Hallo im new to RA ive just be diagnosed today

[Znewell]

Im still working but been off just dont know what to do leave work or not it shelf stacking my consultant said it not a good job to have but i need to feed my kids 😢😢😢

[Philip]

Hiya Z, welcome to the mad house, you don't have to be mad but it helps if you are.

There are lot and lots of lovely and marvellous people who are all sufferers too and will be able to guide you into the madhouse of life.

Philip.

[Znewell in reply to Philip]

Aww thank you just dont know what to do at min waiting to go on meds my elbow is very bad cant straighten it in so much pain but hopefull i will get thete just reading up on all this its a bit mind blowing at min x

[Philip in reply to Znewell]

It can be scary at first, are you keeping your arms warm because I know when I get pains the warmth seems to get rid of the pains, plus the fact we are all different sort of think sort of you a woman and I'm a bloke lol, I'm sure there will be lots of advice coming your way, I'm not much help unfortunately because I have Dementia to with it lol. You will see all those lovely peeps arriving. Take care and welcome.

Philip

[woodstar1]

Pal, don't give up just yet!!! This thing can be harsh, but meds and mental determination work wonders!! Try to chill, find out lots and lots about our affliction then decide how you want to fight it!!! And fight we must!!!👍👍👍

[Znewell in reply to woodstar1]

Thank you i will try just a bit mine blowing at min x

[Amy_Lee]

Dear Znewell,

I can understand your fear. I am a single mother, I need to support my kid in college too. When I collapsed at home, I thought I could never stand up and walk again. I was in great pain like you. But then when I thought of my son in college, I told myself that I must not fail him and I would be able to fight the disease and stand up again.

Then I determined to surrender myself to my rheumatologist and listen to the advice of my physiotherapist to exercise twice daily in the morning and at night.

I told my employer and colleagues of my situation, they could see too because my muscle was wasted and I was left with bones and skin then. They extended great helps to me during my suffering and my employer continue to let me worked without any complaints. Half of the time I was asleep in the office because I was so tired and I could not sleep at night due to the great pain in my body. I believe I was lucky to have such a good employer and colleagues around me.

When I was on medical leave at home, my friends and colleagues sent me food because they knew that I was all alone then. Check out the link below, I hope it can inspire you to pick up again.

healthunlocked.com/ra-warri....

What I am trying to say is, you must not give up, you must believe yourself and be positive to fight the disease. Methotrexate takes about 12 to 16 weeks to work, therefore you need to tolerate a bit at this very moment. I was given steroid for a few months while waiting for mtx to work on me. Once mtx started to work, the pain slowly reduce but again it takes months to reduce to the so call tolerable level.

I am in remission now, but I can still feel the uncomfortable feeling around my shoulders, knees, toes and fingers. We are different, I think we have to accept ourselves to move on.

[Mhairi54]

Could you speak to your manager about a work place assessment through your occupational health department? Maybe they could help adapt your duties to make them a bit easier for you?

[popsmith1874]

Hi there this disease really does some damage to our minds and body and although it's a daunting thought you will get there it just takes time and a lot off energy sapping, for me unfortunately I was medically retired and although I would rather be working it was the right decision for me and took away a lot off the stress because I was worrying about my job as well but now I'm on the way back up and there is light at the end off the tunnel , so keep fighting hope everything turns out alright xxx

[BoneyC]

I wouldn't give up work just yet, keep going. It might be very difficult for you to claim any benefits having only just been diagnosed. It's how RA affects you that they look at, not the diagnosis. I was diagnosed age 6, went through school with it, then started work after 10 years diagnosis. I managed to keep working for 22 years and would have worked much longer, had I not needed neurosurgery on my neck. With the right meds and a change of job, hopefully you'll be in work for many more years. Good luck.

[sylvi]

Ask your company move you to a till then as i am sure they would like to keep you if your a good worker.xxx

[DC56]

Hi don't give up on your job not yet anyway you need to be as "normal" as possible for your self and your kids for as long as you can just learn to pace your self you need to keep everything working for as long as possible it's not a disease now it's away of life because it never completely goes away but you learn to live and do things in a different way ,I hope I haven't frighten you but I lived with this for over 30 years and still going ha ha

Lol xx Dawn

[Candy]

Hi, When I first started with it, I too had the same reaction, and couldn't see how I could possibly carry on at work. However I did return after six months and being on triple drug therapy, which I remain on. It is scary, but if you can look at it as part of the process to becoming more you again, it makes it easier, I was angry as well. My employer made adjustments to my job, which under equality law they have to and I have been back about 7 years now. Still have blips, but I've learnt to relax a little with it. After all my ramblings, I suppose what I'm trying to say is, give yourself time, be kind to yourself, don't make any decisions now that you don't need to and see how your treatment goes regarding health improvements. This site is amazing for support, education and others experience of the same thing. Stay strong and keep posting. Candy

[oldtimer]

It's really important not to give up work voluntarily. Always get a "fitness" certificate for absences from work. You are entitled to get adaptations to your work and workplace to enable you to work with Rheumatoid Disease. Always keep in mind that that you are GOING TO GET BETTER and GOING TO GET THE BETTER OF THIS DISEASE!

