I recently diagnosis and need some reassurance please

Skittles1982

Morning all,

I am 43 yrs old and I work as a sports massage therapist and I have recently been diagnosed with RA in my hands and possibly my feet also.

I understand that the treatment options are so much better than they have ever been in order to help my living a 'normal' life, however the drugs i am taking, methotrexate is giving me a lot of side effects and not taking the pain inflammation down yet, I only started taking them last Sunday so I know i need to give it time, but I am just feeling pretty low and in need of some reassurance that it will get better, I am a very fit and active person and this has hit me pretty hard mentally and physically.

Poppyjane

Welcome @julestaylor to the online community,

The onset of RA is a shock for anyone but for someone of your age , who is a fit and active sports therapist it is a difficult diagnosis to accept. We all have had to take time to readjust to the changes that a diagnosis brings. It is common to feel hit hard as you have been both physically and mentally. So be patient with yourself as you go through the process and allow the medication to support you. There are members of the community who are here to support you in lots of different ways, so do take time to browse round . The website provides lots of information and advice sheets and I attach some that might be of interest to you.

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/treatments/drugs/methotrexate/

https://www.versusarthritis.org/news/2022/january/a-big-part-of-any-arthritis-diagnosis-is-dealing-with-what-it-means/

https://www.versusarthritis.org/news/2023/july/from-a-rheumatoid-arthritis-diagnosis-to-training-for-the-london-marathon-ellana-s-story/

We are all encouraged to keep active to maintain our flexibility and mobility and in your profession you are very aware of this. I have therefore included two examples of young people who have readjusted their lives to live with the disease not be defined by it.

You will probably have lots more questions to ask and we hope to be able to share own experiences with you in support. You should also use your medical team of GP, local pharmacist and the RA nurse for advice on medication and side effects.

Do join us again soon and let us know how you are getting on.

Best wishes

Poppyjane

Arthuritis

@julestaylor

Have a look at this jules… A doc overcomes her RA, many have, not everyone can, but it’s possible if you are willing to make drastic changes to your diet and educate yourself about your gut and your immune system you can greatly help yourself

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/64243/inspirational-story-of-female-doctor-diagnosed-with-ra

Arthuritis

@julestaylor

more stuff for you to read, but watch the video first, then this

The important thing is not to panic or stress. For many people who are willing to change their diet and educate themselves, there may be an exit ie symptom & drug free, but early on your main objective should be to take your meds and bring your damaging inflammation down.

Your diet plays a big part, but you won’t know how until you educate yourself a bit:

Here’s some good info to help you:

ZOE

blob:https://community.versusarthritis.org/179eec09-b682-457d-93c5-f4234c580f10

How to reverse arthritis in 8 weeks | Dr. Tamiko Katsumoto

leaky gut UCL research

Targeting the gut to relieve rheumatoid arthritis

sfed

blob:https://community.versusarthritis.org/f1ea6b8c-088f-4fdd-8760-e3a53bf0606c

The AIP Diet - How It Can Help Manage Autoimmune Conditions

I myself was diagnosed in Dec 2021 and in March 2023 I was off meds (25mg/week) and free of symptoms, until Jan 2025, when a trigger food put me back into RA. Everyone is different and my trigger is unfermented Soy protein. I unknowingly consumed it as a supposedly healthy protein drink, after my regular gym work out, and landed myself back in the RA dump.

Now trying to escape again. Unfortunately when you have a flare your gut gets inflamed as does the compounding immune response, and takes a long long time to calm down, which is why change is slow