Struggling at times

mmarshall

Hello Everyone
I have not posted on here for a while but still login and read your stories. I find reading about how you all cope helps me to cope especially if I feel down.
I found myself really struggling with having RA.
I am 52 and was diagnosed 16 months ago. I was told that I was lucky as they have caught it in the ealry stages and at first I thought that was the case, especially after reading some of the stories about how some of you suffer with pain etc.
I was given MTX right at the start and lodine.
I am currently on 15mg and it stopped working last Dec so I then was given Sulpha - 4 a day to add along with the MTX and the lodine.
I did not want them to up the MTX as I was having some hair loss and I had suffered from Alopecia some years ago, never found out why I had Alopecia the only thing that the tests showed was Anemia.
I had a bad flare up in Jan and I struggled for months with a catalouge of problems, pain, tierdness, depression, sickness and a red rash on my face that my Doc said was a buterfly rash.. I felt as if I just got over one thing and something else started. My doc wanted me to start taking Prozac as everything was getting me down but I refused because I just don't want to go down that road and I was scared of getting hooked on them.
In this time I was also having problems with blood tests showing too much calcium in my blood and it turned out I have a condition call Hyperparathyroidism, this condition also causes pain , tierdness etc but I was told that they only monitor the condition to start with to see if it settles down on its own as to cure this condition it requires surgery to remove the parathyroid gland in your neck which can then cause other problems.
I only ever stayed off work for 3 weeks as I was only on light duties at work but the tierdness was really tough to cope with.
In all those months I never really went anywhere no social life at all.
I struggled right up uintil May and then all of a sudden for no reason that I know I started to feel a bit better. I went away on holiday with my hubby for 2 wks in Portugal and then I had a week in Marjorca with my Daughter and grand-daughter and the rest was great and I felt even better when I returned.
I am still feeling okay but have had a lot of pain in my right shoulder and down my arm to my fingers. I have been given 2 steriod injections in the last 3 weeks into my shoulder and it has helped a good bit but I still have a bit of pain in my shoulder but I am hoping that the pain will go away.
I think I have said enough.
I am lucky that I have a great hubby and a wonderful family who love me lots and I love them and I know that they worrry about me and I don't want that, I really want my old life back when I could go out dancing and go to gym etc, but I know that is not possible but it is hard to get used to.
I just don't want to feel the way i felt at the begining of the year but hopefully I won't.
Thanks for listening
Mary

elnafinn

Hi Mary

I am happy to know that although you have not been posting, you have not been far away and calling in to read posts has helped you along your way.

I expect you probably felt a little better after writing the past events down. I think you have done very well and come a long way in a relatively short time to how you felt mentally and physically.

You are blessed in having a loving hubby and family. Never lose sight of that. Some others do not have this and that to me is very saddening to hear. Of course they worry about you, it is only natural, as you do them.

We would all like to have our life back as it was but other doors open along the way.

Keep positive and I wish you well,

Luv
Elna x

valval

hi u have done so well getting your head around all that has happened to u. i think the tiredness is the worse the house looked a tip stopped wanting to go any where as to plan ahead was impossible lol getting nagged by mum did not help when things bad :roll: :roll: :roll: .all i wanted was to sleep before going to work only way i could cope doc says is oa but been getting lotts of flare ups so going back to ask her to check that is what it is been taking anti inflams 4 two weeks now and feeling nearly normal still ache but not over whelming tierdness and pain . so think u doing great keep going ,good luck wish u well

debatat

Hi, you have done well to keep going and continue working! It is tough when we are flaring it seems to go on forever and we are unable to do the simplest of things. You have done well to come out the other side and still be positive. I am glad you had a lovely holiday and rest. I hope you have a quiet time with your RA for a while now.

Deb

mmarshall

Thanks for all your kind words.
I does feel better actually talking about how you are feeling.
I know that I am luckly to have a lovely family but sometimes they just don't get how bad you can feel but speaking to alll the people on here know exactly how bad it gets.
I have struggled really badly sometimes with work even getting out of bed to get there can be hard. The people I work with are great but I know sometimes they may think "what is she doing here" when all I do is moan about not feeling well.
But anyway I am feeling better and hope to continue to do so.
Thanks again
Mary

debatat

Hi, one thing that struck me when I read your post earlier is your butterfly rash and hair loss, both of which are lupus symptoms. I just wondered if you had ever been tested for it? You can get an overlap of RA and lupus which is what I have. The treatment is the same so it isn't anything to worry about. I was just curious.

Deb

psyart

hi. i have just joined the forum and have got great comfort from reading other comments. i was diagnosed 2 years ago with pysriatic arthritis, but am still findin it hard to come to terms with all the changes that have taken place. (i wont go into to it all as have waffelled alot on 1st message!!) i realize that i am lucky then a lot of people who are writing on this forum, but this doesnt help my day to day living!! :oops: not sure if that makes sense or sounds stupid??? i saw my o/t yesterday and she was brilliant, listening to me and offering advice. i have realized thou, that i do need to be selfish when 'arthur' visits, as it is the only way at the moment that i can get through the bad times.
i suppose what i am trying to say, is that 'arthur' causes us all problems and we all have differnet ways in dealing with it, but we should not feel guilty when we are dealing with it!!!
as to friends - because they cant see a lot of what is going on they dont understand or know what to say - but this doesnt help us!! and it can be so hurtful and make us feel lonely!! what more do we have to deal with?? :x :?: and why is it us that is left feeling like this when friends stop calling?? sorry - that was a rather long moan!!! :roll:

mmarshall

debatat wrote:

Hi, one thing that struck me when I read your post earlier is your butterfly rash and hair loss, both of which are lupus symptoms. I just wondered if you had ever been tested for it? You can get an overlap of RA and lupus which is what I have. The treatment is the same so it isn't anything to worry about. I was just curious.

Deb

Hi Deb

My own GP mentioned Lupus to me and also something called Crest and gave me a letter saying this to give to the Rhuemy at my next hospital visit. When I went to the hospital I gave them the letter and they said that they will run some tests. I have been back at the hospital a couple of times since but they have never mentioned it and I had so many other things wrong with me everytime I went so to be truthful I forgot to ask them about it.

Mary

woodbon

Hello, sounds as if you are doing very well, as the others have said. I would ask about the diagnosis and the rash, just to get it off your mind. If it is something it may will be helpful to have treatment as soon as possible. If its nothing you can just forget it and carry on the good work you've started! Love Sue