Diagnosed with RA today
Hello, I am new to the RA community.
Hi
- I know a diagnosis is difficult to hear. Know that this community has seen it all and is very supportive and informative and you can ask as many questions as you need or just vent. Whatever you need, we are here for you. This article from one of our RA Health Leaders is written for people newly diagnosed with RA which may be helpful: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/support-new-diagnosis Warmly, - Reggie, RheumatoidArthritis.net team member Hi
. On top of the excellent information from Reggie, I thought you might be interested in this article from our patient leader Kelly Mack (full disclosure - I'm her husband), on questions for the doctor: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/questions-for-the-doctor. The questions, while not inclusive, are designed to help a person take control of their care. We know that getting a diagnosis can be overwhelming, so anything that can help gain understanding and some say in what is happening can be a good thing. One other thing I want to stress is that it is possible to have a full and happy life with RA. Please know that this community is here for you. Best, Richard (RheumatoidArthritis.net Team) Don’t be embarrassed to use a Mobil device in the grocery store if you’re too tired or hurting too much to walk all over the store!
Talk about it! Getting those hard-to-reach items can be such a pain! You would think our shopping experiences would be tailored with every type of customer in mind. So it's either ask for help or destroy the store (unbreakably of course) -Latoya (Team Member) Hi
. I thought you might be interested in this video from our patient leader Kelly on her favorite gadgets (full disclosure - I'm her husband): https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/video/my-favorite-gadgets. It includes her grabber and her hook. Best, Richard (RheumatoidArthritis.net Team)
Subcutaneous Methotrexate . It gave me my life back .
thank you so much for sharing and going into more detail about your experience, both with the methotrexate as well as in general. I am so glad that you had such a positive experience (once the nurse made that comment about injectable methotrexate!). It is definitely not bragging to share what has been helpful for you, and for people to know that you're still able to do things that you enjoy. Golf is not an "easy on the joints" activity and it is wonderful that you can continue to do that.
Certainly the most difficult time for many people can be before diagnosis when everything is in pain and no one is helping guide a treatment for relief! Also, no need to apologize. We love to hear from community members, and if it's also cathartic for you that's all the better. Again, we really appreciate you sharing here, Geoff.
-- Warmly, Christine (Team Member), I meant to add, if you're interested in sharing your experience in our stories section, https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/stories, it might be an opportunity for others in the community (who aren't following this forum) to hear about what you went through. No pressure, but in case you're interested. Wishing you a gentle day! -- Warmly, Christine (Team Member)
