Just got the results of my blood tests and x-rays.

spidey23972

I have just got the results of my blood tests ands x-rays from the hospital, having just recently been diagnosed with RA, I am a 42yr old male.
It's good news and bad news. The good is that i have no damage whatsoever to any of my joints and my heart and lungs are fine. The not so good news is that the RA is fast developing and quite aggressive. Which is a shame, because i have been feeling really good these last few weeks . As a result of this, the Consultant wants to get me on a course of medication asap, he also gave me a cortisone injection whilst i was there. So now I'm waiting for a specialist to get in contact with me regarding medication. I can't believe how well I've been feeling lately though, I even played a football match last week and I felt really good. I do have acupuncture, herbal medicine and fish oil tablets that may be helping.

stickywicket

It is, indeed, very good news that the RA hasn't damaged your joints, heart or lungs. It's also a fact that pain perceived often bears no relationship to what is going on inside us so we may, like you, feel great despite the disease being active or we may feel really bad when it's being quiet.

However, your best bet to keep things going well is to take the medication prescribed by the rheumatologist. The cortisone injection may well make you feel as if you don't need it at all as it sometimes appears to take everything away. The operative word is 'appears'. It alters nothing just masks the symptoms so don't be deceived.

Acupuncture may help. Fish oil is usually recommended for OA rather than RA but, taken as directed will do no harm. However, please ask either your pharmacist or whoever prescribes the medication about your herbal meds. They might interact with the RA meds and either prevent them working or result in too much being absorbed. (Welcome to the RA minefield )

Anyway, thanks for the update. I hope all continues to go well and please keep us in the loop.

spidey23972

I forgot to also mention that he asked if I had children (I have) and also if I was planning on having any more. Is this because certain medication can make you sterile?

dreamdaisy

This is one of the boons of early diagnosis - no joint damage which has to be a very good thing. The sooner you begin the meds the better because that will help to preserve that status for as long as possible. The steroid injection may help but it's a con, it does nothing to address the underlying cause of the disease - it's the DMARDs etc. that do that. (DMARD = disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug.) I don't know about the male aspect of fertility but the women on here who decide to go down the child route have to stop the DMARDs for a period of months before conception and throughout pregnancy. DD

stickywicket

I don't know about sterile. I think it's more about potential damage to a foetus. Certainly we women can't take most of the meds when trying to conceive or while pregnant.

trepolpen

hi spidey

with RA you want to protect your joints & that is one reason they fast track the medication now , I have had RA for twenty years & by the time they put me on methotrexate I already need surgery on my ankles & fusing the joint , ie no football or ladders etc

there are some good new drugs around now so hope they can control your condition , if you want more kids you will need to leave of the medication for six months before trying , but talk to your GP/consultant , with some drugs you cant drink alcohol but it is worth it to protect your joints as things can go wrong pretty quick

pot80

Methotrexate can harm sperm count and egg production (label warning).

barbara12

So lad you are feeling well, and you do seem to have a good team around you that are on the ball...this will make a difference long term...good luck with the meds...and let us know how you get on with them..