Rheumatoid Arthritis Community

I am sorry you having such difficulty.I don't think its all in your head and you can just snap out of it I dealt with my pain for many months before I gave in went to my doctor. I was trying to convince myself that it would go away.I have been in treatment for R.A. almost 8 months now and it has made a big improvement in me. once you see a Rheumatologist and get a treatment going thats right for you I believe you will start to feel better but be patient it takes time for the meds to start working. there is so much information on this site about treatment and medications you can read about plus some really nice people that understand what your feelings are because we have experienced them, and will give you support about how you are feeling.

Hi!
I am 24 and it is going to be 10 years since I was diagnosed RA, I am a medical student from Slovakia but study in Czech republic and also have to work for my living. I had very big problems at the beginning... couldn?t lie in bed and turn without pain, couldn?t get up, put on clothes, brush my hair, go to school, I slept all day (if I didnt have too much pain to fall asleep), was always tired, I couldnt even chew!!!.... I took MTX and prednison and had soo many side effects (too bad for one adolescent!) but I have to say that after some time (months or a year) it went better and better.... you just cant stop believe and give up! my mum helped me very much that time, she was more sad than me, couldnt reconcile to my disease. I am writing to you because all this started again and now I am feeling the same, feel desperate and hopeless, but I know that it will go away in some time and will be better, you just have to go through this... if you want some advices how to relieve the pain or just to talk, dont worry and write to me, I can understand how difficult it is for you... (and I am sorry for my english )

Whoa there! Take a nice, slow deep breath...now exhale...

I can feel how worried and scared you are. I agree, it is very scary to get this diagnosis. Sometimes I get all caught up in it too.

Hopefully you will start getting treatments to help with everything. You might want to show your mom some educational stuff about RA. She probably doesn't want you to hurt either, and is worried about you.

Take care, and let us know how you are feeling about things.

My mom said once I found out I had it, thats when I started hurting more and more and that its all in my head. I've been in pain, First it was both of my wrists, but I thought maybe carpel tunnel because I type alot and text alot. Then after my daughter was born I started having really bad panick attacks so they put me on Lorazapam and Lexapro. Then I could feel the pain in every single joint in my hands so I thought it was the drugs so I stopped Lexapro and the pain went away a little. Then I started having really bad pain in my back, neck and ears. It felt like i was being electricuted in between my shoulder blads and I felt like it was drowning because of the tightness in my ears. I felt like I was going to go into seizures due to the tightness in my neck and I couldn't sleep. I finally let the doctor run a blood test. It's been bad, I was just functioning and it,s gettting worse. Im tired all the time and the pain in my back neck and head is annoying me and making me irritable. My hands and wrists are tolerable. Now my elbows on the inside are starting to hurt and I fell the other day just out of no where like me knees have out. I started sleeping on a heating pad flat on my back and I take Tramadol, Deflecenac and gabapentin to help maintain the pain throughout the day but then that makes me spacey. The worse thing is I am a single parent of 2 young children and I can't keep up with them. I don't want to be bedridden I have no family besides my kids, no savings and my mom thinks I'm crazy. I just want to feel better, even for just a day so I can take my kid's to the Children's museum or the zoo. Thanks for the support, it means alot!!

My mom said once I found out I had it, thats when I started hurting more and more and that its all in my head. I've been in pain, First it was both of my wrists, but I thought maybe carpel tunnel because I type alot and text alot. Then after my daughter was born I started having really bad panick attacks so they put me on Lorazapam and Lexapro. Then I could feel the pain in every single joint in my hands so I thought it was the drugs so I stopped Lexapro and the pain went away a little. Then I started having really bad pain in my back, neck and ears. It felt like i was being electricuted in between my shoulder blads and I felt like it was drowning because of the tightness in my ears. I felt like I was going to go into seizures due to the tightness in my neck and I couldn't sleep. I finally let the doctor run a blood test. It's been bad, I was just functioning and it,s gettting worse. Im tired all the time and the pain in my back neck and head is annoying me and making me irritable. My hands and wrists are tolerable. Now my elbows on the inside are starting to hurt and I fell the other day just out of no where like me knees have out. I started sleeping on a heating pad flat on my back and I take Tramadol, Deflecenac and gabapentin to help maintain the pain throughout the day but then that makes me spacey. The worse thing is I am a single parent of 2 young children and I can't keep up with them. I don't want to be bedridden I have no family besides my kids, no savings and my mom thinks I'm crazy. I just want to feel better, even for just a day so I can take my kid's to the Children's museum or the zoo. Thanks for the support, it means alot!!

