Hello Everyone :-)

abbie41
abbie41 Member Posts: 55
edited 11. Jun 2010, 12:37 in Say Hello Archive
Hi Everyone,

I'm Abbie and I have been recently diagnosed with RA.

I am looking for some support and reassurance as I'm scared.

Mostly about my future and the drugs I have to take.

I saw a Rheumatologist 3 weeks ago who gave me a steriod shot in

my behind, a handful of leaflets and a rather scary looking hospital

Prescription for Methotrexate and Sulphalazine.

He said I needed to see a RA Nurse and be informed about starting

the drug treatments in a separate appointment, due this Monday.

I'm worried about side effects and would like some advice please.

I have pain in all my joints and the steroids haven't helped much to

be honest. I am really sad I have to go through this but with

Support I'm sure I can fight it all the way.

Comments

  • trisher
    trisher Member Posts: 9,263
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Abbie

    A warm welcome from me.

    Well Abbie you could not have found a nicer Forum than this. There are many of us who have RA.

    Now, you are not alone and please fire all the questions you have, we will try and answer them for you.

    If you post them on the Living With Arthritis you will get more people answer you.

    We all try to help one another giving advice also tips that we may have learnt.
    It is natural to be scared, you are going into the unknown and we all were scared at first.
    We also worry over the meds we have to take at first, that is natural as well.

    The people on here are really nice people, so come in and join us.

    We also have the CChat Forum, we go there to relax and have a laugh but it helps to have a laugh.

    We have a cafe there where you can eat and drink whatever you want. We do talk about Arthur there as well but in a more upbeat way.

    There are also a olt of different topics people post, feel free to join in if you like.

    Well, Abbie I hope to see you around the Forums.

    Love Trish xxx
  • abbie41
    abbie41 Member Posts: 55
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Thanks Trish, for the lovely warm welcome.
    I feel I need some support from other people who have RA or Arthur as you call it :lol:

    I will definitely check out the CC forum and also post a thread for any questions I have in the right place.

    I have lots to read now and I'm happy I wont feel so alone now.
    I have my family, problem is, they cant see my pain and dont experience it, so its hard for them to understand what I'm going through. It will be good to see how other people who have Arthur cope. :)
  • barbara12
    barbara12 Member Posts: 21,280
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Abbie
    You are bound to be scared it is natural, you have come to the right place ,the people on here are very supportive to one another, so you know were we are when you want to talk.
    When you are ready come and join us in chit chat, we are a bit mad but it does help sometimes
    Hope to see you posting more very soon.
    Barbara xx
    Love
    Barbara
  • abbie41
    abbie41 Member Posts: 55
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Thanks Lynn.

    I get very depressed and tearful at the moment as I just dont understand why I have this and find it so hard to cope.

    I think I need to be more proactive and stop being so full of self pity.
    Im sure you lot will help me and keep my chin up.


    :lol:
  • tillytop
    tillytop Member Posts: 3,460
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Abbie and welcome from me too. I am so sorry about your RA diagnosis and, having been there myself like I understand exactly how you feel. Getting your head around what is happening to you is a really big challenge, made more difficult by the fact that RA is a complicated disease without a "one pill fits all" answer and, as you say is often difficult for others to see and understand.
    From my experience I have a couple of suggestions to help you to get the most out of your appointment on Monday:
    *Find out as much as you can about the drugs before you go. The Publications and Resources section of this site has lots of useful information both on the drugs and on RA in general.
    *Take a written list of your questions with you to your appointment - that way if your mind goes blank (which mine usually does in appointments!) or if you get upset, you can hand the list of questions to the nurse to look through.
    *Many rheumatology departments have a helpline telephone number which you can ring for advice so if the nurse doesn’t give you that information, it would be worth asking. It was years before I knew that such a service existed at my hospital!
    *Perhaps someone from your family can go with you into your appointment for moral support? You are obviously going to need their ongoing support and RA will inevitably affect their lives too. So perhaps the appointment would help them to understand a bit more about what you are going through.
    Really good luck on Monday Abbie. Will be thinking of you. And please post on the Living with Arthritis forum to let us know how you get on (or anytime before that if you need to chat). We’ll be here to cheer you on all the way!
    Love Tilly x
  • abbie41
    abbie41 Member Posts: 55
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Thanks For the welcome and great advice xxx
  • bubbles
    bubbles Member Posts: 6,508
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    abbie41 wrote:
    Thanks Lynn.

    I get very depressed and tearful at the moment as I just dont understand why I have this and find it so hard to cope.

    I think I need to be more proactive and stop being so full of self pity.
    Im sure you lot will help me and keep my chin up.


    :lol:

    Hi Abbie, it isn't self pity, arthritis causes all manner of ills, including lowered mood, anxiety, frustration due to pain, side effects of medicines, they all add up and make us all feel rotten, angry and sometimes very sad. So don't feel bad about being tearful hun. Everyone here is lovely and kind and we are going through the same things, in different degrees, with hospital appointments, waiting for results, wondering what will happen and how we will cope.
    You are amongst friends, that's for sure. Pop into the cafe for calorie free feasting on cakes, plus you can natter about your day, be it good, bad or horrid, we all support each other as much as we can, sharing things is a great help. Take lots of care, XXX Bubbles.
    XX Aidan (still known as Bubbles).