[AgedCrone]

No don't stop work straight away.......as you have just been diagnosed a lot of treatment is available to you to help you cope.

Can you ask your employer to maybe move you to a job that is less physical whilst you talk to your doctors & see what treatments they come up with.

I know when I was first diagnosed I was panicked, but as you will see from reading replies here some of us have had RD for years & years, but mostly we are still able to work.

So take a deep breath, try to get some effective pain control until a regime has been worked out for you & if your kids are old enough - get them to help their Mum with those jobs that are really painful.

Good Luck Znewell....let us all know how you get on.

AC

[Clare-NRAS Partner NRAS]

Hello there. Please do get in touch with the NRAS information and support team on 0800 298 7650 or email [e-mail] as we have a lot of really helpful information we can send you including a Newly Diagnosed pack and information on Work/employment and RA. I know it all seems really scary right now but with the right support and treatment things will get better. Many, many people with RA continue to work with sometimes only minor adjustments to work environment or work hours- There is an excellent scheme called Access to Work that can help your employer (financially) to make any reasonable adjustments etc. Far too much to share with you in this post so get in touch. NRAS is here to help you every step of the way.

nras.org.uk

[CloudTreeDrive13]

Oh no. Don't even think about giving up work. At the moment you are panicking and floundering. It's early days so allow yourself time for it to sink in, although this could take quite a while. Keep options open as well as your mind. I've had R A for 30 years. Worked in a printers full time. Only went part time for the last 3 years. I don't give in easily and look on my illness as an "inconvenience". My brother died last week so i'm am trying not to get stressed as this will bring on a flare up. Also the fact that i am the last one left in my family now. So count your blessings and keep things in perspective and you will be fine. Take care xxxx

[Hidden in reply to CloudTreeDrive13]

So sorry to hear that. My thoughts are with you xx

[CloudTreeDrive13 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for your kindness. How are you feeling today - not too bad i hope.

[Kariss]

I agree with all the comments by others - stay at work as long as possible. Have a personal talk with your line manager and see if he or she can adjust your workload, reduce your hours or offer you a different post that's easier on your hands. I think it's important to be around other people doing normal activities - it's too easy to become depressed and let the disease dominate you if you are sitting at home being anxious. It's hard because no one can see you're suffering from outside but tell your employer what you are going through and they should be supportive. I'm sure they would rather keep you than have to train up a new staff member...don't forget that to keep you on at work it also ticks a few boxes on their inclusion list as good employers!

My experience with work was that they were quite considerate - checking up that I wasn't doing more than I should and supportive when I had sudden time off for a hand operation which took far longer to mend than expected! Once your employers are told you have an illness they have a duty of care to you and their policies should include equal opportunities.

As a tip, I found wearing fingerless gloves very useful whilst working, especially the ones designed for arthritis, (and quite often wore my wrist brace as well for support.) The gloves keep fingers nice and warm but being fingerless still give grip and dexterity. You can buy them from Amazon or mobility outlets.

Good luck, I hope your meds start working for you soon and your pain reduces. Be brave! X

K

[Angels54]

Hi I have been off 6 mths , I'm hoping to get back , however , I am looking for something a bit lighter work .

Me

[rawillbebeaten]

Hello,

Sorry you've been diagnosed, it's shock I know but the latest meds can be wonderful. I was working full time in an office and running a pub with my then husband when I was diagnosed. I then worked for 3 years in the kitchen in a hospital. It was tough, but keeping moving helped even on the bad days. Plus I had to support myself as I'd spilt up with my husband then. That got me through some bad days, I would NOT give in.

Take each day as it comes. You may be one of the people that a drug or a combination takes the pain and symptoms away. I had a very bad year then got put on Enbrel which was a miracle and things were pretty much settled for 14 years.

Been another tough year so far but getting back on track now .

Thinking of you and hoping for the best for you

Michele

[Matilda_1922]

I really do empathise with you. I too have pain in my hands. My work I need to write for most of the day which gets me down. I found the weather also plays a part in how painful and stiff my hands can be.

I started on methotrexate and was offered steroids too. I took the injection as did not want to take tablets due to their side effects.

I reduced my hours to 3 days a week as I was very tired too and its been better but not completely.

I agree with the rest don't give up work as I believe the longer you stay in work the better you will feel. Just make a few adjustments. It sounds like you have a supportive manager not everyone has that.

Hope you start to feel better soon it does seem daunting but we are here to support each other.

[Znewell]

Thank you all for your comments its been a very hard day today had a cry but im not going to give up just yet i will try to fight another day x