Big day rooms.

[ajd376]

So tomorrow is my 1st appointment with rhummy. Feeling very nervous now as RA runs in family and I know treatments have changed since my mum and Nan were diagnosed and treated I've since watched my sister going through it all. Just hope they can do something as I need my hands for my job that I only started in April.

[ajd376]

Should read big day tomoz. Must check when I'm using predictive txt, as one day it will get me in trouble

[lovingit]

Good luck for tomorrow : )

I have to wait till wed & I'm soooo nervous .....

Let us know how it goes (only good news ) please x

Anne xx

[Mumoftwin17]

Good Luck!!.......my first appoint on 27th.......

wishing you a successful appointment

wendx

[linbin]

Hi adj. I hope all goes well for you at your appointment. Got your list of questions? Treatment certainly has come a long way over the years. Try to take your time and ask questions as you go along. Sending you positive thoughts.

Let us know how things go.

Lin x

[ajd376]

Thank you. I will let you know. I don't think he'll confirm RA as don't have swelling as its hips and shoulders and hearing in right ear thats effected mainly. But ent consultant thinks that's wot has caused hearing loss with rheumatoid factor of 184. Best get ready for work. And take some pain killers.

Thank you again for your support. Andrea

[Hidden]

Good luck for your first appointment Andrea. No advice apart from listen hard to everything they say and try to stay put until you feel a plan is in place and you are satisfied with what you've been told. Tilda x

[Shell1967]

Good luck please share later and let us know you get on take care Michelle xxx

[Hidden]

Good luck.. what is your job?? you look great in your picce x

[ajd376]

I'm an SEN teaching assistant i a preschool,so need to be active as use sign support also. Thank you pic was taken at nearly a year ago before all this started. Andrea

[Caza]

Good luck with your appointment. Tough job you've got x

[Riedenise]

good luck for your appointment, take someone with you, two sets of ears as it is a bit overwhelming at your first appointment.

Rie xx

[craftygal]

Good luck sweetie. Defo take someone if poss. Know how you feel. Irene

xx

[ajd376]

Thank you all. I've just got back. Dr is positive it's early stages of RA. so todayshe has given me a steroid injection. If this works then I have RA. In 10 days I have to phone up and let them know if its worked. If it has I start on Hydroxychloroquine and see how that goes. I've had more blood tests which are more in-depth and xrays of hands, feet and chest. She was very nice and wants to stop it before it takes hold which is positive. Now I want collapse in a heap and lick my would ds for tonight and start bright eyed and bushy tailed again tomoz. Andrea x

[Hidden]

Well its good news that you aren't being left in limbo and really good luck that you liked your consultant Andrea. Good luck with the steroids - don't know whether to say I hope they work well for you or not?! I hope you get the diagnosis that you can cope with most easily and also think its very good to have RA caught this early on. X

[ajd376]

I'd rather not have RA as have seen the worst of it in other family members but treatments are different now I know. Think one day at a time. So hope steroids work or back to the drawing board. Its hard but I want to stay positive

[helixhelix]

If it is RA then they've also picked it up nice and early, which is really positive for your future. Previously, as well as not having as good drugs, the doctors waited before doing anything and only once things had got bad did they prescribe anything stronger than an aspirin. But all the research has shown that it's best to treat very aggressively, and as early as possible. And that's been my experience too. I was petrified to start with, and rather scared by the amount of drugs that the rheumy prescribed. But although it took quite a while to get things under control, and I'm lucky to be able to tolerate the drugs, it has really worked. And now I'm nearly normal most of the time, so the future really doesn't have to be bleak. Try to stay positive, it will help even tho' it's very hard at times. Polly

[ajd376 in reply to helixhelix]

Thank you Polly. It really helps t hear positives. Andrea

[allanah]

Hi Andrea, don't be too despondent about the family history, it is different recently. My great gran had no treatment died in bed at 35, my dad and eight of his brothers had it and were given gold injections and aspirin and had years of wheelchairs and operations.

My cousins got it, straight onto disease modifying drugs and doing fine. I then got it was worried sick and got dmards and biologicals, and think the biologicals are starting to work!

So I feel so lucky to be diagnosed now and now all those years ago before all the research and maybe In the next few years all this stem cell research will find a cure for us or our descendants , lol, talk about predictive text, I just looked and it said defendants!!! Lol, that probably right!!!