Newly diagnosed with RA

MichelleW

Hello - I have been recently diagnosed with Rheumatoid arthritis and completely overwhelmed by the speed of progression and how little I know and how out of my control the whole thing is 😔

I am 58, always considered myself extremely fit and healthy, and suddenly after an “unknown” infection, find myself in this completely alien situation.

4 months ago I didn’t have anything wrong (as far as I was aware) working and running a family home with husband and 2 athletic sons, and now I have RA affecting most of my joints.- shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, spine and knees

I have been taking steroids and have been reducing them (now on 15mg having started in 30mg) and am 2 months into taking Sulfasalazine, increasing dosage weekly and now on 4 tablets (500mg each) from here on in.

I have to go for fortnightly blood tests and find this difficult when my results vary from one visit to the next - ie. high white blood cell count and other issues seem to arise each time and no idea what any of it means.

feeling a lot more aches and pains probably due to reduction of steroids and Sulfasalazine not yet working at full affect as it can take up to 2 months to do so. - does anyone know if this improves?

I am a person who doesn’t even take a paracetamol for a headache :( so finding all this hard to deal with too.

I have had a couple of egg shaped fluid lumps appeared on my left knee and elbows and I have no idea what it is and how to deal with it. the one on my knee seems to be going down! Will this happen frequently?

I also get very tired, very easily and wonder if this will always be the case 🤔

I think I will need this forum to help me learn more as it’s all very new to me and I have no idea of what to expect :(

tired and depressed as it’s all happened so quickly and a bit of a shock.

Michelle x

Lane

Hi @MichelleW welcome to our online community where you will meet members to share tips and advice.

I understand that you have recently been diagnosed with Rheumatoid arthritis to most of your joints and know very little about it. Your steroids intake is being reduced and started to increase the medication but want to know if this will improve the pain. You have regular blood tests and understand little about them.  You want to know if the fluid retention in left knee and elbows be a regular occurrence and what to do about this.  You often get tired and wander if this is usual. 

It sounds like you are dealing with a lot and having to adjust so quickly too. 

Whilst you wait to connect with our members, I have attached a couple of links from our website for you to have a look at, one about Rheumatoid arthritis and the other wellbeing:

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/rheumatoid-arthritis/

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/managing-symptoms/emotional-wellbeing/

I am so glad that you found us.

Best wishes.