Newly diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis!

StateOfPlay

Hi, I am a 54 yr old male, diagnosed with RA last week by a Consultant Rheumatologist. I have also been diagnosed with neurovascular conflict which affects the trigeminal nerves and await an appointment with a neurosurgeon.

I have some questions, not sure if anyone can help?

1) I have been told to follow NHS Covid guidance as I have a weakened immune system with Active RA and medication. I will be required to work from home and take other safety measures. Did anyone else have to do this, and how did it affect your life?

2) The Consultant has referred me to the NHS "early arthritis clinic" via my GP surgery, does anyone know what this is, how it works, and how long you need to be on this programme?

3) I have been suffering Angioedema for the last couple of years, facial/tongue swelling that can be infrequent, but I had 3 occasions last month. Does any else with RA have this type of condition, with red rashes and facial swellings?

Thanks for reading, I look forward to reading through all the posts, and already a big thanks for the link to info on hand and wrist pain, this is very helpful.

Cheers!

Mark.

Louisa77

Hi @StateOfPlay

Welcome and thanks for posting - I'm pleased out have reached out, being newly diagnosed can be overwhelming.

I thought they had stopped a lot of the Covid guidance now tbh, here's some info that might help Arthritis and COVID-19 - what are the risks? (versusarthritis.org). Many people had to do but found the restrictions reduced considerably overtime and people are generally told to take precautions and do what they can. It's great if you have a role whereby you have working from home as an option.

I have not heard of the "Early arthritis clinic" but from what I've read it sounds great Early arthritis - Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (newcastle-hospitals.nhs.uk).

We have lots of members with RA and you can see some of the chats here:-

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussions/tagged/rheumatoid-arthritis

Keep posting and let us know how you get on with the clinic.

Best wishes

Louisa