Newbie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

refereerick

Hi, I'm Rick and i'm a newbie on here!

I'm 41 and 3 weeks ago I came down with an extremely painful and swollen left elbow. It soon went to my left wrist and fingers in my left hand (sods law i'm left handed!) I now have it in my right groin (hip), right knee and left ankle. I've been in desperate pain at times despite being prescribed
40mg of Prednisolene tablets a day.
Yesterday I finally got an emergency appointment to see a Rheumatoid consultant and she was brilliant, although I still have to have xrays on all my joints and a CT scan etc, she is convinced it is some form of Arthritis, although she did say it was unusual for it to come on so severe so quickly.
She want to put me on Mexatrixaline? When she gets my blood test results back.
Just a bit worried as I am a self employed builder as to my prospects, and lack of funds during what she says could be months off work, but I guess I have to take it day by day and see it as a challenge.
Any advice and tips would be very welcome.....thanks in advance, Rick.

pinkbritishstars

Sorry to read your story Rick, but welcome to the forum.

I think taking things day by day is the best way of dealing with all the emotions at the moment.

Look forward to seeing you post around the forums.

Pink :-)

refereerick

Thanks Pink, its good to know there are others in the same boat on here who can give some sound advice and support 8)

stickywicket

Hello Rick. It's good to meet you but I expect you'd have preferred not to have to meet us :roll: It does seem to have come on quickly but arthritis can do that. What's good is that you seem to have a very on-the-ball GP and have been referred to a rheumatologist quickly. Some people wait months or longer for that.

You do seem to be on quite a hefty dose of prednisolone and I hope it kicks in soon to help you. I expect the other med she is contemplating is methotrexate. It's often the first port of call for anyone with an auto-immune version of arthritis. I've been on it for over 10 years and it works well for me.

I'm afraid no-one can predict the future. Sometimes newbies come on here in fear (and lots of pain) and trembling and a few weeks later disappear back to their old lives. For others it might not be so straightforward but we'll help all we can with any questions you might have. We've no medical qualifications but we do have a lot of experience of living with arthritis in all its forms.

Numptydumpty

Hi Rick and welcome to the forum.
I have RA, and mine came on very quickly.
I look forward to reading your posts.
All the best,
Numpty

refereerick

Cheers for the reply Wickysticket

The Rheumatologist said my GP had been very good so that was good to hear. Forgot to say i've now been taken off the Pred and had a steroid injection that should last 6-8 weeks.
Methotrexate sounds about right, she needs to check my blood tests first as the ones the docs did said I had a slight problem with my liver and she wants to make sure thats right first, otherwise she might put me on another drug - sulphursalsine or something similar.
I'm glad to have people in the same boat to ask my stupid questions too, much better to have advice from people who have experienced the same problems than maybe a professional.
Thanks for your support and help, i'm sure you'll soon get fed up with me asking dumb questions! :roll:

refereerick

Numptydumpty wrote:

Hi Rick and welcome to the forum.
I have RA, and mine came on very quickly.
I look forward to reading your posts.
All the best,
Numpty

Hi Numpty
Thanks for the welcome, i'll keep you all informed of progress :? as and when it happens, hope to get the hospital appointment for xrays and CT scans next week and should get news on the gallons of blood they nicked off me too!

mig

Hello and welcome though i am sorry to see you here,i am 64 and was diagnosed 2 years ago and are still trying to find meds that suit me,you will find some good friends on here who will support you thru the good times and bad,hope they can get you sorted soon. Mig

refereerick

Hi Mig,
Thanks for the welcome, I hope they get your meds sorted soon, its good to have support and advice in such times.
Take care - Rick

julie47

Hi Rick

and a big welcome from me too although I am sorry that you have had to find us. :?

I wish you well with the forthcoming appointments and hope that they can get you on the right meds soon.
Lets hope the injection starts to kick in soon too.

Take care
Love juliepf x

stickywicket

refereerick wrote:

I'm glad to have people in the same boat to ask my stupid questions too, much better to have advice from people who have experienced the same problems than maybe a professional.
Thanks for your support and help, i'm sure you'll soon get fed up with me asking dumb questions! :roll:

Just a quick visit.

I'm still asking dumb questions and I've had this for years!

The professionals come in quite handy too, though.

Meth and sulph are very normal DMARDS. If on them you'll have your bloods done regularly and probably be told to stay off alcohol at first just to ensure your liver's happy with the meds. After that....well...it varies. Some are told not to drink. I never was and I'm blessed with a cast iron liver which always gives me good results so I have the odd jar most days.

Heather65

Hi rick and welcome ,sorry your having so much pain at the mo lets hope they can sort it out for you
Heather

refereerick

Thanks for the welcome, Julie and Heather Hopefully i'll soon find out more whats happening and then I can bombard you with questions :roll:
Sticky, i'm not to worried about the alcohol side of things, drank my quota in my youth and then couldn't touch the stuff for 5 years as I became allergic to it! Now I only have the odd beer maybe every couple of months so thats not a worry, now if they said I couldn't drink tea You know what us builders are like!

frogmorton

Hi Rick

another welcome here Lovely to meet you.

I hope you will find these forums as helpful as I have.

