Can anyone help my friend?

tjc123

Hi A lady I know has had 3 visits to see her rheumy doctor,she has had a lot of tests done & has every symptom of RA but her bloods are ok & so are all of her tests :? This is driving her crazy as she is ill but is now ? herself... is it all in her mind.I have talked (listened) to her but I dont know what to say.
She has been to the hospital today & has been told by her rheumy that because she had a good reaction to the steriod injection she will be started off on a RA drug.Now she is worried about taking this drug if her tests are all ok.

Help :!: Can any one help with this or has this happened to anyone on here?Any help would be great.
Thanks
tjc

frogmorton

Hi TJC

if she has a serogeative arthritis then a DMARD would be an appropriate cours of action wouldnt it?

She is however the only one who can decide to take it.

Hopefully it will be one of the ones which is mildest eh?

Tell her to come on here and we will support her if we can.

Glad she has you

Love

Toni xx

theresa4

HI
HOw kind of you to care for your friend.

I too have nothing in my bloods except raised ESR and occasional raised CRP. Tell your friend not to worry. I was told that a positive reaction to the steroid is as much of a clinical indication of RA as bloods if not more. I too doubt myself although after 4 1/2 years I think its now just wishful thinking. I was worried about taking the drugs and although none as yet have worked I do find that without methotrexate (I cant take it if I am ill) I noticew a pronounced difference despite thinking it didnt work. I am now on biologics and about to start my 4th one. It was a matter of weighing up the impact the RA was having on my life and the possibilities of the drugs causing me problems. I chose to take a chance on the drugs as my RA is really mad and restricts my lifestyle considerably.

Good luck to your friend and I will be glad to chat if she would like to. And just being there to listen is a great thing for you to do.

LOve Theresa x

mightymam

I am exactly the same. My bloods were normal. My rheumy told me that a good indication is if steriods work as did with your friend. I was started on mtx 3 weeks ago and I was very worried about starting medication. But the way I see it is I am taking a chance on the meds to work for me because I want to be fit enough to look after my boys. If the mtx does not work then I will try a new one. The side effects that you can get are very scary but you get that with lots of meds. Your friend may be one of lucky ones that does not have any side effects. She will decide what is best for her. Gud Luck

tjc123

Thanks everyone

I will pass all of your good wishes on to her. I did tell her to join in on the forum but she didnt feel like there was any point,when I let her know what you have all said & that she is not the only one hopefully she will feel a bit more confident & join.
tjc

ironic

Oh yes, please tell her to join. It's no so good when you feel isolated.

So glad she has you though.

Lv, Ix

sanmar63

tjc123 wrote:

Thanks everyone

I will pass all of your good wishes on to her. I did tell her to join in on the forum but she didnt feel like there was any point,when I let her know what you have all said & that she is not the only one hopefully she will feel a bit more confident & join.
tjc

Hi!
I wasn't going to join the forum as I've had RA since the age of one year - I didn't see the point, as I thought I probably knew all there was to know about it - I was wrong. :shock:

This forum isn't just about illness, its about friendship, advice and support - with quite a few giggles thrown in for good luck!
Try and persuade your friend to join.....she's missing out on so much!!

Love and ((()))'s, Sandra xxx

tjc123

You are all so kind & sweet

Thanks everyone xxx

slummymummy

Arthritis since age one year???? Sandra, you poor poor thing. The thought of my children having it would break my heart. And I've only had it for two years and have already had ENOUGH. Thanks for posting such positive comments, and thanks for being here, to help people like me get a bit of perspective. xxxxxxxxxxx

sanmar63

slummymummy wrote:

Arthritis since age one year???? Sandra, you poor poor thing. The thought of my children having it would break my heart. And I've only had it for two years and have already had ENOUGH. Thanks for posting such positive comments, and thanks for being here, to help people like me get a bit of perspective. xxxxxxxxxxx[/

Hi!,
Hey, don't feel sorry for me - I probably cope better than you because I've never been without RA. It sounds ridiculous, but I've never had a day without pain, so I don't know any different. Fortunatley I have a VERY high pain threshold and usually manage quite well (tho I have struggled lately) :x

As for your comment about children - after 47 years, my Mum still wont accept that its not her fault that I have RA - She thinks it must be something she did when pregnant that caused it (rubbish - but she wont listen) - even so, I'm thankful that my grown-up children are fit and well.

All I can say to you is just battle on and try not to let it get to you, it must be awful to suddenly be struck down after being 'normal'!
Lots of love and ((()))'s,
Sandra xxx