Hi, everyone. Pleased to join you on this site. I have had RA for many years and was doing pretty well until 4 yrs. ago when my RA attacked my lungs. I was in the hospital for 5 weeks and when finally released, my lungs had been severely damaged. Of course, the damage was done and will never go away. This leaves me with my lungs constantly filling with mucus and very vulnerable to infections. I developed COPD from all of this trauma. Again last month I was in the hospital again, this time for only one week. When discharged, I was prescribed an antibiotic that had the whopping price-tag of a co-pay of $1200 for 10 days! The reason for this prescription was because I have many allergies to antibiotics and many of the ones I have taken in the past are not powerful enough. Anyway, I bit the bullet and got the medication, took it, and have been doing fine ever since. This does worry me because the list of antibiotics I can take is very narrow and I cannot afford to pay $1200 co-pay, even if it works. So, I have my fingers crossed that I will never need it again. I have never been prescribed the biologics due to my tendency for infections. Presently, I am on Methotrexate, as I have been for years. However, my dosage was increased after my last significant flare.
I am retired, enjoying life generally, and when not having an RA flare or a COPD crisis, I am able to be very active, including regular visits to he gym to work-out.
Again, I appreciate this group and look forward to learning more about each of you and our battles.
Trying to cope with the anxiety and pain caused by living with RA