Infection While on Methotrexate
I first saw my rheumatologist about seven weeks ago, they said they think I am seronegative RA in my knee, wrists and knuckles on both hands.
Also psoriatic arthritis in my index finger.
Treating RA symptoms
I was given knee injection therapy and methotrexate 15 mg.
It took the swelling down in a couple of days and I was able to walk almost normal without limping and walk upstairs without dragging myself up each step, but within two weeks I was having bad pain again but no swelling and going upstairs on at a time.
Returning to rheumatologist
I saw the rheumatologist nurse after six weeks, she put my dose up to 20 mg.
I showed her the lymph node that was swollen on my collarbone and another swelling just below it, she told me to see my doctor about it. He gave me some Amoxicillin tablets for five days but had to give me another five days after that because both had not gone away.
Luckily now I have two days' worth of antibiotics left and both lumps have almost gone completely.
I only took methotrexate 15 mg for six weeks and then got some infection near my collarbone, so I had to miss out on two weeks worth of my methotrexate.
How am I feeling now?
On missing that first week out, my ankle and knee in my good leg is getting painful also hip on my bad leg is starting to ache in the bone.
I could not pick up a liter of juice and pour some out because of the pain that it caused in my knuckles, so after the third attempt, I thought "what is happening here? Oh no it's in all my knuckles."
So I picked it up with both hands and made it so much easier. I told my doctor when he gave me second course of antibiotics, he said it's affecting more joints now and I need to get back on the methotrexate as soon as I can.
I know it's going to take time again to build up and I have lost six weeks of, what I call my gold dust methotrexate.
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