Diabetes and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Friartown

Hi,

I am new to this site as I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis last week after months of pains. I am 29 years old, Type 1 Diabetic and have a 6 week old baby!

I had lots of pain throughout the pregnancy which have now been attributed to RA and since having my little boy things have only got worse. With swollen knees, fingers, wrist pain and shoulder pain. I was given a Depo Medrone injection on Tuesday and have had some relief but still in a lot of pain, can anyone tell me is injection likely to give me any more relief or as it has been 2/3 days I have had all the relief I am going to get? I am due to start Methotrexate next week but reading through the leaflets I understand there are a few side effects and also you cannot drink more then 3 units of alcohol a week. I am not a big drinker but I do enjoy a glass of wine or two especially after a difficult week at work!

Also I have found my blood sugars levels are a lot higher then normal - I know the steroid injection can affect these but thought as it had been 4 days the side effects would have worn off - Did anyone have a similar experience?

Sorry I have one more question as this is all pretty new and scary for me right now. With the pain - is this likely to cause high blood sugars?

I would be really interested to hear from any other Type 1 Diabetics as I am finding all the information I have been given, the pain and the future prospects pretty scary.

Thanks in advance....

Friartown x

Sezeelson

No idea if the steroids ever effected my blood sugar as it wasn't checked! Not that I know of anyway!

I've been on methotrexate on and off since I was a tiny child of 5-7? Can't remember exactly when I started and stopped it officially last year at 20. Don't worry about the alcohol to much, it's important not to drink anything IMO initially while your body adjusts to it. After a couple of months then you will be having the odd glass of wine I used to have one or two small glasses of cider of a Friday night which I was fine on! I'm a total light weight so I was extra careful lol! Just listen to your body and be sensible with it but there is no reason why you can't enjoy yourself

stickywicket

Hello friartown and welcome to the forum. I can't help on the diabetes front but I have had RA for many years. It's not at all unusual for it to start after childbirth. I already had mine but it flared after both my boys were born.

Steroid jabs help some but not others. Yours might still kick in but don't expect miracles. It's the methotrexate, or some other DMARD, that you need. Yes, they do sound a bit scary but so is uncontrolled RA. Just because side-effects are listed that doesn't mean to say you'll have any. Meth has done a good job for me for about 13 years. You'll be well-monitored with blood tests while on it (Don't skip them) and, as for alcohol - well, just don't do it at first. get established, see how the blood tests go and, if your ALT levels stay low, try the odd glass. I do

suzygirl

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I have lupus and sjorgens, not RA, but I am diabetic. The steroid jab can last up to 6 weeks so it may well mess with your sugars during that time. Pain and illness also can raise or lower your sugars as I am sure you already know. You may have to monitor them more. The steroids can make you feel hungrier than normal so it is important to watch what you eat and plan healthy snacks.

The methotrexate as others have said is what will help to control the RA better, and help with the pain and fatigue.

I wish you well for your appt.

Friartown

Thank you all for your replies its really good to know there are other people out there who are going through it and can offer great advice....I am sure I will be there one day.

Sorry for the delay in my reply but still getting my head around everything and coping with motherhood (which I LOVE)....

Stickeywicket - Thanks for your message, how did you cope when your boys were born? I am struggling with some simple things like being able to bend down and play with him on the floor which other people can do with him... Or going for long walks. Were you more prepared as you were diagnosed before the pregnancy? Do you find now your medication is sorted that you can do all the things other moms can do?

Sezeelson - Can I ask why you stopped taking it at 20? Is that common?

Suzygirl - Thanks for your comments about the steroid, it is still messing with my sugars which just feels like something else to deal with at the moment!!!

stickywicket

I guess I kind of learnt as I went along. (I learnt after the second that a third would be a very bad idea ) Yes, there's a lot of stuff you can't do with them. There's even more stuff that I can't do with my grandsons now but you just have to accept all the help on offer then concentrate on the good things that you can do. I learnt to pick mine up in all sorts of odd ways. When they slept I slept regardless of the state of the house. I learnt to live in permanent chaos :roll: because there was no alternative. I learnt that cleanliness might be next to godliness but a bit of dirt never did much harm. By the time my elder one was born it was all I could do to get to the local shops. Long walks had gone down the swanee years before. It's tough but it's not forever. Just enjoy them as much as you can. And forget about the rest