As some of you will know I've been taking mtx now for around 5 months. I 'think'' I'm starting to feel some benefit. No great whoosh moment or overnight improvement just a gradual dawning that my joints are feeling less painful and the stiffness is subsiding. The reason I'm not jumping for joy quite yet is because I've thought it was happening before only to have the pain return. However this time in feeling optimistic enough to post as I've been feeling good for about 2 weeks now! 😀.
Mtx gets a bad press sometimes so I feel it's important to share the good, so big 🤗 to you all and a shared picture of my 8 week old granddaughter to raise a smile Xx
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gwynedd
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Well my daughter got married and had a baby all within a year! So you never know when it will happen 😂😂. But when it does wow! The best feeling in the world 🌍, so allanah you never know what's around the corner!
So glad to hear that you are getting along fine with mtx.Unfortunately it was not "the one" for me but it's good to hear that it seems to work for some.
Fingers crossed that the benefits contunue for you.
Hi they really make you smile even when the pain gets bad they light up your day, we have just not long had another 2 addition to our grandkids a boy and girl 2 and a half months and 3 months and they are wee bundles off joy xxx💕💕
You kept that little bundle of joy quiet! Gorgeous baby girl.
Yes, I agree it's as important to also record when we do well on MTX, I try to do the same especially when someone's having a wobble starting it & more often than not concentrating on the negatives & not the positives, it's only natural. With it being considered the best first-line treatment so as such the most commonly prescribed initial treatment it's bound to be researched. Also many newly diagnosed RDers often haven't been prescribed specialist meds before so of course they'll look online & learn that it's also used for cancer & that can set off alarm bells. That it's used at much higher doses & more regularly than the low doses & weekly MTX known a DMARD appears often to be overlooked. It's not prescribed as frequently but I don't recall azathioprine ever being questioned & that like MTX was initially a chemo drug (a cytotoxic) but found in lower doses to work as a DMARD.
I hope the longer you take it the more you'll notice improvements gwynedd. x
I am back on MTX, so hopefully my 3 week break won't have stopped all the effects. I need to get back to work. won't go until I know I am able to cope with the driving.
I'm no doctor but i presume that because it takes so long for mtx to work 3 wks without won't kick it completely out of your system.
Good luck with getting back to work, I have a 2 hour each way drive you work and have found wearing my splints invaluable. The benefits of working in whatever way you can,while you can is so important for many reasons, not just the pay, so i wish you all the best advice hope you can manage the driving. x
I have to. I drive a bus for a living. can't wear splints so need to be able to cope. Fortunately, like many bus drivers, I don't hold the wheel tightly, unless turning into a road or roundabout, I just steady and support.
Oh gawd! That's tough Jacqui, it must be very hard to be driving all day, I can't imagine the dificulties you must be facing. When are you going to get back you work? I hope the company have a good HR department and are able to offer you the support you need.
Good luck with everything and I agree we need to post the positives too about mtx. I've been diagnosed three months. They immediately put me on it but I had a giant wobble as everyone I met told me it was toxic, prescribed by lazy doctors and could kill me. Apparently it killed my work colleague's sister in law though when I dug deeper she had had no bloodwork for years. Someone else told me they had been left with severe lung damage etc. I spoke to my rheumy nurse about it. She told me for every person it didn't agree with she could show me a line of people who would panic if you took it away because for them it works and the side effects are minimal.
She also stressed the importance of the blood tests. Mine are every two weeks and will only go monthly once I've been stable on mtx for 8 weeks. She said we monitor you super closely. If anything happened at all you would be taken off it straight away.
I completely understand your fear of hair loss, I have had the same fears but so far so good, still got a full head 😀. So there's every chance you'll be the same.
I'm also being monitored for any changes in my bloods very closely, twice monthly for the first 3 months, then once a month, means they pick up any damage before it can cause us any problems.
Don't worry Gretchy my baby fine hair actually seemed thicker on
Mtx!
Re the blood tests.......when I went on monthly tests if I was more than a few days late the computer sent me a letter! It was quite strongly worded explaining the importance of regular tests & said if I didn't have a test ASAP my scrip would be (forget exact wording) put on hold!
So worry not!
AC
First off - what a cute picture!!!! That could make my whole day right there!
Second, yes... MTX can be one of those drugs that sneak up on you and suddenly you realize that you feel pretty good - no pain, no tiredness... Even if it only lasts a few hours or days, enjoy it! Again - Thanks for the big smile this morning
When I saw the picture I thought gwynedd is very advanced for her age children are getting so good with technology 😂😁😀😊☺ Glad to hear it seems to be working.
I'm at the same mtx stage as you, 5 months in. I was on Salazipyrin for 5 years but was getting repeated flares and disease progression.
Like you, I'm cautiously optimistic that this is suiting me well, feeling better, no flares, haven't needed any painkillers, stable bloods, no bad side effects either. I had been worrying about it but so far so good!!
I wish you all the best as you continue your treatment and let's hope we both stay well on it.
Thanks for the picture of your beautiful granddaughter, what a sweetie she is!
When you've had a few knock backs it makes it hard to trust what's happening to your body. But I think an optimistic outlook is far better for us than pessimistic.
I wish you continued wellness and improvement as well.
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