new to RA forums

Hello,

I am new to the forums. I was recently diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis after experiencing pain in my hands and feet for 4 months. I am looking for other people who have only had RA for a short time or can remember what it was like just after they were diagnosed. I am currently on sulfasalazine and naproxin. I don't feel so much pain but my joints are swollen all the time and so stiff in the morning and I can't walk very far without sore, sore feet. Does any of this go away with the medications or can I expect this for life? It is very depressing...

Any words of wisdom from others would be appreciated, sigh ...

Hi there!

Sorry to hear you're depressed, I totally relate to that. When I was recently diagnosed with RA, it took me years to come to peace with the idea of having to live with such a debilitating disease.

I was diagnosed with RA almost 9 years ago. At the beginning I only had pain on my pinky finger for a short period of time, that's when I went to see my family physician and after some tests he diagnosed me with RA. Didn't feel so bad at that point, I was given Celebrex and the pain disappeared for like 2 months.

The serious problems came after that :( . One morning I just wake up with such stiffness in my hands that I couldn't move my fingers until 1 hour after I had woken up. Days later the joints of my hands were in so much pain that I couldn't dress myself or even brush my hair. At that point I started taking the "hardcore" medications. I was prescribed Sulfasalazine, Naproxen and Plaquenil, and took this "cocktail" for like 7 years. They do take a while to work, so I'd suggest you to be patient; I'm not sure how much time you have been taking your meds, but in my case it took me like 2 or 3 months for them to work and the pain and inflammation to disappear.

However; if you continue experiencing problems after that period of time, I would recommend you to check with your physician, as they may have to adjust your medication dosage or add other ones to help you better. Currently, I am also taking Methotrexate every week, and believe me, it has been such a wonderful relieve!!!

Best of luck!

Thanks for responding. I was wanting someone to answer who had the disease for a shorter period because I wouldn't think people would remember. You have a good memory! After that length of time I don't think I would ever remember all the details that you do. I am glad to here that the Sulfasalazine and Naproxen worked after some time because it is not working much now and I dread getting up in the morning. At least that is something to look forward to.

It also sounds like yours came on slower than mine. Over like a month I started waking up with both hands and both feet so sore. I don't do heavy lifting or any thing like that so I had no clue what the heck was going on. I put off going to the doctor cause it would be expensive and I don't make much or have health insurance with my employer. I finally went when I couldn't take the pain no more.

One other question, do you have any bad side effects from your meds? I have ongoing nausea that really stinks and want to know if its permanent. I should have asked my doctor, but I had no clue at the time.

Hi there!

I'm glad to hear back from you :) . Not sure about the memory issue here, I actually tend to forget everything all the time (by the way, not related to RA) but I try to keep a journal so that I know more or less the progress of the disease. Nothing worst than going to see a new specialist and not knowing the answers to basic questions when asked. It may be a good idea for you to try.

Both Sulfasalazine and Naproxen can be very harsh on the stomach as far as I know. That's the reason why my doctor also prescribed Losec. It's strange that your doctor didn't prescribe that from the beginning because it seems like a pretty standard cocktail, I mean, they are usually prescribed together. Definitely you should ask your doctor about it, and if you can, do it sooner than later, don't wait until your next appointment as it can get worse. I know getting an appointment with a Reumathologist can be a real challenge but you should try anyway, it's not fun to be in pain and nausea at the same time. By the way, how happy are you with your Reumathologist? Mine is quite a character but he is definitely very efficient; this is the second specialist I have had and so far we have had a good communication, he's always in a rush but he listens to what I have to say, which it's quite important to me.

Best of luck!