On Monday I had a call from a rheummy nurse asking how I was getting on (I was on week 10 of Benepali, had to have a steroid injection 3 weeks before). I explained I was struggling, particularly in my hands and wrists. Not great as I am full time carer to my 86 year old mum. She asked what I was taking to cope with the pain, and I explained I was taking tramadol, had a wee stash of steroid tablets that I was using sparingly. She said she would talk to my consultant. On Tuesday I had a call from one of the Registrars and she gave me an appointment for yesterday.
Fantastic I felt like royalty. My consultant said she would normally see 14 patients in a day now she is being restricted to 3 and they are only priority patients who are having problems however she can do telephone consultations (she wasn’t even allowed to do that at the beginning as it was if it ain’t broke don’t fix it, and they thought if they phoned patients they would get more to deal with) they were dealing with the ones who were contacting them as a priority.
Anyway after an examination, I got a steroid injection into my hand (yes and it hurt like hell). We talked over the options (this will be my 6th different treatment) and I opted for another weekly injection rather than daily tablets. She gave me steroid tablets to take until I feel better with the new drug. I opted to go ahead with Tocilizumab and really hope this is the drug that is going to make me feel better and turn my life around. I have had R.A. for over 20 years but the last 18 months have been pure hell.
I had my bloods taken and shown how to do the new injection. At no time did I feel unsafe, in fact it was the opposite.
My R.A. team are complete angels and make me feel so much better. Please nobody suffer, if you are struggling contact your R.A. team.
It makes all the difference when you feel listened to and are treated like a valuable patient.
RANT
Update after seeing rheumatologist 
Will there be a light at the end of the tunnel?
i want to chop my hands off!
