, but it feels good to get it out, write it down, flush it. Thanks to anyone listening and my heart goes out to those who share this struggle with me........