Hello to all

[heathersmum]

Hi everyone,

I am new to this board and having just been diagnosed with RA feel a little overwhelmed with everything at the moment. I am waiting to start my methotrexate meds. After reading your posts I hope they are not going to make me feel even worse than i do already,but as I am a positive person I intend to just take it and smile.

I would appreciate any help any of you lovely people can give me on dealing with RA in the early stages. How do you manage work is a big one for me?? I am a Dental Nurse and I am starting to find this career a bit hard to manage .

I look forward to hearing from you soon .Thank you for reading .

Xx

[allanah]

Hello and welcome !! Yeah of course sometimes it's nice to come on here and moan or rant rather than going it to the family!! And everyone here is so nice lol !

I'm glad now your are getting a foot on the ladder and getting your meds sorted, the sooner the better to prevent any joint damage. But it does take a little while ( up to three months) to kick in so patience might be the order of the day. However some people the meds work straight away!

Work is hard when u r inflamed And it does take a bit of planning till the meds kick in. I think plan things like simple meals eg flow cooker meals, casseroles for when u get home as you will no doubt be tired after work. Plan calm relaxing nights if at all possible to rest your joints as much as possible before the next day.

I get up a bit earlier as I stiff in the morning to take done painkiller/ anti inflammatory drugs ( whatever u have been prescribed.) let them kick in and go dome gentle stretches, it takes time but us worth it.

Ask at work for somewhere you can put your feet up during your breaks was also helpful and I got help with things like trolled instead of carrying equipment through the access to work government scheme. I found it best to tell my occupational health about my illness and they were extremly supportive, others did not find this tho!

Look at nras.org and there is a full section on initial diagnosis and work that I found helpful and some booklets for you and one for your employer to explain RA . Also if you want to chat there is a helpline number and they are fabulous with advice.

Good luck and let us know how you get on. A x

[heathersmum in reply to allanah]

Thank you for your reply x

[Hidden]

welcome to the group

[heathersmum in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for your reply x

[KatyMary]

Hi Heather and welcome to the community. It's a wonderful resource and everyone is so helpful and supportive. I was diagnosed last September after having symptoms for a year and a half. I am on a triple therapy of methotrexate, sulfasalazine and hydroxychloroquine as in my health area the rheumie believes in going in all guns blazing with meds. I also had a kenalog injection to tide me over at the start to cover a holiday as I couldn't have the weekly blood tests so had to delay starting the meds. The steroid jab worked wonders and I could walk comfortably for the first time in months. The meds come with a long list of possible side effects but (so far anyway) mine seem to have been mild and tolerable. I work full time and although I had problems with my hands and using a computer beforehand, these have eased off since taking the meds. I was overwhelmed at the start (and was gutted at having to get rid of all my lovely heels) but so far things have been ok - I hope things go well for you!

KMx

[Hidden]

Hi heathersmum,

Welcome to the group. We have a lot of information on our website about RA and how to manage it. I have put a link below to the section on our website about living with RA:

nras.org.uk/living-with-ra

Please feel free to call the helpline and have a chat about things as well if you would like. Our number is:

0800 298 7650 Monday - Friday 9.30am - 4.30pm

Regards

Beverley (NRAS Helpline)

[Azabat]

Welcome, I'm still in the early stages myself, having just been dx'd in November. I've got a very complex set of health issues, so I haven't been working in a long time and can't help you with that one. I can tell you the welcome and acceptance and help I've received here. I'm a writer, and having to do even that in shorter sessions, though I'm hoping to get some adaptive tech. How supportive is your work environment? Would working less hours be possible or useful for you? I'm on mtx and finding that taking it with leucovorin buffers the side effects immensely, so keep in mind when you read the negative effects that for some people it works incredibly well.

In any case, warm welcome. I wish we didn't have this in common, but since we do, at least we can fight it together.

blind-Azabat