Pregnancy and RA.... Ouch

[Ginge_31]

Hi all,

Haven't posted here in quite a while, hope everyone is as well and as comfortable as is possible.

I realised I had an issue with my joints around 2016/2017, but was largely dismissed by my GPS as thing got increasingly worse. I fell pregnant with my second child during this time and was advised not to move gps till after birth so waited till mid 2018.

New gp was fantastic with immediate referral and pain relief, chased through the referral so waited 9 months for first appointment (unbelievably fast for my area). Went through all the tests and found sero negative RA. During talking mentioned that I had two kids but wanted 3 and was told to do this ASAP as so many options would be off the table due to pregnancy.

Have finally managed to fall for the third after over a year of trying only to find out my painkiller stopped ovulation 🤦‍♀️ (prescribed by a different rheumy that doesn't specialise in pregnancy also), I'm now very near 30 weeks and the pain is near unbearable.

My usual rheumy has been stuck in Greece since the beginning of covid and help is being massively delayed as everyone I see needs to consult other specialists in other hospital trusts to see what can and can't be done.

To make matters worse I've had spd also, so along with the usual RA pains getting worse, my whole pelvis appears to be falling apart too.

Whatever helps with one pain seems to exacerbate the other which is becoming quite frustrating.

I have an appointment next week where I'm dues some suggested solutions as calls should have been made from the last (he luckily saw some of the issues as the clinic was late meaning I was stuck in a weirdly uncomfortable chair/position which flared everything up)

Has anyone had a steroid injection into a joint while pregnant?

I've had injections to my bum twice before pregnancy, both helped for a few weeks, the second less so and have had a course of steroid tablets a few months back which appeared to do nothing.

I know I've got a maximum of 12 weeks left till a lot of my issues start to resolve themselves, but the pains building the bigger I get and it's becoming quite difficult day to day.

[allanah]

Hidden

[Hidden]

Hi ginge

I had severe well established RA for 11 years before I was ready to have a baby.

In 2003 I ran out of all treatment options so the only thing left was anti tnfs. So I said I'll have a baby now and then start anti tnfs after delivery.

I came off methotrexate and stayed on hydroxyxhloroquine. 6 weeks off methotrexate I flared so I started a course of oral steroids.

I used ovulation test kits and got pregnant in 8 months. Once pregnant I really struggled. I refused steroids until I got an appointment with my obstetrition. He said healthy mum healthy baby do yourself a favour take the steroids. I could hardly walk and my hands were very swollen and stiff. I was on oral steroids for the rest of my pregnancy. I had hoped to go into remission like lots of women do (about 80%) but I like you did not.

The obstetrician said I could take up to 40mg per day but I was able to manage on 22.5mg. I had a wrist and an ankle injected with steroids whilst pregnant.

If you're struggling to get a rheumy appointment see if you have better luck with your obstetrician or midwife. Maybe they can liaise with rheumy. I suggested to my rheumy and obs that they offer women with AI diseases a joint rheumy/obs clinic like they do for diabetes and epilepsy.

Ask to see an OT too as you'll need wrist splints and advice about caring for a baby when you're sore. I was offered help.

Very best of luck

Kiki X

[bpeal1]

It was quite a long time a go (my youngest is 11 now) but when I was pregnant I flared all the way through. I had several joints injected with steroids and several intramuscular injections (the ones in your backside!). I as told there wasn’t a problem using these during pregnancy as they are the same drugs given to pregnant mothers at risk of delivering prematurely as they help the babies lungs mature. However, I was advised not to have one after 36 weeks because they was a very small chance it might induce labour. My rheumatologist arranged intravenous steroids for me for when my son was about 5 weeks old to pre-empt a flare as hormones came back down.