Just been diagnosed with RA.

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LizzieD
LizzieD Member Posts: 2
edited 10. Nov 2016, 13:29 in Say Hello Archive
Hi everyone,
After a few months of struggling with, basically, life, I've been diagnosed with RA.
I'm struggling to feel happy about it. Any one got any tips with dealing with this initial period???? Please????

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  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 3,635
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Hi Lizzie,
    I'm sorry to hear that you've been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, it does indeed make life difficult to manage especially in the early days. The good news is that you have a clear diagnosis which means you can now get yourself onto a treatment that works for you and you can start to build your relationship with your rheumatologist. Having a good relationship with your rheumatologist will certainly help when it comes to managing your arthritis.

    It is understandable that you are feeling unhappy with your diagnosis, I don't think anybody looks forward to being told that they have a long-term condition to live with. However this does not mean that life has to go downhill, especially with all the new treatments for rheumatoid arthritis. What it does mean is that you need to spend some time listening to your body understanding when you are having a good day or a bad day and learn to adjust the pace of your life accordingly. It's also important to be gentle with yourself when you are having a bad day and recognise that this is a short term situation.

    You might find it useful to read our section of the website on managing arthritis as it will give you some good basic knowledge.
    https://www.arthritiscare.org.uk/managing-arthritis You might also find it useful to have a look at our Inspire magazine which is full of information and people's stories about living with arthritis. http://www.inspirearthritiscare.org.uk/

    You might find it valuable to phone our helpline for a chat, our helpline is free and confidential and all of our trained staff either live with arthritis themselves or have a family member who lives with arthritis. The phone number is 0808 800 4050.

    Last but by no means least all of the members of this online community are extremely knowledgeable and very supportive so please feel free to ask as many questions as you like about any aspect of living with arthritis. You might find it useful to add your post to the living with arthritis forum as this is the most active section of the online community. Please keep us up-to-date with how you getting on, this is a time of great adjustment for you and we are here to support you as much as we can and answer any questions that you might have
    Best Wishes
    Sharon
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,713
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Hi there, LizzieD and welcome from me too :autumn-sun:

    Sharon seems to have most bases covered there so I'll just say I've had RA for 55 years and there is life after diagnosis, I promise you. And that life can be very good. Just give yourself time to adjust and get used to things.

    If you have any questions, put them on the Living With Arthritis forum as more people look in there. Chit Chat is for non-arthritis talk and where we sometimes have a laugh.

    I'll look forward to seeing you around :D
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Hello, I for one am not at all surprised you are not feeling happy about your diagnosis, who would? On the one hand you have an answer about the root cause of your troubles but on the other that opens a new host of questions and uncertainty. These are not easy times for you, not one jot, and I am so sorry.

    Sadly I cannot help because I have had auto-immune troubles all my life so for me arthritis is more of the same (and has been for nearly twenty years). I've never known good health or what that feels like but I think I can grasp the astonishing shock you must be feeling - I reckon I would feel the same if suddenly I was granted that precious gift, I would not know for one moment how to adjust or cope. All I can say at the moment is take as much time as you need to reflect on this news and be kind to yourself. I presume you have seen a rheumatologist? How are you being affected and what meds has he / she recommended? DD
    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben
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