All being well the liver results will settle for some reason they are very often 'out', but seem to settle down if not sulpha is a reasonable alternative to try.

not heard of anyone being banned from drinking TEA fortunately

Love

Toni xx

refereerick

Hi Toni, thanks for the welcome, everyone seems so friendly and helpful on here
Hopefully i'll get some results back next week to pinpoint exactly what I have and what needs doing. My GP has been excellent and tested for everything from Hepatitis, Glandular fever etc right through to Wiels disease! and she got me an appointment with the rheumatologist within 3 weeks of the symptoms starting!
The frankly excellent rheumatology colsultant I saw at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (Dr De Silva) is sure I have arthritis in some form, its just finding out exactly what I guess?
Hopefully the liver results will be ok and I can get the meds I need soon.
So glad tea is not a banned substance, life would be unbearable without it

skezier

Hi Rick

Welcome from me as well. Its a good place here to ask wquestions which are NEVER stupid there is normally someone who can answer them and if not the helplines certainly will do their utmost to find the answers.

Its not easy to begin with but once they have started you on some meds and they have got on top of the inflammation as well as the pain it does get easier to cope and live with. Hope you will soon get some improvement even though it can take time to sort out which one you actually have at least they are starting to treat you. Most of the inflammatory types have the same kind of treatment. Nice to met you and I hope it ill start to feel better for you soon. Cris x

refereerick

Again thanks for the warm welcome Chris
So glad i've got somewhere to come for some sound advice, todays not been too good, don't think my joints like the damp weather :roll:
But at least when anything I i'm not sure about happens I know the good people on here will be there to help as best they can 8)

Cheers everyone - Rick x

bubbadog

Hi Rick and welcome to the forum, hope your enjoying it and look forward to reading your posts in the future!!

dreamdaisy

Hello, it's lovely to meet you and I am pleased you have found us. This is the place for questions of all sorts and shapes and sizes and someone usually has an answer! It's also the place for reliable information, that is a necessity. You are very fortunate in that you are being dealt with so quickly, that is an absolute marvel - it took me five years to be referred to a rheumatologist - via the physios at ITFC (yup, I'm a Tractor Girl ) I look forward to seeing your name here and there around the forums and I wish you well. DD

refereerick

Thanks for the welcome Bubbadog and Dreamdaisy

By reading things on here it does sound like i've been very lucky with my GP referring me to the Rheumy. I think my GP specializes in Osteopathy so I was lucky there. Also that it has come on so bad so quick I think was a contributory factor, from fine to hardly being able to put one foot in front of the other in a few days!
I've already been helped enormously by the support and information people have given on here, you're all little Stars!
I do feel sorry for you Dreamdaisy, having arthritis and being a tractor girl, what the hell did you do to deserve that!!! :roll:

dreamdaisy

I married a Tractor Boy! I have an auto-immune arthritis (psoriatic, you get cr*ppy skin as well as cr*ppy joints ) and the joint damage from that has led to OA in both ankles and knees. I have been on methotrexate and sulphasalzine for years, and I am approaching the start of my third year with humira, an anti-TNF treatment. I know that RA can be very aggressive and it can hit with speed if it so chooses, I fear it could be doing with you. Bloods permitting hopefully you can begin the meth, that will subdue the immune system and thus inhibit disease activity: well, that's the theory! DD

nikkib007

Hello and Welcome

Bit behind everyone else on here but just wanted to say my arthritis came on very quickly too soon after my baby was born, like the others said take each day at a time, I am the sufra drug now and it seems to be helping, feel better the more I come on here so keep coming back to chat

Nikki
x

tjt6768

just said hello on my thread but will do it officially lol.
This is an incredible place Rkid. I'd be lost without my friendly bunch of arthurites..
I'm sure you'll fit in well.
As long as it's tetleys you're drinking haha.. Proper tea.
In fact, we went across to the bar opposite the hotel this evening and I took my tetley tea bag with me (I'm a non drinker) and asked the waiter to use it.. Fantastic news.. They have tetleys SCORE! Lol
Anyway matey,a big welcome...
Hope things aren't so bad for ya. I'm on sulfasalazine at the minute but think they'll be adding methotrexate in a couple of months. I've got sero negative and osteo, what a lucky boy haha..

refereerick

Hi Nikki and Tony, thanks for the welcome! 8)

Better day for me today - yay! even managed to get out of the house for the first time since Friday, staring at the same 4 wall was sending me round the twist. Had a phone call from my best mate too and its surprising how much better little things like that make you feel.
Hoping to hear about my bloods tomorrow now the hospital will be back to normal, hopefully I can then get down to the Methotrexate stuff!
Day at a time and looking forwards...Toodle pip for now

dreamdaisy

One day at a time is a very sensible strategy refereerick, sometimes it's the only one! Good luck with the results, I hope they go your way. DD

7worlds

Hi Rick. Nice to meet you and welcome to the forum. I have RA. and despite it all being a bit up and down i have so far managed to avoid being off work because of it.My docs were a bit doom and gloom but i have (so far!) proved them wrong. Try not to worry. Once you get the meds sorted you will surprise yourself at how resillient you will be.

7Worlds