My First Symptom

As a teenager, my skin hurt. No one in my family or their friends had ever heard of this. Of course, this was in the 1970's.

Trouble finding RA diagnosis

Everyone, including my doctor just sort of blew it off that I was wanting attention and making things up. Over the years, I couldn't stand for anyone to rub my legs or put any pressure on them, because of the pain.

By providing your email address, you are agreeing to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

I'd ask different doctors why my skin hurt but to no answers. Finally, I quit saying anything, as I knew I wouldn't get any answer.

Throughout my life I lived with this.

How I was diagnosed with RA

In my 60's, I was having several problems and my primary care physician listened and referred me to a rheumatologist. The rheumatologist ran several tests and put me on methotrexate.

When I was about 6 weeks on it, I realized that I wasn't having any pain on my skin and my body was responding to the med and relieving pain throughout my body.

What a relief to be able to apply lotion on my legs and not be in tears!!!!

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The RheumatoidArthritis.net team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

Join the conversation

Please read our rules before commenting.