Come to say Hello

amandabenn2002

Good Morning, just joined and wanted to say hello. My name is Amanda I am 47 and I was diagnosed with Sarcoidosis a year ago. I saw a rheumatologist this time last year who mentioned rheumatoid arthritis due to the pains in my fingers , thumbs, wrists, right knee and ankle. I was put on Methotrexate in May (15mg) which has been working great for my eyes and lung involvement, however I would say my joint and muscle pain is worse.

I’m going to the rheumatologist in 2 weeks for a steroid injection as my next appointment isn’t until February. (There was talk of increasing my methotrexate or adding a biologic with it).

Any advice or input would be great as I’m really struggling with work now as well. (I work as SEN Support in a preschool)

Thank you xx

frogmorton

I love your dog!!!! So sweet and good at selfies too😁

Nice to meet you @amandabenn2002 and be the first to welcome you to the forum. It's a pretty special place and useful too. I have had so much support here over the years.

You can increase your MTX by quite a bit more yet so there's hope there, but I'd be guided by my Dr in your shoes.

Take care i hope you'll decide to hang around😊

Toni x

amandabenn2002

Thank you for your comment , much appreciated. Yes the dog loves a selfie 😊😊.
Would love to stay around and get to know you all . X

gjones3366

Hi, I to was recently diagnosed with RA ( 3 months ago ) and to say it has turned my life upside down is an understatement. I am very scared and don't know who to turn to. I am finding it hard to deal with. Thank you Geoff

Poppyjane

Welcome @gjones3366 to the online community

We are glad you found us, we are here to offer information, friendship and support whilst you come to terms with your newly upside down world. It is a shock and throws up so many questions and what ifs! We hope you will be able to find some answers here and if not feel that in this safe place you can ask them. Our members have such a wealth of knowledge and personal experience of the vast range of arthritis related disease and are very generous with their tips and support.

I attach some links which I hope will be helpful

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

We are all being encouraged to stay as active as possible, even though exercising may cause us some pain it is important to stay as flexible and mobile as possible. As well as the Lets move with Leon video there is a series of stretching videos which many of our members find both helpful and fun. So I hope you try one of them out.

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/exercising-with-arthritis/lets-move-with-leon/

Geoff, as you can see above there are over 30,000 members who at some time have no doubt felt scared and alone I hope having made contact with us you will stay in touch and let us know more about yourself and any questions that are concerning you.

Best wishes

Poppyjane

MaryL44

Hi @gjones3366 - Geoff

I know how you feel. I was diagnosed with RA about 6 months ago and felt the same as you. We're all different and our ways of coping are different. I'm a control freak so it was important to me to understand as much as I could about this disease and how I could adjust to deal with both the disease and the medication. You'll find lots of information on the Versus Arthritis site and also lots of discussions in our community. There is google, of course but do be wary of the qualifications and experience of people on google!

I think it's important to feel in control and I am currently working hard on working out what I need to do to get my body into the best state I can. Everything I've found boils down to keep moving and eat healthily. I'm doing my best 😀

The other advice I would give you is communication - talk to family and friends and also to your RA Nurse - tell them how you feel and ask them for their support.

Lastly, keep checking back to this community - everyone knows so much.

Hope this helps.

Mary