newly diagnosed

traluvie wrote:

Hi Sue..

Welcome from me..
Unfortunately i am not familiar with Pa or fibro, but i know many other people on here are..
I am sure someone will be along soon who can empathise with you..
Look forward to seeing you around..
Tracy

dreamdaisy wrote:

Hello, it's nice to meet you. I have PA and discovered in April that I have significant OA damage in my knees. My PA was ignored for five years as I did not start it in the classic way, it was then classed as an inflammatory arthritis for a few years then re-classed as PA nine years after it started. Pain? I'm in my fifteenth year of pain and I must admit I am used to it now, it doesn't really bother me although the OA pain is a different type to the PA, and that does bother me! I'll adjust tho. What meds have you been given? DD

dreamdaisy wrote:

Ooooh, wossa AVN? I don't know that term!

Meds wise I take humira (self-injected fortnightly), methotrexate (self-injected weekly), six sulphasalazine tablets per day, naproxen daily (anti inflammatory to help the OA), omeprazole (stomach protector for the naproxen), two kindsa BP tablets (BP raised thanks to the humira), oral steroids (currently 6mg, I am aiming to be off them by the end of this year), folic acid tablet weekly (to help with cell renewal which may be affected due to the meth) and alendronic acid (to try to prevent osteoporosis) weekly. I have recently started a short course of anti-depressants too: the shock of the OA diagnosis hit harder than I thought but I am feeling better about it all now. For pain relief I use cocodamol 30/500 for everday, 50mg tramadol at night if things are rough (it helps me sleep) and 100mg slow-release tramadol for the extreme times. I am on crutches, I have been since 2002, and can now only walk for about five minutes before a nice sit-down is required.

How do I stay sane? Well, why would I go ga-ga? Other people have lovely lives health-wise but I never have and never will (thanks to the crappy genes my parents so thoughtfully passed onto me, both had the good fortune to be members of the generation that the auto-immune stuff missed, I copped the lot) so I know nothing different really. It is what it is and it will do what it will do. I guess nature/character wise I am one of life's Tiggers (with the occasional touch of Eyeore admittedly) but it's no one's fault that I have this dross with which to contend and it is up to me to make the best of things, which is what I try to do. My mother gave me the eczema and asthma but also mulish stubborness and determination, my dad gave me the rare bouts of psoriasis and thus the arthritis but also an excellent sense of humour (well, I think it's excellent - others on here might dispute that!)

Ops wise I have had two open synovectomies on my left knee and one closed on my right. Neither stopped/helped the probelms, and I am now waiting to hear from orthopaedics about possible knee replacements, or at least some form of surgery. I hope that covers everything! If you post on LWA (the living with arthritis forum) you will receive more answers, not everyone looks in on here. I do tho, and often. I hope you are having a better day today. DD