Hi from a new member !

JuliaH

I am new to the online community, although I've lived with RA for over 20 years. I'm on my fourth drug treatment now and I seem to last on a drug for about 5 or 6 years before the disease temporarily gets the better of me and I have to try the next level. I am supported by a fantastic Consultant Rheumatologist and a brilliant team of Nurse Specialists. I refuse to be defined by RA and make it my business to be as active as I can possibly be. As I am in a period of stability at the moment, the worst thing about Covid-19 for me is the interruption of my travel plans. However, I am far from complacent and appreciate every single pain- or fatigue-free day that I have.

DebbieM

Hi @JuliaH !

Welcome to the Online Community - it's great to have you here!

You have had Rheumatoid Arthritis for a longer time now and although you are very experienced in managing it, you may have some concerns around COVID-19 and how that will impact daily life for you.

You can keep up to date on all our guidance around COVID-19 on our dedicated pages here:

https://www.versusarthritis.org/news/2020/april/coronavirus-covid-19-and-arthritis-where-to-go-for-information/

and there are lots of links to other resources from those pages too.

You might find our Coronavirus Forum particularly interesting at the moment:

https://community.versusarthritis.org/categories/covid-19-corona-virus

Or maybe you'd like to help other people living with RA by sharing your experiences and tips with them over on the Living with Arthritis Forum:

https://community.versusarthritis.org/categories/living-with-arthritis-forum

I hope you enjoy being a part of our Online Community!

Best Wishes

Debbie x

dreamdaisy

Hello, it's nice to meet you. I too have run the gamut of medication due to psoriatic arthritis and things have been pretty good since around 2011 with the combination of humira and methotrexate but not good enough to live as I want. That's due to my joints also developing OA and then fibromyalgia on top. I am, however, more than my disease and always have been, I am not defined by the arthritis, it interferes but is not the boss. I am lucky in that I was born with auto-immune imflammatory junk so used to living a restricted life and getting the most out of not much.

One of the problems with meds is that the body gets used to what is being taken so the effect is reduced and changes have to be made. My disease activity is still under good control so I am fortunate but when my body rebels that's it for me, my health authority has a 'three strikes and you're out' policy. I genuinely cannot remember my last pain-or-fatigue-free day but am genuinely pleased you still have that and hope you will be able to carry on in that way. DD