My mom said once I found out I had it, thats when I started hurting more and more and that its all in my head. I've been in pain, First it was both of my wrists, but I thought maybe carpel tunnel because I type alot and text alot. Then after my daughter was born I started having really bad panick attacks so they put me on Lorazapam and Lexapro. Then I could feel the pain in every single joint in my hands so I thought it was the drugs so I stopped Lexapro and the pain went away a little. Then I started having really bad pain in my back, neck and ears. It felt like i was being electricuted in between my shoulder blads and I felt like it was drowning because of the tightness in my ears. I felt like I was going to go into seizures due to the tightness in my neck and I couldn't sleep. I finally let the doctor run a blood test. It's been bad, I was just functioning and it,s gettting worse. Im tired all the time and the pain in my back neck and head is annoying me and making me irritable. My hands and wrists are tolerable. Now my elbows on the inside are starting to hurt and I fell the other day just out of no where like me knees have out. I started sleeping on a heating pad flat on my back and I take Tramadol, Deflecenac and gabapentin to help maintain the pain throughout the day but then that makes me spacey. The worse thing is I am a single parent of 2 young children and I can't keep up with them. I don't want to be bedridden I have no family besides my kids, no savings and my mom thinks I'm crazy. I just want to feel better, even for just a day so I can take my kid's to the Children's museum or the zoo. Thanks for the support, it means alot!!

It will take time to figure out which meds will help you the most, so try to be patient. I have seen the pictures online, you know, the ones where the hands are all twisted. My rheumy says those are the worst case and most of us aren't going to wind up that bad.

I sure hope you can feel up to the museum and things like that soon. I know I'm not either. Heck, my husband does most of the grocery shopping lately. I've got to get back to being active. I'm hoping the methotrexate I just started will be kicking in soon.

Keep trying to find the good things in every day, as these are the things to focus on.

You know your not making it up. You can tell somethings off and that you just dont feel right. Im 27 and I remember looking at other people my age, and older, thinking, "how in the world do they have all that energy" or "Man, they must be really tough because that would be really painfull". People would tell me that I jsut needed to work through the pain and I would be fine. I started going to the doctor because I just couldnt handle it anymore. I was really persistant and waddya know.... I have RA. My pain was real and running really DID hurt and I WAS a lot more tired than my friends.

Other people will never understand and the one thing I have found with older people is they tend to be less understanding.... I know crazy. I have one lady at work who thinks that it's a competition. Well lady, you can win this one! Chronic pain and inflamation is awful and I wouldnt wish it upon my worst enemy. Your ANA shows you that it's not all in your head. Just take one day at a time, one step at a time and dont let people push you into doing things you just cant do. Who cares if that toy is on your floor for 3 days in the same spot. I will tell you one thing, RA will really show you whats important in life and whats not. This is coming from someone who's pretty OCD. Good luck!

Hi,
I am new to this also. My diagnosis is "iffy" because not all my labs confirmed it. My Rfactor was 6 times normal, the ANA was positive, but all my other labs were normal. I have been symptomatic for some time, and having some wierd stuff happen. When I suddenly had extreme pain in bilateral hands, fingers and wrists I really knew something wasn't right, that's when they ran the tests. Are anyone else's lab results similar to mine? My rheumatologist was slow to diagnose me, but is starting me on Plaquinil. I am afraid to start it, in case I'm not, but afraid to wait and have more damage happen. Do I have it?
Janet

Hi Janet,
My RF is as high as yours and my anti-CCP was off the charts but I had normal inflammatory markers (normal sed rate and CRP). I was having pretty mild symptoms for about 2 months (painful feet, stiff elbow and shoulder, nothing major) but then woke up one morning and thought I had broken my arm in my sleep I was in so much pain. Within 2 weeks I was in a full on RA flare with severe morning stiffness, fevers, no energy, swollen head to toe but never had an elevated inflammatory marker. I was actually told there was no way it was RA because my inflammatory markers were normal but then the antibody tests came back and my doctor had to back pedal a lot. I'm also on Plaquenil and it's working great for me. I'm sorry you're having to go through this but I'm glad your doctor is taking you seriously and starting you on something! I hope you get to feeling better soon.

Hi,
Thanks for sharing. do u think i'm in for a big flare? How strange that both our labs don't show inflammation. ?Do you know of others with similar labs as ours? I'm doing better right now, which always makes me think, " you wuss, you don't have it". I'd like to know your name. When he put you on Plaquinil, did he give you a diagnosis of RA? How long ago did you start the Plaquinil? So many questions.
Janet

Thank you for responding, and your younger than me. Thats just awful. What are you taking to maintain the pain. and do you have the tightness in the ears and neck. I feel like my head is in a vice grip or whatever those things are...

Everything I have read says that the pain is going to be the same on each side of the body. I am scared to take any immunosupressant drug because I don't eat well or exercise and I have a family history of cancer. So I don't know what to do. and my appt isn't until January 29th.

Do you feel like your head is in a vise grip? and do you ever feel like your getting electricuted between your choulder blades?