New to ra

[lauraleigh]

I've recently been told I have ra. Haven't seen a rheumatologist yet but the pain in my joints is unbearable, not to mention the worry on my mind! I work as a mail carrier and it's very difficult to work. Any suggestions or helpful info?

[Hidden]

Hi Laura. I wouldn't say you defintely have RA until you see the rheumatologist as only a consultant rheumatologist can diagnose RA or related rheumatic conditions. Hopefully, if you can get a diagnosis then you will be put on disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs - which should make a big difference to the pain and stop the disease progressing and causing damage to your joints. Have you tried wrist splints yet? Once you know what is wrong then you should ask for a referral to a physiotherapist and occupational therapist who will hopefully give you lots of exercises and support to help you with your job. Good luck and happy new year 2015.

[nomoreheels]

Hiya lauraleigh & welcome to us here. I think the first & better thing to do is not worry! It won't help & until you have a definitive diagnosis, after all your images, blood tests & examinations are complete & your Rheumy has planned which way he treats you from his findings. He/she should explain exactly which form of inflammatory disease you have & then you will hopefully be given time to ask questions once the protocol is explained to you. One thing you will need is a little patience as the drugs used to treat us generally aren't fast acting & need to build up in your system. This can be up to 12 weeks with DMARDs but dependant on your Rheumy's preferred way of treating his patients he may offer you a steroid injection of short course of oral steroids to bring your inflammation down whilst waiting for your RD meds to reach their potential. These should work pretty quickly & you should notice a reduction in symptoms within a few days. Many people on here call it a steroid holiday which I think is apt!

if you can, it is a good idea to have someone accompany you to your first appointment at least as there's so much info to digest. My h still comes to each appointment 6 years down the line as I don't always remember everything & two heads are better than one! Start writing a list of bullet point type questions so anything you need answers to you can ask at your appointment, one of the best things I found as oddities specific to you aren't usually covered lol! I had one if two I fired at my Consultant & remember him saying nobody had asked him before but thought it was really important to advise his patients. Meantime as I said try not to worry, that can exacerbate your inflammation & pain. Also once you're on meds don't overdo things or they'll be battling harder trying to dampen down your autoimmunity, even when you start to notice they're working. This is difficult because the natural propensity is to think you can do more when you start feeling a little better but it could set you back.

Do let us know how it goes.

[lauraleigh]

At this point my blood work just indicates it. Hopefully I can get more answers soon but the symptoms are there for sure one day at a time right lol

[lauraleigh]

Thanks for the info and support

[helixhelix]

I guess if you work as a mail carrier then you're in the US rather than UK? So I don't know whether you have the same equality legislation there, but it could be an idea to tell your employers that it looks as if you might have an inflammatory disease - which will be absolutely fine in a few months once you've started on treatment, but you could do with a lighter workload right now. This is the worst bit most likely, so you need to look after yourself and rest as much as you can.

Chances are that you will be just about back to normal eventually, I certainly am back to 95% now, so really don't concentrate on the worst case just yet. But do go to your usual generalist/GP and ask about some decent anti-inflammatories and pain relief while you're waiting to see the rheumy.