Newly diagnosed Though have know it is RA for a few months.

Hello, I don't have RA, mine is psoriatic and osteoarthritis. I am just starting my 23rd year of the PsA and the ninth of OA: I am very familiar with pain, after so long you get used to it. I began with one affected joint, now it's around forty so there's no escaping it.

Why were you sure you had RA? Is there a history of auto-mmune conditions in your family? There was in mine, my parents escaped but ensured I got a double dose. It can also start from nowhere too which must be a shock if this is the case for you. What meds have been suggested? I've tried many and am currently on injected methotrexate and imraldi, a bio-similar. For the OA I take minimum pain relief, exercise and avoid acidic foods. DD

Hi there. I have RA too and have had for most of my life. Mine also started in my hands then ankles then everywhere but these days people are got onto the proper disease modifying meds quickly so, with luck, you'll fare far better.

You don't say how much your husband's PTSD impacts on both your lives but I'd guess it'll be hard for you if you're used to being the strong, healthy one. Arthritis makes no allowances for personal circumstances so I hope you'll be able to go easy on yourself when necessary.

Sleepless nights due to pain are no fun. Pain always seems worse in the early hours and besides we need our sleep in order to cope with the day ahead. Your GP can prescribe pain relief. We tend to call them paindullers on here rather than painkillers and we all try to juggle the dose so that we can have some going to bed. But, for the meds that really tackle the disease we need the rheumatologist.

The latter really do hold it back so, by all means use essential oils, a sleep pone (???), pink salt baths and hand creams if they'll lighten your mood but do keep on taking the DMARDS too. Methotrexate is usually the starting one. That plus hydroxychloroquine have really helped me. Oh and do be conscientious about the blood tests as they will flag up any potential problems before you're aware of them.

Good luck with it all and please let us know how you get on.

I'm afraid waiting is all part and parcel of this lark. Nowhere near enough rheumatologists and far too many patients.

My own solution re the steroids would be to check with my GP (even if it was the consultant who prescribed them) to see if I could reduce more slowly. Most of us find the last lap is very difficult anyway so it might be handy to be able to do that but do check first. Steroids are wily beasts and, these days, are sometimes prescribed in eye watering quantities. We have to be very careful about their reduction.

GPs are humans who may know a little about a lot but do not specialise, surely they cannot be expected to a) remember it all and b) make accurate diagnosis if the symptoms presented do not 100% match the textbook examples. My arthritis took nine years to be accurately diagnosed because I wasn't textbook.

The symptoms will return as the steroid dose is lowered because they only mask, not cure. They also cause damage to all body tissues if overused or misused. Arthritis has one aspect which is often overlooked - we have to grit our teeth and get on with it. DD